Gacek is a fat black-and-white cat who lives in a wooden box on the side of the road and likes snacking on sausages. He’s also the top tourist attraction in Szczecin, Poland with a five-star rating on Google maps. To put that in context: Szczecin’s Pomeranian Dukes’ Castle, a Renaissance building with a history dating back to 1346, only gets 4.5 stars. Tourists reportedly travel from far and wide just to get a glimpse of the rotund fella. “I flew from Oslo with transit in Gdańsk to see Gacek,” one review exclaims. “As expected, he didn’t pay any attention to me which made the experience fully wholesome.”
Apart from the fact that Gacek’s cute, albeit a bit evil-looking, I’m not entirely sure how he became so famous – I can only assume he managed to procure himself a good PRrrrr agency. He first came to the world’s attention in 2020 when he appeared in a YouTube documentary and has been in and out of the headlines since, bursting back into the limelight a few days ago after Business Insider profiled him.
No offence to Gacek but I’m not sure I’d travel thousands of miles just to see an obese cat. That said, there’s no better way to experience a new city than seeking out its Gacek-equivalent: the weird landmark that embodies the soul of a place far better than the more traditional sights. You don’t get to know Paris by going to see the Mona Lisa, for example. And you certainly don’t get to know New York by going to Times Square.
I can’t make any Paris recommendations but I reckon New York’s Gacek-equivalent might be Tompkins Square Park in the East Village: the scene of (possibly) the world’s most famous hawk love triangle. A few years ago, a red-tailed hawk couple called Christo and Dora had 10 babies and lived a quiet domestic life. Alas, Dora broke her wing and had to go the vet. While she was away, Christo moved in with a new hawk, on the other side of the park, called Nora. Then Dora came back and things got complicated: Christo had to flit from family to family and everyone in the neighbourhood came to watch.
It was like Sex and the City, the avian edition. And yet, it doesn’t look like the East Village polycule has had half the international exposure that Gacek has. Christo, if you need PR representation, give me a call. Or a hoot. Or whatever hawks do.
• Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist.
