SZCZECIN, Poland, March 10 (Reuters) – Cat lovers are heading to the Polish metropolis of Szczecin to catch a glimpse of Gacek, a chubby black-and-white feline who has turn out to be an web sensation.
The cat is usually discovered on a blanket in a small open-fronted picket field, made by his proprietor, the place he has lived for greater than 10 years on Kaszubska Avenue. His residence has turn out to be the best rated attraction in Szczecin on Google Maps.
Having acquired scores of five-star evaluations, the “Kot Gacek” (Gacek the cat) pin on the map, close to a store promoting baggage emblazoned with the cat’s face, has overwhelmed sights together with a Renaissance fortress to the highest spot.
“Gacek is the Kim Kardashian of the cat world,” Karolina Nowak, supervisor of the official TikTok account for the Western Pomerania area the place Szczecin is situated, @pomorzezachodnie, stated. “Vacationers solely began on the lookout for him as a result of he gained reputation on the Web.”
Szymon Maksymiuk, who works for a vacationer info centre in Szczecin, stated the tales of individuals travelling to see Gacek had been “mindblowing”.
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“There was a man from Norway who took a flight. He claimed Gacek drove him to make the choice of coming right here,” Maksymiuk stated. “Due to Gacek, tourism has elevated enormously, far past my expectation or creativeness.”
Some followers attribute Gacek’s fame to his confidence and cute face, others say it’s his superstar standing that’s attracting guests to a metropolis already recognized for its Pomeranian Dukes’ Fort, parks and picturesque riverside setting.
Amongst these desirous to see Gacek was historical past scholar Kherlen, who comes from Mongolia and lives in Germany.
“I am on the lookout for that cat named Gacek,” he informed Reuters. “I hope I’ll discover it, perhaps right this moment, perhaps tomorrow.”
Nonetheless, some Szczecin residents are involved. Marta Gluchowska, a nurse on the Szczecin Society for the Care of Animals, says persons are providing Gacek inappropriate meals.
Gacek shouldn’t be the primary animal to attract vacationers to a Polish metropolis. In 2021, a golden retriever turned Gdańsk’s most extremely rated vacationer attraction on Google.
Reporting by Francesca Halliwell and Lynné Schoeman; Modifying by Alison Williams
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