The Alpine context of the development of Polish mountaineering up to 1914

Abstract

Polish Tatra tourism and its specialised form – mountaineering, experienced a dynamic period of their development in the second half of the 19th and at the beginning of the 20th century, at a period when Poland did not exist on world maps. At that time, the Tatra Mountains for Poles, were more than a place of fascination with mountains or implementation of mountain passion, they were a symbol of freedom, a kind of sacrum, „altars of freedom” and a testimony of national pride. Perhaps for this reason, the history of mountain climbing was viewed from a local, Polish perspective. In this article, it is shown that the development of tourist activity in the Tatras as well as the origin and evolution of mountain climbing were largely conditioned by inspirations fl owing from Western European mountaineering. This infl uence was manifested in the theoretical (ideological) dimension conditioned by knowledge of mountaineering literature, direct contact between mountaineers and mountaineering achievements during climbing trips to the Alps and the Dolomites, and the support received by Polish mountaineers from active mountaineers in the Tatras. As a consequence of these inspirations, mountain climbing, with the characteristic features of Western European mountain eering, was born.