[INTERVIEW] Adam Michańków and Jacek Wielopolski – founders of Zakolovers

Meet Zakolovers! How are we different from developers? Read the interview with the founders – Adam Michańków and Jacek Wielopolski.

Business strategist, president of an interactive agency and owner of a law firm, both from Poznań – what do they have in common? Love of mountains, ecological lifestyle and Zakolovers!

Where did the idea to build houses in Zakopane come from?

A.M.: Zakopane – the gateway to our beautiful Tatra Mountains, the smell of nature which is very close to me. Picturesque landscapes are the advantages of this area. We carry out our investments in selected districts and surroundings of Zakopane. We do not want our settlements to be adjacent to urban agglomeration – between buildings, car parks and numerous parked cars. We do it so that people could get away from the places where they live on a daily basis. So that they could leave their homes and walk barefoot in the wet grass to the forest. So that they could feel the icy water near our plot of land, or meet Tatra animals. It is the direction of an individual approach to people’s needs, but also the things that we ourselves would expect when going on holiday with our families.

It is only about leisure values, or does such a location also guarantee good business?

J.W.: Definitely the uniqueness of the location, the uniqueness of the Podhale region, the atmosphere of the place, of the mountains, and the specific way of people’s thinking and their approach to nature. I would put the profitability of the business in the second place. It is obvious that it is a unique place on the map of Poland, where the season lasts up to nine months.

Zakopane seems to have already been built up to the brim by developers. What makes Zakolovers different?

A.M.: First of all, the fact that we are not a developer. We don’t just care about profit – We are driven by the goal which is to treat the planet and nature, the place we live in, in such a way to make it available not just to us, but also to future generations. If we do not start with small steps, with green energy, building with natural materials, it will not be possible to achieve. Many people are starting to think in terms of a “green trend” and begin to live it in their own homes in an eco-friendly way. It is based, for example, on buying a specific number of clothes, making certain items together, and also expecting this when on holiday. And ecology and economy are associated with it. We need to extend this thought on holiday as well.

J.W: We are annoyed by the approach of developers, because they do not pay attention to the nature and culture of the Podhale region. What matters to us, doesn’t matter to them. That is why we do not define ourselves as developers. What matters to us is ecology. We do believe that if we don’t think about protecting the Earth, nature, animals today, then maybe in 20, 30 years our children won’t have a place on the planet because it simply won’t be there anymore in its current form. Each of us today must not only talk about it, but also do something about it. Another motivation is that we are people who grew up in the city. For us, nature, mountains, rocks, animals are values that we didn’t have in the city. When we see them, we respect them probably even more than the people who live there on a daily basis. That is why we attach such great importance to ecological aspects and to the use of zero-emission solutions.

What solutions do you intend to introduce and how do you want to ensure guests’ contact with nature?

A.M: Not only will we not emit harmful things; we will even try to preserve this nature. Hence the ideas for animal feeding racks, for a small arboretum of plants of the Podhale region… We really want to do that. We also want to clean up the nearby dirty stream, to make it as we imagine it, to make it beautiful and natural.

How do you want to make this possible for them?

J.W: We suggest spending time close to nature. Starting from the fact that in the house the warmth is ensured by energy from natural sources; there are wooden walls, the smell… It all functions and affects on our senses. We go outside and we become surrounded by nature, vegetation. And all this green energy affects us well. Returning to the topic of ecology – Zakolovers apartments will also be equipped with automatic light switch off, ways to save energy, or photovoltaic panels.