Episode Information

Baca, Jarek and young shepard, Pietrek, care for a herd of about 700 sheep. The day is a peaceful one, much like most days - the sheep are grazing. Pietrek herds them on horseback, oscypek (a traditional and historical goat cheese specific to the region) smokes over the fire. However, there is a noticeable tension in the air. They find traces of a wolf... Lumberjacks - Staszek and his son have to deal with an extremely difficult task - a storm ripped some trees from their roots in inaccessible parts of the mountains. To reach them, they have to climb high up into the mountain. No modern machines can access these remote, dense areas. The trees can be pulled only with the help of a horse. Piotr is a musician and instrument designer. A special day has come for him - the wedding of his eldest daughter. Piotr wants to play at the celebration with his newly, hand-crafted bagpipes which he made especially for the occasion. We admire the process of preparing such an unusual instrument. Wheelwright Jan is one of the last people in Podhale who can make a wooden wheel from beginning to end. He received an order to prepare new wheels for a historic carriage. One of the machines he uses in his workshop is about 150 years old. Gorals: The Highlanders of Carpathia presents portraits of several Polish highlanders who perform the same professions and share the same passions that have occupied their ancestors over the past several centuries. These are people whose characters are shaped when confronted with nature, inaccessible mountains, weather changes and animals. The high peaks of the Tatra mountains become more than just a silent observer of our heroes. Around the mountains, everything changes and they stand and maintain, unshaken. Is the culture of Podhale highlanders sustainable, or could these be the final times for these people living this lifestyle in the mountains, and not only as folklore in the museums of folk art?