*1.3. Tatra National Park—Characteristics of the Area*

Tatra National Park is the most famous tourism destination among national parks in Poland. In the nineteenth century, the area of the Tatra Mountains was a very fashionable place where well known painters, writers and poets rested. Already in this period, the influx of tourists caused activities for the protection of nature. In 1873, the Tatra Society (the first tourist organization in Poland) was founded to bring together scientists and people from the world of science and politics. In this group, the idea of creating a National Park in the Tatra Mountains arose, which was realized only after World War II in 1954 [47] (pp. 22–23). Tatra National Park covers an area of 211,000 square kilometers and in this respect, is one of the largest among 23 national parks in Poland. The Park is a natural habitat of endemic animal species, such as the Tatra chamois, marmot, bear, lynx, wildcat and wolf. TNP borders cover the entire area of the Polish part of the Tatra Mountains and nearly 3700 ha of adjacent forest complexes. Approximately 70% of the Park area is occupied by forests and thickets of mountain pine, and about 30%—alpine grasslands, rocks and waters. Nearly 12.3 thousand ha of TNP area are strictly protected areas. They are excluded from the economy and human interference. Due to its attractiveness and history of tourist traffic, TNP belongs to the most crowded protected areas in Poland [46] (p. 25). Yet, its Alpine character and rich landscape attract a record number of tourists each year —according to TNP data, this amounts to 4 million tourists annually [48].
