A large black-and-white cat named Gacek has become the top-rated tourist attraction in the Polish city of Szczecin, with over 1,000 Google reviews giving the animal a near-perfect average rating of 4.9 out of 5 stars.
Gacek (whose name means long-eared bat in Polish) is a free-roaming feline who has for years been living in a box on Szczecin’s Kaszubska street.
In 2020, local news outlet wSzczecinie noted that the “King of Kaszubska Street” had begun drawing admirers – including visitors from neighbouring Germany – after it published a video about him that now has 4.5 million views on Facebook and YouTube.
Gacek’s fame has continued to grow since then, with many reviewers on Google noting that they had travelled from around Poland and even abroad to see him.
“It was worth travelling three hours to feel ignored by him. Recommended,” wrote one visitor.
“I flew from Oslo with transit in Gdańsk to see Gacek. As expected, he didn’t pay any attention to me which made the experience fully wholesome,” added another five-star review.
Not all visitors were satisfied, however. “I prefer dogs,” reads a one-star review. “He stole a sausage,” says another.
Some comments also express concern that Gacek appears to be overweight – perhaps as a result of treats provided by those visiting him. The city’s animal shelter has appealed for people not to feed him, notes news website Gazeta.pl.
A sign alongside his home asks that if anyone wishes to give Gacek snacks, they should leave them in a closed packet which will then be opened by his owner.
“I happily pose for pictures, but please don’t stroke me while I’m having a nap,” it adds.
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In 2021, a dog that regularly appeared on a balcony in Gdańsk, another city on Poland’s Baltic coast, likewise become the highest-rated local tourist attraction on Google.
However, after receiving hundreds of reviews it was taken down from the service for unknown reasons.
Gdańsk's top-rated tourist attraction: cute dog on the balcony (open 24 hours) pic.twitter.com/CAbF8p36ol
— Daniel Tilles (@danieltilles1) September 6, 2021
Main image credit: wSzczecinie/Google
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
