The Tatra Mountains were in a frenzy. The highlanders are fighting for property worth millions of zlotys

There is a fierce dispute in the Tatra Mountains over the authority over one of the most valuable areas in the region. This is the Community of Eight Authorized Villages, which owns over 2,200 hectares of land located in the Tatra National Park, including, among others, Chochołowskie Valleysji Lejowa.

At stake is not only multi-million-dollar tourism revenues, but also the future of a unique form of ownership that has been operating for over two centuries.

Conflict in the Tatra National Park. New information

Many people may be surprised by the fact that some of the TPN areas do not belong to the State Treasury. The historic property rights were retained by the community of inhabitants of eight towns in the Podhale region. Thanks to this, highlanders benefit from the activities carried out in these areas, including: from the sale of entrance tickets to the Chochołowska Valley or parking fees.

However, for several weeks, conflict has been growing in the community. Some shareholders demand changes in the management board and greater transparency of finances. Critics of the current authorities claim that they do not have full access to information about the organization’s income and expenses. There are also allegations about the way the wood obtained during felling is divided.

However, the proposal to change the statute arouses the greatest emotions. Opponents of the current management fear that transferring management to a specially established company will limit the influence of ordinary shareholders on the fate of the community.

The organization is headed by Jan Pizura, a local government official and head of PiS structures in the Tatra poviat. He denies all allegations. As he argues, the conflict is not about taking over the property, but about securing the highlanders’ property.

– I am not welded to the stool and in fact I would not be here if people did not ask me to complete my mission – he says in an interview with Onet.

A row in the Tatra Mountains. The PiS politician explains himself

According to Jan Piczura, changing the statute is necessary to complete the process of organizing the legal status of land. The problem has its origins in the 1960s, when the community’s documents included a provision providing for management by a company. However, it was not implemented for decades.

– I am proposing these changes to protect the property of highlanders in the Tatra Mountains, and people say I want to take over everything. The scale of nonsense expressed by the other side is so great that it needs to be corrected somewhere, he argues.

According to the community authorities, the lack of appropriate entries in the land and mortgage register may weaken the position of the owners in the future. There are also concerns among some residents of Podhale that the state could return to the idea of ​​taking over or purchasing private lands located within the borders of the national park.

Jan Piczura himself assures that the most important thing today is to preserve the historical heritage. – We have had this piece of mountains for 206 years. Our ancestors bought these forests and we owe it to them to fight for this heritage, he emphasizes.