Ruch turystyczny okolic Jeziora Rożnowskiego w latach 1933–2008

Abstract

The Rożnów Reservoir is situated in southern Poland, in the south east of Małopolska Province, about 70 km southeast of Cracow, the capital of the province and 15 km north of Nowy Sącz, the nearest city. It was created in years 1934–1943, as a result of a construction of a 49 meter-high dam on the Dunajec River in Rożnów. The Rożnów Reservoir with its big tourist potential became over years one of the finest Polish tourist areas. The place is surrounded by beautiful landscape. Closeness of many villages and towns, accompanied by good transportation infrastructure is also an advantage. Research on the tourist movement at the Rożnów Foothills was conducted since the 1930s by the Tourism Study Centre at the Jagiellonian University in Cracow. After the socioeconomic transformation, which took place in Poland after 1989, a lot of significant changes in tourism industry in this area occurred. Gradually state-owned resorts were being closed. At the same time borders were opened. After some time it occurred that holidays abroad are less expensive (e.g. in Slovakia). In case of the Rożnów Reservoir the lack of sewage treatment plant in villages around the reservoir and in the nearby Nowy Sącz and long-term, chaotic exploitation of this area by thousands of tourists caused degradation of its esthetic virtues.