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Attractions
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The busy Old Town provides the historic focal point of
the city, having been rebuilt in the original 17th and 18th century
style following the almost total destruction of the city during the
war. The picturesque Old Market Square (Rynek) is at the centre,
surrounded by restored buildings and colourful three-story merchant
houses with Baroque and Renaissance facades, lively open-air
restaurants, art stalls and the Historical Museum of Warsaw. Around
the two old central water pumps, the atmosphere is a constant buzz
of activity with buskers, painters and musicians providing
entertainment for the milling crowds, while around the fringes the
clattering of hooves signals the arrival of a another traditional
horse-drawn carriage. Leading from the square is a network of
cobbled streets and alleyways that contain beautiful Gothic
churches and former palaces of the aristocracy. The impressive
Royal Castle was once the home of the Polish Kings and is now a
museum displaying tapestries, period furniture, portraits and other
decorative collections. The narrow streets also lead to the
ramparts and watchtowers of the medieval walls surrounding the old
city. see full details
Old Town (Starego Miasta)
The busy Old Town provides the historic focal point of
the city, having been rebuilt in the original 17th and 18th century
style following the almost total destruction of the city during the
war. The picturesque Old Market Square (Rynek) is at the centre,
surrounded by restored buildings and colourful three-story merchant
houses with Baroque and Renaissance facades, lively open-air
restaurants, art stalls and the Historical Museum of Warsaw. Around
the two old central water pumps, the atmosphere is a constant buzz
of activity with buskers, painters and musicians providing
entertainment for the milling crowds, while around the fringes the
clattering of hooves signals the arrival of a another traditional
horse-drawn carriage. Leading from the square is a network of
cobbled streets and alleyways that contain beautiful Gothic
churches and former palaces of the aristocracy. The impressive
Royal Castle was once the home of the Polish Kings and is now a
museum displaying tapestries, period furniture, portraits and other
decorative collections. The narrow streets also lead to the
ramparts and watchtowers of the medieval walls surrounding the old
city. see full details
Top
The History Museum is one of the best of Warsaw's
museums. Its three-stories are crammed with fascinating exhibitions
covering every aspect of Warsaw's history and life, from its
beginnings to the present day, and there are old photographs,
clippings and articles on display from everyday pre-war city life.
The museum's special feature is a documentary film showing the
destruction and reconstruction of the city, with footage shot by
the Nazis during their calculated and systematic annihilation. The
film is shown in English at 12pm Tuesday to Saturday. see full details
Historical Museum of Warsaw
The History Museum is one of the best of Warsaw's
museums. Its three-stories are crammed with fascinating exhibitions
covering every aspect of Warsaw's history and life, from its
beginnings to the present day, and there are old photographs,
clippings and articles on display from everyday pre-war city life.
The museum's special feature is a documentary film showing the
destruction and reconstruction of the city, with footage shot by
the Nazis during their calculated and systematic annihilation. The
film is shown in English at 12pm Tuesday to Saturday. see full details
Top
Known as the Royal Way, this two-and-a-half mile (4km)
route stretches from the Royal Castle in the Old Town to the
stately King's palace at Wilanów on the outskirts of the city. It
is the most important thoroughfare bisecting the central city from
north to south and is lined with galleries, museums and historical
buildings, including St Anne's Church, where the Polish princes
used to swear homage to the king. Along the way are the royal
gardens of Park Lazienki, one of the city's beautiful open green
spaces with its lakes, peacocks and the charming 18th-century
Palace Upon the Water, the royal summer residence. There is a
monument to the famous Polish composer, Chopin, and outdoor
concerts of his classical music are held on the lawns in summer.
The Royal Way ends at the splendid Wilanów Palace, the former
residence of King Jan III Sobieski that was modelled on Versailles.
It is now a museum containing a marvellous collection of old
paintings and furniture. In the well-kept park behind the palace is
the Orangery housing an art gallery, and the Poster Museum in the
former royal stables has changing exhibitions of Poland's renowned
poster art. see full details
The Royal Way
Known as the Royal Way, this two-and-a-half mile (4km)
route stretches from the Royal Castle in the Old Town to the
stately King's palace at Wilanów on the outskirts of the city. It
is the most important thoroughfare bisecting the central city from
north to south and is lined with galleries, museums and historical
buildings, including St Anne's Church, where the Polish princes
used to swear homage to the king. Along the way are the royal
gardens of Park Lazienki, one of the city's beautiful open green
spaces with its lakes, peacocks and the charming 18th-century
Palace Upon the Water, the royal summer residence. There is a
monument to the famous Polish composer, Chopin, and outdoor
concerts of his classical music are held on the lawns in summer.
The Royal Way ends at the splendid Wilanów Palace, the former
residence of King Jan III Sobieski that was modelled on Versailles.
It is now a museum containing a marvellous collection of old
paintings and furniture. In the well-kept park behind the palace is
the Orangery housing an art gallery, and the Poster Museum in the
former royal stables has changing exhibitions of Poland's renowned
poster art. see full details
Top
Westerplatte is where World War II broke out on 1
September 1939, situated at the entrance to the harbour and just a
few kilometres from the city of Gdañsk. The Polish garrison held
out against the attack for seven days before surrendering to the
Nazi German forces, and the site is now a memorial to the
defenders, including a small museum, some of the ruins left from
the shelling and a massive monument that towers above the
area. see full details
Westerplatte
Westerplatte is where World War II broke out on 1
September 1939, situated at the entrance to the harbour and just a
few kilometres from the city of Gdañsk. The Polish garrison held
out against the attack for seven days before surrendering to the
Nazi German forces, and the site is now a memorial to the
defenders, including a small museum, some of the ruins left from
the shelling and a massive monument that towers above the
area. see full details
Top
Malbork Castle is a classic example of a medieval
fortress; it is the world's largest brick castle and one of the
most impressive of its kind in Europe. Invited by the Polish
Royalty to help suppress the pagan tribes in the area, the Teutonic
Knights built the immense castle in 1276 and slowly began to
establish themselves as fearsome rulers, taking control of most of
northern Poland until, after several unsuccessful attempts to rid
the country of the Knights, they were defeated at the Battle of
Grunwald in 1410. In medieval times the belief that the bigger the
fortress the more powerful those within was clearly portrayed in
the building of this immense brick stronghold, incorporating a
system of multiple defence walls with gates and towers. The inner
castle includes arcaded courtyards, chapels, a treasury, the
Knights' Hall and an armoury. The interiors house several
exhibitions, including displays on the castle's history, and
collections of tapestries, coins and medals, medieval sculptures,
and weapons. During summer the courtyard is a venue for sound and
light shows. see full details
Malbork Castle
Malbork Castle is a classic example of a medieval
fortress; it is the world's largest brick castle and one of the
most impressive of its kind in Europe. Invited by the Polish
Royalty to help suppress the pagan tribes in the area, the Teutonic
Knights built the immense castle in 1276 and slowly began to
establish themselves as fearsome rulers, taking control of most of
northern Poland until, after several unsuccessful attempts to rid
the country of the Knights, they were defeated at the Battle of
Grunwald in 1410. In medieval times the belief that the bigger the
fortress the more powerful those within was clearly portrayed in
the building of this immense brick stronghold, incorporating a
system of multiple defence walls with gates and towers. The inner
castle includes arcaded courtyards, chapels, a treasury, the
Knights' Hall and an armoury. The interiors house several
exhibitions, including displays on the castle's history, and
collections of tapestries, coins and medals, medieval sculptures,
and weapons. During summer the courtyard is a venue for sound and
light shows. see full details
Top
Dating from 1257, the Central Market Square was one of
the largest squares in Medieval Europe, and is the social heart of
Krakow today. Surrounded by historic buildings, museums and
magnificent churches, the impressive expanse of flagstones is a hub
of commercial and social activity. Flower sellers, ice-cream
vendors, musicians, pigeons, students and groups of tourists fill
the square. Occupying the centre of the square is the splendid
medieval Cloth Hall, a covered arcade with a soaring vaulted
interior where merchants once sold their wares; today it is filled
with lively market stalls. The upstairs art gallery houses a
collection of 19th century Polish paintings and sculptures. Along
the outside walls of the building are elegant terrace cafes. Most
famous of these is the Noworolski, which was the centre of Krakow
social life before the war, with Lenin a notorious regular. The
cafe has now regained its reputation as the prime cake and coffee
venue in the city. The most striking church on the square is St
Mary's, an impressive twin-spire Gothic structure. Every hour a
mournful bugle sounds from the tallest church spire in memory of
the lone watchman whose trumpeted warning of an invasion was cut
off mid-note by a Turkish arrow in the throat. Within is the famous
carved wooden altar, a majestic piece of Gothic art. see full details
Main Market Square (Rynek Glówny)
Dating from 1257, the Central Market Square was one of
the largest squares in Medieval Europe, and is the social heart of
Krakow today. Surrounded by historic buildings, museums and
magnificent churches, the impressive expanse of flagstones is a hub
of commercial and social activity. Flower sellers, ice-cream
vendors, musicians, pigeons, students and groups of tourists fill
the square. Occupying the centre of the square is the splendid
medieval Cloth Hall, a covered arcade with a soaring vaulted
interior where merchants once sold their wares; today it is filled
with lively market stalls. The upstairs art gallery houses a
collection of 19th century Polish paintings and sculptures. Along
the outside walls of the building are elegant terrace cafes. Most
famous of these is the Noworolski, which was the centre of Krakow
social life before the war, with Lenin a notorious regular. The
cafe has now regained its reputation as the prime cake and coffee
venue in the city. The most striking church on the square is St
Mary's, an impressive twin-spire Gothic structure. Every hour a
mournful bugle sounds from the tallest church spire in memory of
the lone watchman whose trumpeted warning of an invasion was cut
off mid-note by a Turkish arrow in the throat. Within is the famous
carved wooden altar, a majestic piece of Gothic art. see full details
Top
Overlooking the city is Wawel, a hill topped with the
castle complex, including Wawel Castle and beside it, the gothic
Cathedral. It was here that the Polish kings of the 14th to the
17th centuries were crowned and buried and it lies at the heart of
Polish history. The Renaissance-style Royal Castle is now a museum
and the historic interior houses an astonishing collection of
treasures from the Polish monarchy, including tapestries, period
furniture and paintings. Visitors can see the Royal Private
Apartments, Crown Treasury, Armoury, and the State Rooms. The Royal
Cathedral was the coronation and burial site of all of Poland's
monarchs, many of whom are interred in the Royal Tombs. Of the many
royal chapels, the golden-domed Renaissance Chapel of King
Sigismund is the finest. The bell tower can be climbed for views
over the city and to see the enormous 11-tonne bell. see full details
Wawel
Overlooking the city is Wawel, a hill topped with the
castle complex, including Wawel Castle and beside it, the gothic
Cathedral. It was here that the Polish kings of the 14th to the
17th centuries were crowned and buried and it lies at the heart of
Polish history. The Renaissance-style Royal Castle is now a museum
and the historic interior houses an astonishing collection of
treasures from the Polish monarchy, including tapestries, period
furniture and paintings. Visitors can see the Royal Private
Apartments, Crown Treasury, Armoury, and the State Rooms. The Royal
Cathedral was the coronation and burial site of all of Poland's
monarchs, many of whom are interred in the Royal Tombs. Of the many
royal chapels, the golden-domed Renaissance Chapel of King
Sigismund is the finest. The bell tower can be climbed for views
over the city and to see the enormous 11-tonne bell. see full details
Top
Once a separate town and now an inner suburb of
Krakow, the Kazimierz quarter was the centre of Jewish religion,
culture and learning and the home of the city's large Jewish
population before the war. Badly damaged during the Nazi
occupation, with most of the residents either killed or deported to
the nearby death camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau during the
Holocaust, today it has been rebuilt so visitors can admire the
restored historical architecture and experience daily Jewish life.
Its renewed interest was brought about by Spielberg's film
Schindler's List that was set in Kazimierz, and the Jewish culture
of the area is being livened up by art galleries, kosher
restaurants and specific cultural events. The Old Synagogue is part
of the Historical Museum of the City of Krakow, and houses a
permanent exhibition, 'Tradition and Culture of Polish Jews', where
the collection of physical memories from the Kazimierz Jewish
community is kept. see full details
Kazimierz District and the Old Synagogue
Once a separate town and now an inner suburb of
Krakow, the Kazimierz quarter was the centre of Jewish religion,
culture and learning and the home of the city's large Jewish
population before the war. Badly damaged during the Nazi
occupation, with most of the residents either killed or deported to
the nearby death camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau during the
Holocaust, today it has been rebuilt so visitors can admire the
restored historical architecture and experience daily Jewish life.
Its renewed interest was brought about by Spielberg's film
Schindler's List that was set in Kazimierz, and the Jewish culture
of the area is being livened up by art galleries, kosher
restaurants and specific cultural events. The Old Synagogue is part
of the Historical Museum of the City of Krakow, and houses a
permanent exhibition, 'Tradition and Culture of Polish Jews', where
the collection of physical memories from the Kazimierz Jewish
community is kept. see full details
Top
The Salt Mine at Wieliczka is a unique underground
complex that has been in continuous use since its construction in
the Middle Ages and is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Monument.
The series of labyrinthine tunnels, chambers, galleries and
underground lakes are spread over nine levels and reach a depth of
more than 1,000ft (304m), but visitors are restricted to a tour of
three levels. Following winding passageways, hand-hewn between the
17th and 19th centuries, visitors are guided to magnificently
carved chapels, past salt sculptures created by previous mine
workers and through huge crystalline caverns. Among the chambers is
the oldest creation in the mine, the 17th century solid salt Chapel
of St Anthony. The highlight of the tour is the Blessed Kinga
Chapel, dedicated to the patron saint of Polish mine workers.
Everything in this huge ornate chapel is carved from salt,
including the altar and chandeliers, and the walls are covered in
beautiful sculptured pictures. A dark, clanking lift whisks
visitors back to the surface at the end of the guided tour. The
world's first subterranean therapeutic sanatorium is situated 656ft
(200m) below the surface and makes use of the saline air for the
treatment of asthma. There is also a Salt-Works museum that
documents the history of the mine and the local geological
formation with primitive mining tools and machines on
display. see full details
Wieliczka Salt Mine
The Salt Mine at Wieliczka is a unique underground
complex that has been in continuous use since its construction in
the Middle Ages and is a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Monument.
The series of labyrinthine tunnels, chambers, galleries and
underground lakes are spread over nine levels and reach a depth of
more than 1,000ft (304m), but visitors are restricted to a tour of
three levels. Following winding passageways, hand-hewn between the
17th and 19th centuries, visitors are guided to magnificently
carved chapels, past salt sculptures created by previous mine
workers and through huge crystalline caverns. Among the chambers is
the oldest creation in the mine, the 17th century solid salt Chapel
of St Anthony. The highlight of the tour is the Blessed Kinga
Chapel, dedicated to the patron saint of Polish mine workers.
Everything in this huge ornate chapel is carved from salt,
including the altar and chandeliers, and the walls are covered in
beautiful sculptured pictures. A dark, clanking lift whisks
visitors back to the surface at the end of the guided tour. The
world's first subterranean therapeutic sanatorium is situated 656ft
(200m) below the surface and makes use of the saline air for the
treatment of asthma. There is also a Salt-Works museum that
documents the history of the mine and the local geological
formation with primitive mining tools and machines on
display. see full details
Top
The Auschwitz concentration camp is actually made up
of three camps - Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II-Birkenau and Auschwitz
III. Together the complex forms the largest cemetery in the world
preserved as a sombre memorial to the victims of the Holocaust,
commemorating the hundreds of thousands of people exterminated
there by the Nazis during the Second World War. The
Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum was established in 1947 and visitors have
access to both camps and can wander freely around the structures,
ruins and gas chambers, and visit the exhibits displayed in the
surviving prison blocks at Auschwitz I. The hushed atmosphere is
one of shock and revulsion from the moment visitors enter the
barbed-wire compound through the iron gate, ironically inscribed
with the words 'Arbeit Macht Frei' (Work Makes Free). The buildings
contain displays of photographs and horrific piles of personal
articles of the victims, including battered suitcases, and
thousands of spectacles, hair and shoes collected from the bodies.
The experience is vivid and disturbing. There are also general
exhibitions dedicated to the Jews and their history as well as an
interesting documentary film screened in the museum's cinema.
Birkenau sees far fewer tourists as it has less visitor facilities
and much of the camp was destroyed by the retreating Nazis, but it
is here that the sheer scale of the tragedy can be experienced,
with a viewing platform to give some perspective over the vast
fenced in area stretching as far as the eye can see. Birkenau was
the principal camp where the extermination of millions took place,
a chillingly efficient set-up with rows of barracks and four
colossal gas chambers and ovens. Purpose-built railway tracks lead
through the huge gateway, terminating in the camp, by means of
which victims were transported from the ghettos to the camp in
crowded box-like carts, often being led straight into the gas
chambers upon arrival. see full details
Auschwitz Memorial Museum
The Auschwitz concentration camp is actually made up
of three camps - Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II-Birkenau and Auschwitz
III. Together the complex forms the largest cemetery in the world
preserved as a sombre memorial to the victims of the Holocaust,
commemorating the hundreds of thousands of people exterminated
there by the Nazis during the Second World War. The
Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum was established in 1947 and visitors have
access to both camps and can wander freely around the structures,
ruins and gas chambers, and visit the exhibits displayed in the
surviving prison blocks at Auschwitz I. The hushed atmosphere is
one of shock and revulsion from the moment visitors enter the
barbed-wire compound through the iron gate, ironically inscribed
with the words 'Arbeit Macht Frei' (Work Makes Free). The buildings
contain displays of photographs and horrific piles of personal
articles of the victims, including battered suitcases, and
thousands of spectacles, hair and shoes collected from the bodies.
The experience is vivid and disturbing. There are also general
exhibitions dedicated to the Jews and their history as well as an
interesting documentary film screened in the museum's cinema.
Birkenau sees far fewer tourists as it has less visitor facilities
and much of the camp was destroyed by the retreating Nazis, but it
is here that the sheer scale of the tragedy can be experienced,
with a viewing platform to give some perspective over the vast
fenced in area stretching as far as the eye can see. Birkenau was
the principal camp where the extermination of millions took place,
a chillingly efficient set-up with rows of barracks and four
colossal gas chambers and ovens. Purpose-built railway tracks lead
through the huge gateway, terminating in the camp, by means of
which victims were transported from the ghettos to the camp in
crowded box-like carts, often being led straight into the gas
chambers upon arrival. see full details
Top
Situated in the heart of Kazimierz, the Jewish Quarter
of Krakow, the Galicia Jewish Museum houses a permanent
photographic exhibition, "Traces of Memory", documenting the
history of the Jewish people in the villages and towns of Poland.
This poignant museum also hosts a range of special events, lectures
and Jewish music concerts and has a well-stocked
bookshop. see full details
Galicia Jewish Museum
Situated in the heart of Kazimierz, the Jewish Quarter
of Krakow, the Galicia Jewish Museum houses a permanent
photographic exhibition, "Traces of Memory", documenting the
history of the Jewish people in the villages and towns of Poland.
This poignant museum also hosts a range of special events, lectures
and Jewish music concerts and has a well-stocked
bookshop. see full details
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