The Tatra Mountains were in a frenzy. Tourists moved en masse to one place

The third weekend of April showed how great the power of attraction of the Tatra Mountains is when the weather is good. NThe largest crowds, as every year, appeared in the Chochołowska Valley. Reason? It was in this place that many crocuses bloomed.

Crowds of tourists in the Tatra Mountains. It’s all because of the crocuses

Just recently, it seemed that the season would end sooner than usual. The return of low temperatures meant that even in the Tatra valleys there was a lot of snow and the landscape looked more like the middle of winter than spring.

Last weekend, the route from Siwa Polana to the shelter was extremely crowded. It’s an easy and popular trail, so it quickly filled up with walkers. For more advanced mountain hiking enthusiasts, the Chochołowska Valley may be the starting point for Grześ, Rakoń, Wołowiec or other peaks of the Western Tatras, such as Trzydniowiański or Kończy Wierch.

The photos that found their way online sparked a heated discussion. “And in just two weeks, May Day in the Tatra Mountains, thought three million Poles”; “spring redyk”; “you can commune with nature, but probably human nature”; “They will trample everything, the hope is in the animals that they will chase away these tourists a bit,” wrote Internet users.

Tourists are crazy about crocuses. There is one catch

Unfortunately, with its growing popularity comes a problem that returns every year like a boomerang. Despite clear signs and educational activities, some tourists ignore nature protection rules. Flags with the words “Stop” and “Not a crocus further” turn out to be insufficient for some people. In the pursuit of the perfect photo on social media, people go off trails, trample on flowers, and even lie down among them to get a better shot.

Meanwhile, TPN employees remind that each such step damages delicate plants and their bulbs, which may affect future flowering. As a result, short-term popularity of a place may lead to long-term losses.