Poland is a versatile country bordering Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ukraine, Russia and Lithuania. Poland borders the Baltic Sea in the north, which immediately results in kilometers of coastline. In addition to twenty-three nature parks with diverse nature reserves and bio reserves, Poland is also a country with a rich history. Battles against the Soviet Union and, for example, the Second World War have left clear traces. Historic towns and villages such as Krakow, Poznań, Toruń, Zamość and Małopolska have been working hard since the fall of communism to save what can be saved. Various reconstructions and reconstructions have led to the attraction of millions of visitors from home and abroad every year. Poland’s cultural heritage has meanwhile been valued quite a bit. Several places have now been included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Check topmbadirectory for how to get to Poland.
Top 10 sights in Poland
#1. Krakow
The southern Polish city of Krakow is very suitable for a city trip. The atmospheric city center ‘Stare Miasto’, which has been registered with Unesco on the World Heritage List since 1978, offers various sights. In Krakow you can discover beautiful historical architecture from the thirteenth century. And St. Andrew’s Church is even older than that. In addition to this old church, Krakow also has a cathedral, the ‘Wawel Cathedral’, a beautiful cloth hall ‘Sukiennice’, fascinating museums such as the MOCAK, a very pleasant large market ‘Rynek Głównu’ and a very wide range of entertainment venues. Student life plays a pretty big role in this.
#2. Auschwitz
The Second World War has caused a lot of suffering and family dramas. The Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp in the Polish town of Oświęcim has been the silent witnesses of this. More than a million people were deported here and most of them eventually died. A small selection managed to survive the atrocities. After World War II, Auschwitz has become the symbol of the Nazi regime. Nowadays you can walk in and out of the Auschwitz concentration camp voluntarily. You can see with your own eyes what the victims had to endure. All kinds of gruesome details are told through a tour and you can visit different areas. Check simplyyellowpages for mass media and culture of Poland.
#3. Warsaw
The capital of Poland is Warsaw. Warsaw is located just east of the central part of Poland. The city is divided by the Wisła river, which is often called the Weichsel in German. The center of Warsaw is on the left bank and the Praga district is on the right bank. The most interesting sights are located on the left bank in the center of Warsaw. These include St. John’s Cathedral, Wilanów Palace, the most prestigious street Krakowskie Przedmieście and Zamek Królewski Palace. On the right bank in Praga you can visit the ‘Muzeum Warszawskiej Pragi’. This modern museum has all kinds of interesting facts.
#4. Wieliczka Salt Mine
The oldest salt mine in the world is located here in Poland. The history of the mine goes back many centuries. The Wieliczka salt mine in the place of the same name has therefore been a source of income for centuries. Salt has not been mined for a long time, but people are still making money. Especially since the second half of the twentieth century, when the Wieliczka salt mine was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Many visitors come to this place near Krakow to admire this cultural heritage with their own eyes. Deep below the surface, various spaces have been decorated with salt sculptures, as a chapel, as an exhibition space and even as a concert hall.
#5. Torun
In the northern city of Toruń you can learn about the history of Nicholas Copernicus, a 15th century astronomer who revolutionized the world with his heliocentric view of the universe. The historic city center is listed on the list of Unesco’s World Heritage Sites. Old fortress walls and stately medieval buildings give the city a particularly beautiful appearance. As a Hanseatic city, it has therefore had a flourishing period. Today the city is known as a lively student city with a rich cultural background. Places of interest such as the cathedral ‘Bazylika katedralna św. Jana Chrzcicela i św. Jana Ewangelisty w Toruniu’, the home of Nicolaus Copernicus.
#6. Slot Mariënburg
Directly on the right bank of the Nogat river in Malbork, the orange roofs of Slot Mariënburg loom. The castle was built in the thirteenth century as a residence of the German order of knights. Today Marienburg Castle is a top attraction in Poland. Zamek w Malborku, as it is called in Poland, is a beautiful piece of medieval architecture. Enthusiasts can learn all about it through a tour of about three to four hours.
#7. Słowiński National Park
Located on the Baltic Sea, Słowiński National Park mainly consists of dunes, extensive beaches, water and forests. The park has about three hundred and twenty-seven thousand square kilometers. There are especially many different bird species such as the eagle owl, swans, crows and ducks. In addition, there are also wild boars and deer. Słowiński National Park is regarded as one of the most beautiful and most special nature reserves in Poland.
#8. Jewish graves in Łódź
The centrally located Polish city of Łódź is known as an industrial city. Although Łódź is slightly less developed than cities like Krakow and Warsaw, it definitely has its own charm. In particular, the street Piotrkowska and the museum ‘Muzeum Sztuki w Łódzi’ are more than worth a visit. However, most visitors come to Łódź to visit the impressive Jewish graves. This cemetery ‘Cmentarz żydowski’ has been located on the Bracka since 1892. Some 100,000,000 people have been buried there.
#9. Narwianski National Park
The water-rich Narwianski National Park is located in eastern Poland. Around 1996 the ‘Białowieski Park Narodowy’ was established as a protected nature reserve to safeguard the ecosystem. Through an organized tour you can visit the forests, the peat landscape, the marshes and other wetlands where all kinds of animal species hide. There are bears, lynxes, wolves, bison and of course many bird species. Most trips are made with some kind of kayak. In Polish this is called a ‘pychówka’. But there are also hiking and cycling trips through this beautiful natural landscape.
#10. Panorama of Raclawice
On the river Oder, in the historic town of Wrocław, you can visit the Panorama of Racławice. This famous painting by several Polish painters shows a fragment of the battle of Racławice. During this uprising in 1794, the Russians fought. The Panorama of Racławice originated from an idea of Jan Styka. For this he approached painters such as Wojciech Kossak, Ludwik Boller, Tadeusz Popiel, Zygmunt Rozwadowski, Teodor Axentowicz, Włodzimierz Tetmajer, Wincenty Wodzinowski and Michał Sozański. Because the painting is made in a circle, it seems as if you are present in the middle of the fight. The Panorama of Racławice is certainly impressive.
