The cat is sometimes found on a blanket in a small open-fronted wooden box built by its owner, where it has lived for more than 10 years on Kaszubska Street. (Photo: Reuters)
Zieman Maksimyuk, who works for a tourist information center in Szczecin, said the stories of people who traveled to see Gacek were “mindblowing”.
Cat lovers are heading to the Polish city of Szczecin to catch a glimpse of Gecek, a chubby black-and-white cat who has become an internet sensation.
The cat is sometimes found on a blanket in a small open-fronted wooden box built by its owner, where it has lived for more than 10 years on Kaszubska Street. His house has become the highest rated attraction in Szczecin on Google Maps.
After receiving scores of five-star reviews, the “Kot Gacek” (Gacek the Cat) pin on the map, near a shop selling bags emblazoned with cat faces, has risen to the top spot, including a Renaissance castle.
“Gasek is the Kim Kardashian of the cat world,” said Karolina Nowak, manager of the official TikTok account for the West Pomerania region, where Szczecin is located, @pomarzezachodnie. Tourists only started looking for him as he gained popularity on the internet. ,
Szymon Maksimyuk, who works for a tourist information center in Szczecin, said the stories of people who traveled to see Gacek were “mindblowing”.
“There was a guy from Norway who took off. They claimed that Gasek inspired them to decide to come here,” Maksimyuk said. “Because of Gasek, tourism has grown more than I could have expected or imagined.”
Some fans attribute Gacek’s fame to his confidence and cute face, others say it’s his celebrity status that visitors already know for its Pomeranian Dukes’ Castle, parks and picturesque riverside setting .
Among those interested in seeing Gecek was Kherlen, a history student who comes from Mongolia and lives in Germany.
“I’m looking for that cat named Gacek,” he told Reuters. “I hope I’ll find it, maybe today, maybe tomorrow.”
However, some Szczecin residents are concerned. Marta Głukowska, a nurse at the Szczecin Society for the Care of Animals, says people are giving Gecek inappropriate food.
Gesek is not the first animal to attract tourists to the Polish city. In 2021, a golden retriever became Gdansk’s highest-rated tourist attraction on Google.
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(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed)