Paweł Franczak

Sunrise as a tourist attraction in the context of tourist motivation theory: a case study of the peak of Babia Góra (Western Carpathians)

Abstract Tourist ascents of mountain peaks before sunrise are increasingly popular. Babia Góra (Western Carpathians) is a peak on the Polish-Slovak border frequently visited by a great number of tourists at sunrise. The main objective of our research, based on the case study of Babia Gora, was to answer a more general question whether the sunrise can be considered a tourist attraction. The research included the observation and description of every sunrise at summer holiday weekends during 2012 from the peak of Babia Góra as well as the collection of data on the number of tourists and weather conditions. Survey interviews, using questionnaire, with randomly selected hikers present on the peak of Babia Góra at sunrise (269) were conducted. The investigation showed that during summer holiday sunrises there were a maximum of 130 people on the summit of Babia Góra at the same time. Most of the surveyed people (84%) agreed that the opportunity to observe the sunrise was one of the pull factors for them. This confirms the hypothesis that sunrise constitutes a tourist attraction.

Regional distribution and relevance in paleonvironmental studies of lakes in the Tatra Mts. (Western Carpathians)

Scientific limnological research in the Tatra Mountains were initiated by Stanislaw Staszic in the early XIX century. xa0After the World War II, the evolution of Tatra lakes was investigated by Kondracki, Klimaszewski, Baumgart-Kotarba and. Extensive paleolimnological investigations in the Tatra Mountains were started by the group of scientists led by K. Starmach in the beginning of the second half of the 20 th century. xa0There has been not much research concerned to the regional distribution of lakes and their properties in the Tatra Mountains (Pociask-Karteczka 2013). Very early division of lakes presented A. Gadomski (1922), which distinguished four types of lakes: a) tarns (cirque lake or corrie loch), b) bedrock-dammed lakes, c) moraine lakes. This division was concerned in subsequent publications (Choinski 2007). M. Luknis (1973, 1985) recognized additional types: kettles and landslide-dammed lakes and M. Klimaszewski (1988) – inter-sheepback lakes. J. Pacl and K. Wit-Joźwik in Klima Tatier (Pacl, Wit-Joźwik 1974) were focused on the temperature of water in lakes in Polish and Slovak parts and M. Borowiak (2000a,b) provided a comprehensive analysis of types, dimensions, temperature and chemical composition of water in lakes in the Tatra Mountains. According to present day state of knowledge, one may distinguish following genetic types of lakes: I) glacial, II) not-glacial. There are four types of the glacial origin lakes in the Tatra Mountains (Fig. 1): a) tarns (cirque lakes or corrie loch), b) bedrock-moraine dammed lakes, c) inter-sheepback lakes, d) moraine lakes, e) kettles. Most of lakes in the Tatra Mountains are tarns and bedrock-moraine dammed lakes, and they are located at the elevation over 1400 m a.s.l. in the Western Tatra Mountains, and over 1600 m a.s.l. in the High Tatra Mountains. Some of them are paternoster lakes – a series of stair-stepped lakes formed in individual rock basins aligned down the course of a glaciated valley. Lakes in the Five Polish Lakes Valley is an example of such type. The inter-sheepback lakes occur at higher elevations (e.g. Wyznie Mnichowe Stawki, Zamrznute oka). There is a little number of moraine lakes in the Tatra Mountains (e.g. Smreczynski, Toporowy Nizni) and kettles (e.g. Strbske Pleso, Kotlinowy Stawek). Some lakes are located among rock debris or rock debris and moraine material (Dwoisty Staw Gąsienicowy, Anitino ocko) – they are of polygenetic origin.

Powódź błyskawiczna jako zdarzenie przyrodnicze i społeczne na przykładzie powodzi w Wojcieszowie 5 lipca 2012 roku

Powodź blyskawiczna jako zdarzenie przyrodnicze i spoleczne na przykladzie powodzi w Wojcieszowie 5 lipca 2012 roku

Problematyka reklamy zewnętrznej na obszarach cennych przyrodniczo, przykład otoczenia Tatr

Outdoor advertising is increasingly being used as a medium in marketing. It allows a simple and effective way to reach potential customers. Outdoor advertising as „the only medium that cannot be turned off” is growing faster than traditional means of marketing communication; it results in an increase in the intensity of its occurrence in public space. However, it is accompanied by negative consequences such as the degradation of the quality of public space and the aesthetics of the landscape. The aim of the study is to answer the question: Is the quality of the mountain landscape significantly threatened by widespread outdoor advertising? The study area consists of the Tatras on the Polish and Slovak sides. Significant differences were found in the occurrence of outdoor advertising on both sides of the border. Much more advertising media exists in the Polish (northern) part of the study area where they have the highest concentration along major roads and at tourist destinations. In the Slovak part, the distribution of advertising media has a lower intensity. The final finding is that chaos exists in areas of high landscape value in terms of advertising volume.