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Once in a while when I am abroad I like having a stroll in old graveyards, let alone when one such is here and not very far from where we stay . If there is anywhere in Zakopane where you can feel the spirit of a hundred years ago, it is at the Old Graveyard, -an intimate place, encircled by a stone wall, the entrance of which is found behind St. Clement's very old wooden church. 


 
 
The Old Cemetery on Pęksowy Brzyzek
 
It is considered the most valuable heritage site in Zakopane and is one of Poland's most important cemeteries (1850)

 
Currently, there are about 70 of Zakopane's most distinguished inhabitants both in terms of Polish history and culture, interred here. Noteworthy are not only the eminent names, but also the artistic form of many of the tombstones, of which a number are true works of art.

 
Stout wooden crosses that are enlivened by florid carving, dreamy sculptures of Christ or the Virgin, bulbous clusters of rocks that turn out to be actual graves.

 
Amongst the most distinguished figures to be found here are Stanislaw Witkiewicz, the father of the Zakopane style, the poet Kazimierz Tetmajer and the much-loved childrens' author Kornel Makuszynski.