Zakopane — Vintage Ski Poster Print

About this artwork

The Tatra Mountains rise in a jagged wall of grey-brown rock and snow across the top of this Zakopane ski poster. Dark forest wraps their lower slopes, and a huge golden sun, cropped by the top right corner, sends long rays across the blue sky.

Below, wooden highland houses sit under steep roofs heaped with snow. Their timber upper storeys rest on whitewashed stone bases, red shutters and carved balconies frame the windows, window boxes add touches of green and red, and thin threads of smoke curl from the chimneys. Across the foreground, a chestnut horse in dark harness trots through the snow, pulling an empty red sleigh with gold trim and curling runners. Just ahead, a skier in a red jacket, navy trousers, navy helmet and white goggles crouches on red skis, keeping pace with the horse. In the finished print, Zakopane sits in large red capitals on a cream band at the top, with Poland in small navy type.

About Zakopane

Zakopane is a mountain town in southern Poland, in the Lesser Poland region, at the foot of the Tatra Mountains, which form the border with Slovakia. Often called Poland's winter capital, it is the country's best-known base for skiing and mountain walking. The town is also a centre of Goral highland culture, and in the late 19th century the artist Stanisław Witkiewicz created the Zakopane Style, an architectural style inspired by the region's wooden highland houses. Much of the surrounding range is protected as the Tatra National Park.

How to style it

A natural fit for a cabin, a chalet or a living room with timber, wool and folk textiles. It pairs well with the Lech design for a set of snowy mountain villages, or with Serra da Estrela for ski scenes beyond the Alps. Explore the full Vintage Ski Posters collection.