History

The Valley of the Five Polish Lakes used to serve as pastoral areas in the past. The alps of Roztoka Valleys and that of the Five Lakes were owned from 1637 by the Nowobilski family. The Schultheiß of Białka Village, Wojciech Nowobilski, received this land by means of a royal grant from King Władysław IV. Preserved until today, a stone hut offering shelter to pioneer mountaineers and rovers of the past, stands as a proud remnant of the old days. It ceased to serve as a shelter in 1876, when, on the initiative of the Tatra Society (TT ), the first guesthouse was erected by the Small Lake (Mały Staw).

It was a small, single-chamber building constructed of granite blocks and named after Ludwik Zejszner, an illustrious Polish geologist. "The tourists all wrapped up in blankets and curled up by the mountain pine campfire, together with their Górale guides and sherps covered with ‘cuchas’ - all are lying in a circle on a bed of dwarf pines, warming their feet by the fire," – as recalled by Stanislaw Witkiewicz in one of his memoirs. Although the guesthouse enjoyed a great popularity in the height of the summer, during the winter period it was left unattended, and slowly decayed. Almost every year posed the dire need to perform some crucial repairs, which entailed exorbitant costs. Therefore, in 1896 the TT decided to undertake a construction project of a new and more comfortable shelter.

The construction works began very quickly. By the year 1898, the new shelter was already opening is doors to tourists. It had wooden walls, stove, and bunks to sleep on, and so it protected its guests much more efficiently against the cold. Thanks to its increased convenience and a general higher level of comfort, it soon gained the appreciation of the tourists. In view of its growing popularity, the building was subject to several expansions and modernisations. Jedrzej Nowobilski, Wojciech Budz, Jan Nowobilski, co-proprietor of the land, and Maria Budzowa were the caretakers of the guesthouse during the summer periods. In winter, starting from 1907, the care of the Five Lakes was the responsibility of the newly formed TT Ski Section. During World War I, the building was repeatedly devastated, but later on, it was restored to its former glory with the help of Mountain Infantry Division of the Polish Army. Wiktoria Bigosowa took over the lease after her mother, Maria. The guesthouse was open to tourists until 1924, when the reformed branch of Zakopane PTT decided to allocate funds for the construction of a new and larger hostel.


The Hostel Project by Karol Stryjeński/ Modernisation Works of the Third Shelter.

The building’s design was carried out by Karol Stryjeński himself – a Head of the Wood Industry Vocational College in Zakopane. The construction works began with an unrivalled eagerness. This enthusiasm was not dampened even by the subsequent difficulties associated primarily with the transportation of building materials. The hostel opened its doors to tourists only after seven years. Grand opening ceremony took place in 1932, organised by the PTT Zakopane Branch and the lessees, Maria and Andrzej Krzeptowski. The hostel enjoyed a great popularity. Already in 1933 it was decided to expand and insulate it. The building was covered with a wall of rough stone. After the modernisation, which took merely a year, it could accommodate about 50% more tourists. It was here that the camps of the Polish Ski Association were held, with such prominent skiers in attendance as Helena Marusarz, Stanislaw, Jan and Andrzej Marusarz, Marian Orlewicz, Helena Becker, or Bronislaw Czech. These were the hay-days of the interwar period of Tatra tourism. In the year of the outbreak of World War II, Andrzej and Maria Krzeptowscy had to leave the hostel, leaving it in the care of Franciszek Gabryś. Later that same year, Maria Krzeptowska returned to the Five Lakes together with her sons Andrzej and Józef to settle in the hostel. The surrounding mountains were sheltering partisans, and the residents of the hostel took an active part in the resistance movement. Although the building survived the time of war and occupation intact, it completely burnt down in May 1945 for an unknown reason.


Third Five Lakes Hostel after the modernisation.

After the liberation, PTT reactivated its operations, but the rebuilding of the burnt hostel was not even considered yet. It was Andrzej Krzeptowski who, together with his wife, took the decision to build a new shelter. Thanks to their efforts, in 1947 a small wooden building was erected by the Small Lake (Mały Staw). This was the first shelter to have been rebuilt after the war in the whole of Tatra Mountains, which functioned until 1954. Now (since 1968) it serves as a guardian lodge of the Tatra National Park .


The Fourth Hostel.

The year of 1954 saw the completion of the construction of the present Mountain Hostel, fifth one to be built in the Valley of the Five Lakes. Harmoniously integrated into the landscape, this stone and wooden building was erected in a completely different location - on the northern shore of the Front Lake (Staw Przedni). In terms of its architectural features (including the shelters on the Chochołowska Glade -Połana Chochołowska- and the Ornak Alp – Hala Ornak), the building is a feat of post-war tourism construction.


From the left: Andrzej and Maria Krzeptowski.

In March 1956 an official opening ceremony was held with Maria Krzeptowska as its mistress – the hostess of the previous shelters who had dedicated the greatest part of her life to the Five Lakes. Despite the enormous difficulties associated with the supply of goods to the Hostel (horse transport , bringing the goods on own back) and thanks to the unrelenting efforts of the hosts, the tourists were never short of anything, and until this very day (!) the Hostel has been known for its friendly hospitality and homely atmosphere. It is here that a lot of sports camps have been organised (such as the preparations for the Mexico Olympic Games), ski races (on Easter Sunday-downhill skiing) and many other events. In 1957, Andrzej Krzeptowski with his son Józef took over the Hostel in Roztoka and Maria with her son Andrzej stayed at the Five Lakes. In 1973 the brothers, Andrzej and Józef, took over the reins. Later on, the Hostel was bequeathed under Andrzej’s exclusive care. In 1998 he was joined by his daughter Maria, and then by the other daughter, Marta.


Andrzej and Józef Krzeptowski, the summer of 1978 / the current Management of the Hostel

The Recent History of the Hostel

With the support provided by the EcoFund Foundation and the National Fund for Environmental Protection and Water Management in Warsaw, the ecological infrastructure for the Hostel in the Valley of the Five Lakes was erected in 2009 – 2010.
The reconstructed 80 kW Small Hydroelectric Power Plant enabled the functioning of a BIOVAC biological wastewater treatment plant. Thus, it was also possible to resign from coal-fired heating in the building and switch to an electrical central heating system. As a result, the ecological effect was reinforced through thermal modernization of the Hostel.