Nowy Targ
Nowy Targ (, , , "Naymarkt," Goral: "Miasto") is a town in southern Poland with 34,000 inhabitants (2006). It is the capital of the Goral Lands and the Podhale region part of it. The town is situated in a valley beneath the Gorce Mountains featuring Gorce National Park established in 1981, at the confluence of rivers Biały and Czarny Dunajec. Administratively, it is in Nowy Targ County in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. It was previously in Nowy Sącz Voivodeship (1975–1998). Geography. Nowy Targ is located in the heart of Podhale (one of the Goral Lands)at the altitude of 585–850 m above  sea level (AMSL); latitude 49°28' N, longitude 20°01' E. Distance to the main urban agglomerations in Poland is: Warsaw – , Łódź – , Kraków – , Gdańsk – , Wrocław – , Katowice – , Kielce – , Rzeszów – , Szczecin – , Białystok - , Poznań – , Częstochowa – , Słupsk – . Climate. Due to its altitude, Nowy Targ is one of the coldest cities in Poland together with Suwałki and Zakopane. Winter usually lasts from late November to early April and between 90 and 110 days a year there is a snow cover. Air frost has been measured in every month of the year except for July. Summers are mild with occasional thunderstorms and high temperatures  between 17 and 25 degrees Celsius. Hot days (over ) are rare, only occurring twice annually on average. Precipitation is heavy for Polish standards, varying between at the airport and in Kowaniec to around on Bukowina Miejska, the highest part of the city. The growing season equally varies between on average 150 days on Bukowina Miejska to around 200 days in the lower parts of the city. Nowy Targ is in the AHS Heat Zones 1-2 and USDA Hardiness Zone 4a to 5b, depending on the location. According to the Köppen climate classification, Nowy Targ straddles the border of the  Warm Summer Continental (Dfb) and Subarctic (Dfc) climates, with most of the city falling in the Dfb group. The Dfc climate is only found above of elevation within Nowy Targ. Architecture. St. Anna Church. Wooden church overseeing the city cemetery. Its origins date to the 15th century, although local legends describe it as founded in 1219. Initially built in a gothic style, it was later repaired and rebuilt featuring, among others, a baroque altar piece and paintings, a rococo pulpit, and 18th-century organ and bell tower. St. Catherine Church. Dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria, the church was built  in 1346 by King Casimir the Great. It is the oldest existing church of the Podhale region. The church has been damaged by numerous fires and military attacks, and subsequently rebuilt and renovated. The interior retains its baroque character, especially in the altar and side chapels, although numerous pieces are replicas of wooden originals lost to fire. A painting of St. Catherine from 1892 dominates the main altar. International relations. Twin towns — Sister cities. Nowy Targ is twinned with: