Count Dracula is the character that leaps to mind when most of us think about the Carpathians. And given the rich folklore of those lands, it's hardly surprising that Bram Stoker got hooked.
Stoker eventually settled on Transylvania for his tale, but of all the highlanders in the Carpathian range, the Huculi are the most colourful. The Hucul lands (pr. Hootzool) lie in Ukraine today, but in previous centuries they were a part of Poland. A proud, independent bunch, the Huculi also had liberal views about marriage, which was traditionally a somewhat open affair. A hundred years ago, Polish artists and poets fell head over heels for the Huculi, and something of that fascination lives on today.
Over the next couple of days a low-key Hucul festival is being hosted in Krakow. Exhibitions are being staged at the foot of the Royal Castle at the St. Wlodzimierz Foundation (ul. Kanonicza 1), and some of the highlanders will be joining in the more general Cracow Easter Market on Sunday, down in Kazimierz (Plac Wolnica: 11am-2pm). But for an unadulterated blast of Hucul magic, head over to the folk concert at Rotunda on Sunday evening (7pm). The Czeremosz Band will be weaving their wild spell.
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