White, pleasantly cold powder, frost creaking under the boots, the smell of hot cocoa and the view of sharp peaks covered with snow… Can it be more beautiful? Winter holidays are in full swing – it’s time for skiing and mountain trips.
Do you know that… 
…winter activities were also popular among composers in the 19th and 20th centuries.
~ the Alps ~
One of the mountain hiking enthusiasts was a representative of the second Viennese school – Anton Webern. The Austrian peaks attracted him with their power – he often went on hikes with his son Peter and friends. Have any photographs from his expeditions to the Alps survived? We will reveal a secret – yes, they have. And you can find them in the Polish Music Library, sitting under a warm blanket with a cup of cocoa in your hand!
But he is not the only creator who appreciates the charm of Alpine views. Mountain landscapes were also no stranger to the Austrian composer and conductor Gustav Mahler, who composed his symphonies and the song Lied von der Erde in the heart of the Italian Dolomites.
~ the Tatras ~
When searching for paths trodden between the lofty peaks of the Tatras by our native composers, it is impossible not to recall Mieczysław Karłowicz, for whom solitary trips starting at the threshold of the “Lutnia” villa were a kind of therapy and let him clear his head.
A little later, the Tatra peaks were admired by Karol Szymanowski, the tenant of another Zakopane villa – “Atma”. The collection of photographs from his Podhale period is truly impressive.
*Tip
We hope that you share our enthusiasm for mountain trails and hikes. We, therefore, propose further exploration of the secrets hidden in PBM resources, and to make this task a little easier, we have prepared a tip on how to search through the resources efficiently. The keywords that will lead you to the top are: krajobraz górski [mountain landscape], podróże [travel], Tatry (góry) [Tatras (mountains)], Alpy (góry) [Alps (mountains)], Zakopane (Polska) [Zakopane (Poland)], but also topics directly related to specific objects, e.g. Giewont (Zakopane) or Willa Atma (Zakopane). Let yourself be carried away by winter madness!
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- Fotografia nieznanego autora przedstawiająca kompozytora Antona Weberna w Alpach w lipcu 1937 roku; repr. S. Michta.
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- Fotografia nieznanego autora przedstawiająca Karola Szymanowskiego i Pawła Kochańskiego w Tatrach w 1932 roku.
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- Fotografia przedstawiająca dyrygenta Gustava Mahlera w dolinie Fischleintal w Dolomitach (Alpy) około 1909 roku; repr. S. Michta.
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- „Willa Lutnia” w Zakopanem, w której mieszkał Mieczysław Karłowicz, fotografia nieznanego autora z ok. 1905 roku
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- Dwudziestowieczna fotografia Antoniego Mariana Wieczorka przedstawiająca krajobraz górski w Zakopanem.
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- Villa „Atma” in Zakopane, Karol Szymanowski’s holiday destination, photograph, source: Tęcza (04.1938).
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