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Bacówka Władysława Zapotocznego Witów

Władysław Zapotoczny's Shepherd's Hut in Witów

Bacówka Władysława Zapotocznego w Witowie, obok lasu. Przed nią położona jest kostka brukowa. Obok bacówki stoi motocykl.

Witów Tourist region: Tatry i Podhale

'There have always been sheep at home', emphasises Władysław Zapotoczny from Kościelisko, who has been engaged in pastoralism since his youth. For some time now, he has been running a shepherd's hut in Witów, a village that is already a tourist destination, but where a lot of tradition has been preserved.

As Władysław Zapotoczny, the senior shepherd owning a homestead in Witów, himself admits, shepherding is a family tradition. At the age of 15 he was already an apprentice of a senior shepherd. His shepherd's hut on Biały Brook was built in 1991. Since then, he has had his own flock of sheep, and for the past 21 years he has been running a farm specialising in breeding these animals, which he systematically expands.  He has nearly 160 of his own sheep of the traditional mountain breed, but grazes about 400 on Bialy Brook. Before coming here, he used to pasture in Jaworki, Zawoja and near Skawina. When the grazing season is over, Władysław Zapotoczny has more time to run a sizeable farm. He also drives a fiacre in the Kościeliska Valley. In 2015, he was awarded the Badge of Honour of 'Agricultural Merit'. As you can see, shepherding, although so time-consuming, does not limit the pursuit of his passions. Working on the farm or driving a fiacre are other professions that this stubborn mountaineer is not afraid of. When does he rest? There is probably no satisfactory answer to this question, but for many, work is also a passion, and it’s their whole life.


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