The first shelter on Jaworzyna Krynicka
The Polish Tatra Society branch in Krynica was established in 1924, and an independent branch five years later. The idea of building a tourist shelter on Jaworzyna, which would replace the primitive shelter "Zochna" on Market, emerged from talks held by local tourism activists with Kazimierz Sosnowski in 1928. Soon, a few months later, the West Beskids Inter-Branch Commission of the PTT, meeting in Krynica, passed a resolution regarding the location, size and costs of building a shelter, with serious chances of its relatively quick completion.
The implementation of the shelter plans began in 1929 with negotiations for the purchase of land and efforts to purchase building materials. On October 21, 1932, a construction committee was established, which continued to collect funds, using a collection campaign that included the sale of stickers, bricks, and various souvenirs. The purchase of a suitable plot of land posed greater problems, as evidenced by the report entry, which states that: "Due to difficulties in acquiring springs, on the plot of the Main Board, a second plot was purchased together with a spring located on it near the Jaworzyna peak" (Report on the activities of the PTT in Kraków for the period from April 3, 1933 to March 31, 1934). At the same time, construction timber was sought from the Directorate of State Forests in Lviv; efforts were made to obtain the necessary loan from the Directorate of the Labor Fund. At the turn of 1933/1934, in difficult winter conditions, the work of sawing and transporting the timber began.
In the spring of 1934, earthworks and carpentry works began. Initially, it was planned to partially open the facility in July 1934, but it finally took place in the second half of December, as reported by, among others, "Przegląd Turystyczny" (no. 3), writing that: "the shelter has been brought under the roof [and that] it will be partially opened for the winter season". The building was equipped with a telephone and a telegraph, and interestingly, a meteorological station was set up there. Initially, the facility (built according to the design of engineer Bohdan Treter) had sixty beds, later seventy. PTT members paid PLN 1.50 for a night in a double room, 60 groszy in a collective room, and other people paid PLN 2.50 and PLN 1, respectively.
The finishing works lasted for the next three years. During this time, a common room and a reading room were set up, the furniture was added, the shower rooms were finished, a spirit-gas lamp was purchased, and a commemorative plaque was made. In 1937, the construction of the shelter (named after Józef Piłsudski) was basically completed, but some works (e.g., making the joinery) were continued. In 1937, 298 tourists used the accommodation. In 1938, the number of people staying overnight increased to 333. The excellent location of the facility from the point of view of the needs of mountain tourists, as well as vacationers and summer visitors staying in Krynica and neighboring resorts, guaranteed high attendance. The measure of its popularity (run by Jan Kamyk in the 1930s) was the stays of, among others, Jan Kiepura, Mieczysław Orłowicz, Dr. Jan Gwalbert Pawlikowski, Jerzy Bajan (fighter pilot, outstanding specialist in aerobatics) and the Dutch heir to the throne Princess Juliana with her husband Prince Bernard.
Tourists and holidaymakers from Krynica did not enjoy the newly built facility for long. In October 1944, it was burned down by the Germans. The construction and launch of another real shelter in Jaworzyna Krynicka, which replaced the "Sarenka" shelter opened in 1952, did not take place until 1967.
Author: Leszek Migrała
Tourists and holidaymakers from Krynica did not enjoy the newly built facility for long. In October 1944, it was burned down by the Germans. The construction and launch of another real shelter in Jaworzyna Krynicka, which replaced the "Sarenka" shelter opened in 1952, did not take place until 1967.
Author: Leszek Migrała
