THE GORALS OF POLAND’S TATRA MOUNTAINS
The Goral people of the Tatra Mountains in southern Poland lead a very traditional lifestyle. Living mainly from tourism today, they are still firmly committed to passing on their customs to the next generation.
The Tatra Mountains in southern Poland were once a wilderness of forests and rocky outcrops. Hundreds of years ago, bandits and nomads from the Balkans hid there or looked for new pastures for their animals. Their descendants call themselves Gorals, or highlanders. For a long time, they led an isolated existence cut off from the rest of the world, preserving their own traditions and customs. Today, tourism is their main source of income. It makes life easier, but in the modern world, the Gorals’ folk art – their music, ancient chants and unique handicrafts – is in danger of disappearing altogether. Wojtek is a herdsman, known as "Baca" in Poland. He spends the summer in the mountains, herding a flock of 1500 sheep with his helpers and turning his milk into "oscypek", a smoked cheese known all over Poland. Bartosz comes from a long line of Gorals and is now passing on the traditions to his four children. A folk costume maker offers us an insight into his artistic craft, raftsmen show us an old transport route and Goral women share with us some of their culinary traditions. Will they be the last to speak the typical dialect and know about true Goral life? Or will they pass on their centuries-old traditions to the next generation?