Rated 4.9/5.0 on Google, Gacek, a stray cat, is a top tourist attraction in the Polish city of Szczecin.
Szczecin, a medieval city in northwestern Poland near the German border, is a popular tourist destination for both domestic and international visitors. The Pomeranian Dukes’ Castle and Kasprowicza Park are two of the city’s most popular tourist attractions. But looking at online reviews, both have lower ratings than another city landmark that features a “fat” cat.
Gacek, the bi-colored cat, became famous in 2020, after local news site Szczecinie posted a video of the cat, which then went viral on social media and has since become a tourist attraction.
According to a woman living nearby, Gacek first appeared on Kaszubska Street in the center of Szczecin about 10 years ago. This stray cat was very well-behaved and was fed by people around him every day. From a skinny body, Gacek quickly became a chubby, adorable cat.
Gacek, which means “long-eared bat” in Polish, has nearly 2,600 reviews on Google, more than any other attraction in Szczecin. Gacek has a few one-star reviews, mostly from visitors concerned about the cat’s weight.
Nicknamed “King of Kaszubska Street,” Gacek lives in a wooden cage with a roof outside a shop. The owner of the nearby shop who cares for him has posted a sign advising visitors to donate food in its original packaging to avoid waste and especially not to pet Gacek while he is sleeping.
Gacek is not the pet that has boosted tourism in Poland. In 2021, a dog on a balcony in the coastal city of Gdańsk also attracted pedestrians. However, after attracting hundreds of reviews on Google Maps, the check-in spot with the dog was removed for unknown reasons.