The following is a guest post from the guys at Trip and Travel Blog. I haven’t been to Poland myself, but my dad’s side of the family is orginally from there, so I really want to go!
The major cities in Poland have a particular and unique character. Lodz is famous for its well-known road, Piotrowska, and its construction in the nineteenth century. In this city there is also the largest park in Europe.
Krakow, the ancient capital, the former residence (at the Wawel) of the old Polish monarchy is now a city very active culturally. According to their city guide and this travel blog, the museums as well as clubs and social gatherings are too many to be listed. Breslavia is famous for its architectural monuments in Ostrow Tumski, for the church of St. Elizabeth, and the Aula Leopoldina. You can also admire the modern construction of “Hala Stulecia” (Centennial Hall), made of reinforced concrete.
The Polish landscape is not only formed by big cities, but especially by small towns. Kazimierz Dolny has always been particularly popular to artists. In Sandomierz there are underground labyrinths, Suwalki buildings are thickened into a single path, and Borne Sulinowo is a demilitarized city, which for over 40 years did not appear even on the map of Poland.
At Plock you can find a Romanesque cathedral and a castle overlooking the Vistula. Pultusk is famous for the longest market in Europe. Biecz is a small architectural gem, which owes its origin to its nobility that has been enriched with the commerce of the Hungarian wine and has kept a medieval structure. It is also considered as the “city of love” in Poland, and there are in fact relics of St. Valentino. The capital of Poland from the sec. XVII, totally destroyed during World War II, Warsaw was rebuilt and restored in its original form. In the old town you can find many restaurants with traditional cuisine. The streets are lined with everything from ultra-modern skyscrapers to simple and elegant pastel palaces. You can find many pubs, discos, and cafes here.
You’ll see the picturesque Market Square frequented by artists, the Royal Castle, the Gothic Cathedral of St. John, and the Church of Santa Croce, which houses the urn with the heart of Frederic Chopin’s Palace of Culture and Science, the monument to the Unknown Soldier (where is the spectacular changing of the guard) and one dedicated to the famous Polish astronomer Nicholas Copernicus. Following Vistoia, the river that runs through Warsaw, we reach the princely Ujazdowski Castle, the Palace and Lazienki Park, eighteenth home of the last king of Poland, then to the presidential residence of Belvedere and Wilanów, the country residence of King John II. In Zelazowa Wola (54 km from Warsaw) is the house where Chopin was born. You can attend concerts of music by the composer in the museum or go on tours arranged on request.
Back to Krakow: Formerly the residence of the kings, it is considered the capital of Polish culture. The historic city center has been recognized by UNESCO as one of the 12 most valuable architectural ensembles in the world.
Among the many monuments including The Great Market Square are dominated by the splendid Renaissance palace Sukiennice (old cloth market) and the Gothic Church of Santa Maria, which has a famous wooden altarpiece. There’s the Collegium Shift – headquarters of Jagiellonian University, one of the oldest in Europe (founded in 1364), the Royal Castle on Wawel, and the Kazimierz district, with its magnificent Renaissance synagogues. All the old town is surrounded by a ring of green – the Planty – built in place of the old city walls. In the vicinity of Krakow you can visit the salt mine of Wieliczka, the Royal Castle of Pieskowa Skai, the mountain resort of Zakopane, and Auschwitz.
Danzig (also known as Gdansk), one of the largest ports in the Baltic for centuries, has a beautiful old town that is home to most of its monuments. See the Court of King Arthur, or the Gothic Church of SS. Virgin Mary, one of the largest in Europe, capable of accommodating 25,000 people. It now houses the Maritime Museum.
Wroclaw, one of the oldest and most beautiful Polish cities, Southwest, on the Oder River, is crossed by numerous tributaries and canals, and built on 12 islands connected by 112 bridges. It’s also home a university, which has over 50,000 students and a beautiful campus.
Photo credit: robsw18 and ciaranz
