Morskie Oko, or Eye of the Sea in English, is the largest and fourth-deepest lake in the Tatra Mountains, in southern Poland.
[3] The hut of the Polish Tourism and Local Lore Society (PTTK) stands on the moraine that closes the lake from the north.
In winter, a short section of the journey is in an avalanche danger zone, and the area can remain cold and rainy even in summer.
In 1824, during Partitions of Poland, Morskie Oko became private property, for the time being, when Zakopane estate, including the Dolina Rybiego Potoku, were purchased from the Austrian authorities by Emanuel Homolacs.
Morskie Oko was "rediscovered" for tourism by Dr. Tytus Chałubiński in the mid-nineteenth century; the first shelter was built there in 1836 but burned down in 1865.
The charm of Morskie Oko has provided inspiration to many artists, including painters (Walery Eljasz-Radzikowski, Leon Wyczółkowski, Stanisław Gałek), poets (Wincenty Pol, Adam Asnyk, Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer, Franciszek Nowicki, Jan Kasprowicz), and composers (Zygmunt Noskowski).