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SZCZAWNICA |
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Sited on the edge of the sparkling River Dunajec below the peaks of
the Pieniny, SZCZAWNICA is a highly picturesque example of the small spa
resorts strung out in the steep valleys east of the Tatras. Once
patronized by Nobel Prize-winning novelist Henryk Sienkiewicz, it's
still the most visited town in the region, crowded through the summer
with all types of mountain holiday-makers: canoeists setting off down
the gorge, hikers heading off to the hills, industrial workers
recuperating in the sanatoria.
Buses run here from both Nowy Targ (40km) and, on a slightly roundabout
route, from Zakopane (50km), dropping you in the centre of town, by the
river. From here it's a short walk up to the bustling square, and the
staid health establishments of the upper town . In the communist era,
Szczawnica's alkaline springwater was consumed by miners and
steelworkers, now replaced by the regular brand of health-seeking
tourists, Polish and foreign; casual visitors are free to wander in and
sample the waters. There's little else to see in town, unless you happen
to be around during górale folk events. The attraction for most foreign
visitors lies in getting out to explore the Pieniny and the Dunajec
Gorge.
You can get up onto an eastern spur of the Pieniny by taking the
chairlift (July-Aug & Dec-April) just below the main street to the
722-metre-high Góra Palenica, which provides excellent views of the
valley. There's a short downhill run and a modest snowboard park here in
winter, although it's nothing for the serious winter sportsperson to get
excited about.
The chairlift terminal is also the starting point for the Dunajec Gorge
foot- and cycle-path , which runs westwards along the south bank of the
river, crossing over into Slovakia after 3km (the border is open to
walkers and cyclists until 8pm in summer, 5pm in winter), and continuing
for another 9km along the banks of the gorge as far as Cerveny Klįsator,
the main Slovakian starting point for rafting trips. You can rent bikes
at the chairlift terminal.
You should at least follow the path for the 2km it takes you to reach
the west end of Szczawnica village; here you get excellent views of the
sheer cliffs marking the eastern end of the Dunajec Gorge, from which
the bobbing forms of rafts emerge at regular intervals.
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