Things to see and do Poland

The origin of this castle is also due to Casimir the Great, in the 14th century. Initially Gothic, it took on a Renaissance appearance in the 16th century thanks to its owners, the Szafraniec family, who wanted to turn it into a small Wawel. It has undergone many destructions, but each time it was restored, and today it is close to its original state.

It is home to a museum, which presents numerous objects, paintings and furniture from the Middle Ages to the 19th century.

Created in the th century, this beautiful green area has many pavilions that host temporary exhibitions in summer, or classical music concerts. The place is enchanting.

A veritable network of cellars was dug beneath the merchant houses surrounding the Rynek between the ^15th and ^17th centuries, with the dual aim of linking the houses and shops to provide an escape route in the event of invasion and to store goods. The 500-metre labyrinth was forgotten and rediscovered by chance in the 1960s. Today, part of the old network is open to visitors. Its rooms house various small exhibitions.

The "wide street" is actually an old market place that was the center of commercial and religious life in Jewish Kazimierz. Bordered by synagogues (the Popper, Remuh and Old Synagogue) and 16th-18th century houses, it retains its original organic appearance. The imposing Landau House, often misidentified as the Jordan Palace, closes the square on the north side and today houses the famous Jewish bookstore Jarden.

Facing Notre Dame Square, this 14th century church was once the chapel of the parish cemetery that occupied the square and was used until 1796. Its interior is baroque and there is a small chapel from the end of the 15th century with sculptures of Jesus surrounded by three apostles praying in the Garden of Olives. The Jesuit convent, adjacent to the church, communicates with the Mały Rynek square. After 1780, it became a hospital and it was here that Dr. Rafał Józef Czerwiakowski performed the first autopsy in Kraków.

Located on the Rynek, south of the Cloth Hall, this small church, built in the ^10th century, is the oldest in the city. The original wooden structure was replaced by a Romanesque church in the ^12th century. In the ^17th century, the latter was further modified to take on a Baroque appearance. Fragments of the Romanesque walls, on display in the church, represent the oldest architectural features of the Rynek. From June¹ to September 30, an exhibition on the history of Saint Adalbert and the church can be viewed in the superb basement crypt.

On the Rynek, between the Cloth Hall and the Church of Our Lady, stands this bronze statue of the Romantic poet, the work of Teodor Rygier, unveiled for the centenary of Mickiewicz's birth in 1898. Perched on a pedestal, it is surrounded by four allegorical figures, symbolizing poetry, patriotism, education and heroism. It is a favorite meeting place of Krakow's citizens and the focal point of the Christmas market.

This church was built in the ^17th century on the site of an earlier church destroyed during the Swedish invasion of 1655. The crypt contains the mummified remains of monks and donors. From 166 onwards, the monks' bodies were kept here without coffins. A rather eerie curiosity that can only be visited once a year, on November 2. The church itself is quite pretty, but doesn't measure up to the competition.

Located near the Collegium Maius, this charming 18th-century Gothic church has served since 1698 as the university chapel, where all official ceremonies were celebrated. In the right transept one can admire the sarcophagus containing the relics of the saint Jan Kanty carried by four allegorical figures symbolizing the four main faculties of the university: medicine, law, philosophy and theology. On the opposite side of the transept there is a monument dedicated to Nicolaus Copernicus, a former student of the university.

Beautiful gallery of contemporary art, paintings and ceramics.

The monastery complex stands in an enchanting bucolic setting on Srebrna Góra in the Wolski Forest. The Camaldolese monks live in seclusion, meeting only at prayer time. Contemplative and constantly meditating on death, they meditate before the skulls of their predecessors. Only men are allowed to visit the place and to cross paths with the hermits in their meditation, while women are only allowed to visit 12 specific days a year (for feasts).

Wacky tour operators who organize both cultural and ironic tours of Nowa Huta. Their Communism Tours take you on a delirious "authentic" tour of the planned Stalinist city in

Trabant, an East German car. They also offer tours of Krakow in its communist guise or of a nearby kolkhoz. Their young guides are very friendly and work in a good mood, you will taste a bit of Polish humor. This modern service has become very popular in recent years.

Playground for children, rental of boats, canoes and bicycles.

Opened since 1902, it has a beautiful and wide fountain of 1891.

It was created in 1988 to protect the landscape and monuments dating back to the origin of the country's history.

From Poznań, take road number 11 for 21 km, then to Oborniki, turn left, direction Obrzycko, Stobnica is on the way.

Białowieźa National Park is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List and on the List of World Biosphere Reserves. It offers beautiful walks, in the middle forest, to discover its fauna and flora. You will not be able to explore this part of the Forêt forest, probably the most beautiful, located north of the village, without being accompanied by a guide. The tourist agencies of the village will propose their services. You can ride by bike, foot or carriage. The youth hostel sometimes organises excursions in the evening or at dawn, the best moments to observe animals.

You find beautiful objects carved in this semi-precious stone and the largest piece in the raw state weighing 2,3 kg. This amber collection is the most impressive of the

world.

You can access the summit and have a very nice view of the whole site and the campaign around. You realize that the knights could see the enemy coming from a distance so far the landscape is flat in that region of Poméranie.

The Kashubian Ethnographic Park is located 70 km from Gdańsk and is easily reached by bus. This park-museum, also known as the Kashubian park-museum, is Poland's oldest open-air museum. It boasts an extraordinary collection of some forty buildings dating from the ^18th to the early ^20th century, spread over 22 hectares of lush vegetation on the edge of a large lake. It's the ideal place to familiarize yourself with local Kashubian culture.

Located in a former 16th-century monastery, it houses permanent and temporary exhibitions on architecture, especially that of Wrocław, with themes such as "Wrocław Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow" or "Remains of Medieval Architecture." The museum is somewhat lacking in content, which remains purely architectural, and much of the collection is devoted to modern art pieces or stained glass, which is appreciated but lacks coherence.

Located in the eastern part of the city center, this vast Flemish neo-Renaissance building boasts a good collection of medieval art, which is a little dated in its presentation, as well as a good collection of ^{twentieth-century} Polish art. The^1st floor features a magnificent medieval collection of typical polychrome wood carvings, a Way of the Cross with eleven almost life-size figures and a number of paintings.

This neoclassical synagogue, built in the early 19th century, although looted, survived the Nazis. A small Jewish community organizes concerts of Kleshmer and Yiddish music. A paper yarmulke must be worn during the concerts. Contact the Jewish Information Center (Włodkowicza Street 9, ✆ +48 71 787 39 02, www.wroclaw.jewish.org.pl). The street and its neighbors, a former Jewish quarter of the city, contain beautiful Art Nouveau and neoclassical buildings.

The Museum of the History of the Polish Post is housed in the premises of the present Central Post Office, an imposing building constructed between 1926 and 1929, whose expressionist architectural forms are attributable to Neumann. The museum is dedicated to the history of the Polish postal system and telecommunications from the 16th century to the present day. Paintings, graphic art, stamps, mailboxes, uniforms and many other wonders for enthusiasts in this specialized museum.

Housed in the former ^15th-century Arsenal, it features objects from prehistoric and medieval Silesia, including magnificent funerary urns, fibulae, axes, pottery and the tomb of a knight buried with his horse. In the same building, you'll also find the Military Museum (Muzeum Militariów, same opening hours and prices), which exhibits an impressive collection of weapons, including European military helmets. On the whole, it's not very interesting.

Already quite remote and difficult to reach without cars, if you have arrived at the park office, you know what you are doing! Of course, there is additional information about the Tatra Park as well as about hiking and accommodation possibilities. The staff is English speaking and there are brochures in English. A recommended stop but not a substitute for the more accessible tourist office in town.

This agency organizes hikes, horse-drawn carriage tours, sleigh rides, rafting and ski lessons. The owner, Barbara, speaks perfect English and is a mine of precious information! The agency has an excellent website in English with a lot of practical information about Zakopane and the different activities you can do in summer and in winter. They also have a very complete list of accommodation options in Zakopane. We advise you to contact them well in advance and then take advantage of their program.

This beautiful castle, which successfully combines Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles of architecture, is a former residence of the Kmita and Lubomirski families of the high nobility of Lesser Poland. Today it is a harmonious blend of military and residential architecture. The natural wooded and hilly scenery contributes to the castle's enchanting silhouette. The castle houses an exhibition dedicated to its history.

Offers information about the city and the region, as well as residential addresses at home, hotels, or the agroturystyka signs.

Built in the 14th century in the northern part of the city, this building, which housed Polish monarchs during their visits to the region, was unfortunately destroyed by fire in 1616, and today only the Kowalska tower (Baszta Kowalska) remains. The castle was occupied by the Austrian authorities, who turned it into a barracks and a prison. It was partially renovated after Poland's independence and became a museum of the region, and during the German occupation, the castle was transformed into a military barracks and arms depot.

It dates back to the medieval period (1292) and is at the heart of the checkerboard plan characteristic of German town planning at the time. A total of ten perpendicular streets flow into its square. The Rynek is uniformly in a not-so-old Neo-Renaissance and Neo-Baroque style, which is the consequence of the fire that struck the city in the 19th century. No. 2, on the square, is the only building that has retained its original appearance. The 19th-century town hall is the centerpiece of the reconstructed square.

This tourist information center is the perfect address before setting out to explore the town and its surroundings. The office provides information about Nowy Sącz and excursions in the area. The tourist information center also offers the services of qualified guides for those wishing to be accompanied. Finally, a number of brochures and maps are available free of charge. Don't forget to stop off on your way!

Located on the east side of the Rynek, in a beautiful 16th-century house, this museum is the main one of the complex making up the regional museum of the city of Nowy Sącz and presents a significant collection of objects and works of art from the 14th century to the present day. In particular, it includes representative objects of craft and folk art (painting and sculpture related to the so-called Łemkowie people), Orthodox art, watercolors by Nikifor Krzynicki and temporary exhibitions.

In the oldest of the houses on the square, known as "Dom na Dołkach" (the house on the wells), this small museum presents the history of the town from old objects (paintings, sculptures, embroidery, pottery, military objects, numismatics, clocks). It also has an exhibition of religious art, an exhibition about the visit of John Paul II in 1999 (which says a lot about the exciting life of the city). It's... typical and empty, almost fun.

Here's a handy address to remember before arriving in Szczawnica! The tourist information office for the Pieniny mountains (Pienińskie Centrum Turystyki) offers documentation to help you prepare your hikes, sports outings and excursions into the beautiful surrounding countryside. The office also provides information for visiting spa guests and can organize well-thought-out coach tours, guided tours..

A very pleasant walk in this rather large garden with water courses and fountains. The history of the ensemble begins in 1811 when the establishment of the Botanical Garden in the area after the fortifications was decided. The premises were graciously donated to the university by the Prussian King Frederick William III and the initial collection consisted of 427 plants. Its real founder was Heinrich Robert Göppert (1800-1884), who increased the collection to 12,000 species and opened it to visitors.

This museum occupies the Villa Atma, where composer Karol Szymanowski lived in the 1920s. The museum is located on the first floor of the villa and presents basic information on the composer's life and work, shows his contacts with Zakopane and Podhale folklore, collects his personal effects and also includes a reconstruction of Karol Szymanowski's study. Free concerts are held here from time to time. Find out more!

It is a historical and ethnographic museum, which tells the story of the life of the Pieniny Highlanders in the early 20th century, which has always been at the border of cultures, religions and nationalities. The cultural heritage is closely linked to the natural heritage of the Pieniny region. We get to know the inhabitants of the Pieniny villages through different themes: their common pastoral economy, a common architecture and folk art and costumes.

The synagogue was built in 1746 on the site of an earlier wooden synagogue, and rebuilt in the 19th century after a fire. This beautiful former place of worship is the only surviving synagogue from the Nazi exactions in the city. During the Second World War, it was located inside the ghetto that the Nazis had created in Nowy Sącz. Rebuilt in the 1970s, it has long housed a gallery whose collection commemorates the city's Jewish population.

Established in 1856, it is the only pre-war Jewish cemetery to have been preserved in its entirety, which is still miraculous after the Nazi occupation. Fortunately, it represents an exceptional example of 19th century funerary art. Little frequented, it imposes a melancholic atmosphere, where solitude accompanies the beautiful Jewish steles half invaded by tall grass, for lack of a Jewish community large enough to maintain it.

Here you will find a presentation of the park's natural treasures as well as an explanatory film in English. Also a tourist information center, this is where you can find all the information you need to visit the Roztocze Park, whose forests, often of a primitive character, have greatly contributed to the creation of the natural park in 1974. We recommend it before venturing into the depths of the park.

The waters of Szczawnica have been known for their medicinal properties for 200 years. The Szczawnica Water Gallery, thanks to a successful cooperation with the Pieniny Museum, has also become a meeting place. Promoting the unique traditions and history of the region, it is also a place for cultural and historical education. Venture for the blind test: taste the 8 natural varieties of water and try to guess their compositions!

This monastery dates from the 17th century. It is accessed by a covered staircase dating from 1699. One can enter the courtyard and ask to see the well, which is located in a second courtyard further in the compound. During World War II, the building was requisitioned as the headquarters of the Gestapo, and the Nazis used the headstones of the Jewish cemetery as partitions between the prison cells they created in the basement of the monastery. Since then, the monks have been trying to consecrate the place again in peace.

Built in the ^13th century, this church is as tall as it is long, and has a very disconcerting slender yet squat appearance. This is actually a consequence of its particular architecture, as it consists of two churches superimposed one on top of the other. The lower church is dedicated to St. Bartholomew, patron saint of the Piast dynasty, while the other is dedicated to the Holy Cross. This is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful buildings on Ostrów Tumski.

Among the few Jewish relics in Chełm, one cannot miss the Little Synagogue (Synagoga Mała). Built between 1912 and 1914, its façade is richly decorated and enriched with Art Nouveau elements. In the past, there was a second synagogue, which was destroyed during the Second World War. The synagogue was the object of an international scandal after it was bought in 2004 to install a restaurant despite its categorization as a place of worship. Jews from all over the world entered into a heated debate that ultimately did not change the fate of the site.

The Jewish community was quite important in the town. It had a synagogue and contributed to the dynamism of this rural town. Unfortunately, the Nazi barbarism reserved it a fate as fatal as the neighboring towns. Of these centuries of cohabitation, there is not much left, not even a cemetery, dismantled by the occupier. The monument that bears the name "Wailing Wall" stands on the site of this former burial ground.

Located on a hilltop and completely abandoned since the last survivors of the Holocaust left the area, you will see beautiful graves, some dating back to the 17th century. The Jewish cemetery in Szczebrzeszyn was established in the late 15th century. About 400 visible matzevot have survived to date, the oldest dating from 1545. In early 2021, the Coalition of Custodians of Jewish Cemeteries in Poland was formed and took on the responsibility of restoring and maintaining the one in Szczebrzeszyn. It is a quick visit.

Built in 1325, this is the oldest place of worship in the city. First of Gothic style, it was redesigned during the Renaissance after a fire in 1561, in the style of Lublin. Inside, the arch of the church is covered with geometric decorations, such as circles, squares, hearts, stars and rosaces. It houses an organ of 1620, among the oldest in Poland. It is closed outside offices, which are held twice a day at 9 a. m. and 6 p. m. The church was completely restored in the 2010 s.

This small baroque church, built in the 18th century, is an integral part of the Zamoyski residence. It is situated in a beautiful setting on a small island connected by a bridge. This is where the name "Chapel on the Water" (Kaplica na wodzie) comes from. The place lends itself beautifully to a gentle reverie worthy of the greatest romantics of the 19th century. The interior of the church is a delightful mixture of fresh paint and a slight air of abandonment.

Here's an address to remember! To prepare your visit to the town and its surroundings, head to this small tourist office. The welcome is always very professional, and you'll find plenty of information about Chełm and the surrounding area, as well as advice on how to prepare your walks, find an address to drop your suitcases or a good table to recover from the day's activities. In short, this tourist information center is really very practical.