Morskie Oko is the biggest and also considered by many, the most beautiful lake in the Tatry mountains. From the very first waves of tourists that came here, Morskie Oko was one of the most visited places in the Tatry mountains. Even today, Morskie Oko has a couple of thousand visitors a day. The lake is surrounded by an impressive chain of peaks that are over two thousand metres, and near-by is Czarny Staw lake, as well as the tallest peak in the Tatry mountains, Rysy. In the early 19th century, a few shelters were already built along the edge of the lake. The current shelter was built in 1908 in the Zakopane style. On June 5th 1997, Pope John Paul II was driven to the lake at 6 pm. He went there to met with local mountaineers, the people who work there and of course to enjoy the beautiful views.