Exploring Poznan
Poznan holds much of interest beyond the old town. The Bernadine church in Plac Bernardynski has a remarkably narrow twin-towered fa ade built in the 18th century by Jan Steyner. It is matched by the former Lutheran Church of the Holy Cross Koscio sw KrzyZa , dating from 1777-83. Walking towards the main railway station, you go through the town centre and across Plac Wolnosci, a square lined with shops and banks, then following Ulica sw Marcina, where the old Kaiser's palace is located. The...
Radzyn Podlaski P
Road map F4. 16,800. station 8 km 5 miles from the town. n ul. Jana Pawfa II2 083 352 1 5 35 . In its splendour, Potocki Palace rivals Branicki Palace in Bialystok, the Versailles of Podlasie see p290 . It was built for the ambitious Eustachy Potocki, who later became a general in the Lithuanian artillery. The palace was to be dazzling. It was reconstructed in 1750-58, in the Rococo style, by Giacopo Fontana and his talented team of artists. The painted decoration is by Jan Bogumil Plersch and...
A Traditional Beverage
Mead was a favourite drink of the Polish aristocracy. It is made by fermenting wort, a solution of honey and water that has been flavoured with herbs. The most popular type of mead is trojniak, in which honey makes up one-third of the total wort. The rarest is poltorak, with two parts honey and one part water. Although mead is no longer widely drunk, it is still produced today. Wyloty - slit sleeves rolled back and over the shoulder Wyloty - slit sleeves rolled back and over the shoulder An...
Old Synagogue
ul. Szeroka 24. 184, 198. V 3, 9, 13. Museum of Jewish History Tel 012 422 09 62. May-Oct 10am- 2pm Mon, 10am-5pm Tue-Sun Nov- Apr 10am-2pm Mon 9am-4pm Wed, Thu, Sat, Sun 11am-6pm Fri. Tue Nov-Apr . amp www.mhk.pl Gothic-Renaissance bema in the Old Synagogue Gothic-Renaissance bema in the Old Synagogue The old Synagogue was built by Matteo Gucci in the mid-16th century in the Renaissance style. It replaced an earlier Gothic synagogue that burned down in 1557. In the Hall of Prayer you will find...
Oliwa Cathedral
Oliwa, a district to the northwest of Gdansk, was once the base of wealthy Cistercians, who built a cathedral and monastery here. The present cathedral, built in the 14th century in the Gothic style, replaced the original 13th-century Romanesque church that was destroyed by fire in 1350. While the exterior has survived without major alteration, the interior has been redecorated in the Baroque style. Its famous organ can be heard in recitals. The monastery buildings are now occupied by branches...
The History Of Poland 1
Poland's borders have changed almost continuously with the course of history. The origins of the Polish nation go back to the 10th century, when Slav tribes living in the area of Gniezno united together under the Piast dynasty, which then ruled Poland until 1370. Mieszko I, the first historic prince of this line, converted to Christianity in 966, bringing his kingdom into Christian Europe. The Piast dynasty ruled Poland with variable fortune and embroiled the nation in domestic quarrels for 150...
Zamosc
Zamosc is one of the best-preserved Renaissance towns in Europe. It was one of the first to be planned and built from scratch according to Italian concepts of the ideal town. The moving force behind this project Detail from building, Zamosc was Jan Zamoyski 1541-1605 , chancellor and commander-inchief of the Crown, one of the most powerful and enlightened magnates of Poland's Golden Age, and the owner of Zamosc. Bernardo Mornando was the architect and work began in 1581, continuing for more...
Lost Wawel Exhibition
Wawel 5. Tel 012 422 16 97. V 8, 10, 18, 36, 38, 40. 9 30am-noon Mon 9 30am-4pm Tue, Fri 9 30am-3pm Wed, Thu 11am-5pm Sat 11am-3pm Sun. amp free on Mon . www.wawel.krakow.pl For anyone who is interested in archaeology, this exhibition is a real delight. The display charts the development of the Wawel over a considerable period of time, and includes a virtual image of the Wawel buildings as they existed in the early Middle Ages, archaeological finds from Wawel hill, and a partially reconstructed...
Church of St Anne
ul. sw. Anny 11, Tel 012 422 53 18. 103, 124, 179, 192, 424, 502. g 1, 7, 8, 18, 36, 38. during In the narrow Ulica sw. Anny, it is impossible to miss the imposing Baroque fa ade of the twin-towered Church of St Anne Kosciol sw Anny . The architect was Tylman van Gameren. In designing the fa ade, he took into account the fact that any view of it would be acutely foreshortened by virtue of the narrowness of the street. The church building was erected between 1689 and 1703, although work on the...
University of Warsaw O
Map 2 D5. Tel 022 620 03 81. E-1, E-2, E-3, 111, 116, 122, 174, 175, 180, 192, 195, 303, 403, 503, 518. The nucleus of the University of Warsaw Uniwersytet Warszawski grew from a summer palace known as the Villa Regia. In the first half of the 17th century, the palace belonged to the Vasa dynasty. From then on it underwent many phases of refurbishment, and in 1816 was chosen to house what was then the new university. After further alteration, the former palace acquired the late Neo-Classical...
Belvedere Palace O
116, 118, 119, 180, 195. weekends Jun-Aug. The history of Belvedere Palace Belweder goes back to the 17th century. Its present appearance, however, dates from 1818, when it was refashioned by Jakub Kubicki for the Russian governor general Prince Constantine the much hated brother of Tsar Alexander I and his Polish aristocrat wife. On the night of 29 November 1830, a detachment of cadet officers together with a number of students, attacked the palace, starting the November Insurrection. After...
Cathedral of St John o
The Cathedral of St John started life as a parish church at the beginning of the 15th century, only acquiring cathedral status in 1798. Over the years, successive rulers endowed it with new chapels and other elements. Important ceremonies have taken place here, including the coronation of Stanisiaw August Poniatowski in 1764 and the oath of allegiance to the Constitution of 3 May in 1791. Many famous Poles are buried in the cathedral, among them the Polish primate, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski....
The Old Town
The Old Town Square Rynek Starego Miasta is surrounded on all sides by town houses, rebuilt after World War II with great devotion. Today it is one of the most attractive places in Warsaw. From spring to autumn it is filled with caf tables, and also becomes an open-air gallery of contemporary art. On the square and in neighbouring streets, especially Piwna and Jezuicka, there are numerous restaurants and bars that are reputed to be the best in Warsaw. The whole of the Old Town is not only a...
Lodz
The centre of the Polish textile industry, LodZ developed at an astonishing rate as the industry thrived, Its population grew from just 15,000 in 1850 to more than half a million in 1914, It was a place of great contrasts, which were vividly documented in the novel The Promised Land 1899 by the Nobel Prize-winning author Wtadystaw Reymont, The contrasts can still be seen in the architecture of the city, where vast fortunes and abject poverty existed side by side, Factories and opulent mansions...
Central Maritime Museum d
in the 17th century Poland strove to be master of the Baltic Sea and her seafarers were dedicated to maintaining Poland's maritime presence. The themes of the displays in the Maritime Museum are Gdansk's seafaring traditions and navigation on the Vistula. Exhibits include a reconstruction of scenes from a sailor's life aboard the Swedish ship Solen, sunk at the Battle of Oliwa in 1627 and raised from the seabed in the Gulf of Gdansk in 1970. This reconstruction of a merchant's office is in the...
Exploring Malopolska
Maiopolska, in the south of Poland, is the country's main tourist region. Apart from Cracow, the greatest attractions for visitors are the mountain ski resort of Zakopane, which is the winter sports capital, and the picturesque Tatra Mountains. In summer many hikers are drawn to the region, and its mountains are traversed by well-marked hiking trails. There are numerous welcoming hostels for those in need of overnight shelter. Parts of the Beskid Niski Mountains are almost without human...
Ciechanow
Road map E3. 47,000. n ul. ciegiennego 2. On the edge of the town stand the Gothic ruins of the red-brick Castle of the Mazovian princes, built around 1420-30. After Mazovia was incorporated into the Kingdom of Poland, the widowed Queen Bona often stayed here. Today, the castle accommodates one of the exhibitions of the Museum of the Mazovian Nobility Muzeum Szlachty Mazowieckiej . In the town itself is the Gothic Church of the Annunciation, founded in the first half of the 16th century and...
Wroclaw
The city of Wroclaw bears the stamp of several r cultures. it was founded by a Czech duke in the 10th century and a Polish bishopric was established here in 1000. Later it became the capital of the duchy of Silesian Piasts, and then came under Czech rule in 1335. in 1526, with the whole Czech state, it was incorporated into the Habsburg Empire, and in 1741 was transferred to Prussian rule. The fierce defence that German forces put up here in the last months of World War II left almost three...
Kazimierz Dolny
Road map F4. 2,300. n Rynek 27 081 881 00 46 . _ Festival of Folk Bands and Singers Jul Film Summer Aug . www.kazimierzdolny.pl This delightful little town, the favourite holiday resort of poets and painters, was probably founded by Kazimierz the Great. In the 16th and 17th centuries, it grew rich from the grain trade. The ruins of a Gothic castle with a high tower dominate the town. At its foot can be seen the Renaissance Parish Church of Saints John the Baptist and Bartholomew built in...
Nysa z
Road map C5. 48,000. H ul. Bracka 4. nysa www. nysa.pl www.nysa.pl Nysa, founded in 1223, was once the capital of the dukes of Wroclaw and the see of the duchy of Nysa Niesse . In the 16th and 17th centuries it became the residence of the Catholic bishops of Wroclaw, who were driven there from Ostrow Tumski during the Reformation. After 1742 the Prussians enclosed the town with ramparts. Despite suffering massive destruction during World War II, Nysa retains a number of interesting buildings....
Gora Switej Anny c
Road Map C5. Lesnica. www.swanna.pl Gora Swi tej Anny is a place of pilgrimage for Catholics and a centre of commemoration of the Silesian uprisings of 1919-21. The great Pilgrimage Church of St Anne was built here by the Gaschin-Gaszynski family in the second half of the 1600s. The Stations of the Cross that make up the 18th-century Calvary are placed around the church and monastery. The Calvary draws large numbers of pilgrims. During the Third Silesian Uprising in May and June 1921, two major...
Niepolomice
In the 14th century, the royal castle at Niepolomice was the hunting base of Kazimierz the Great. Between 1550 and 1571 it was converted into a Renaissance palace by Zygmunt August. The entrance gate, dating from 1552, was once decorated with a Jagiellonian eagle the plaque, with the Latin inscription May the King Win and Live, hints at its former splendour. The monarchs loved hunting in the game park nearby. In 1525 Zygmunt I brought in a wooden trunk a great bear from Lithuania. The bear hunt...
Zakopane z
Road Map D6. 29,000. H ul. Kosciuszki 17 018 201 22 11 . _ Autumn in the Tatras International Festival of Mountain Folklore endAug . www.zakopane.pl info um.zakopane.pl For over 100 years, the Polish people have regarded Zakopane as their country's winter capital, on a par with alpine resorts as an upmarket winter sports and leisure centre. Many tourists are also appreciative of Zakopane in the summer months. While some go hiking in the mountains, most are content to admire the scenery from the...
Baroque Architecture
In the first half of the 17th century, architects of Italian descent started to introduce the early Baroque style to Poland. Nobles built imposing residences, chief among them Krzyztopor Castle in Ujazd seepp44-5 and p152 , in the Mannerist style, and the fortified early Baroque palace in Lancut see pp172-3 . Italian architects were also commissioned to design the Royal Palace in Warsaw, the country's new capital. The destruction wrought during the Polish-Swedish war was followed by a period of...
Bialystok i
Road Map F2. 272,000. H ul. Malmeda 6 085 732 68 31 . _ Bialystok Days around 20 Jun . www.bialystok.pl Biatystok is the largest town in northeast Poland, Its population is both Polish and Belarussian, something that can easily be read in the cityscape the domes of the Orthodox church rise up next to the towers of the Catholic church, and there are many Belarussian cultural institutions, Biatystok was once owned by the Branicki family indeed, the layout of the town is dominated by their former...
Ostrow Tumski and Piasek Island
Ostrow Tumski was once an island in the River Odra, and it is here that the history of Wroclaw began. According to legend, the city was founded by Duke Vratislav of Bohemia. In the year 1000 a bishopric was established and the island grew into a centre of ducal power. After the city moved to the left bank of the Odra in 1292, the island remained the base of ecclesiastical authority. In the 19th century the northern arm of the Odra was filled in and Tumski ceased to be an island. Tumski Bridge...
Rytwiany O
The main attraction of Rytwiany is the early Baroque Camaldolite church that stands next to the monastery. It was built in 1624-5 by the T czyr ski family and is considered to be one of the finest examples of Camaldolite architecture in Europe. In accordance with the rules of the order, the entrance to the sanctuary leads through a narrow passageway, with the tiny houses of the monks lying behind the monastery walls. The clock in the church tower marked the times for different activities in the...
Thcentury Literature
From 1900 onwards Young Poland Mloda Polska , a modern trend in Polish literature particularly Monument to Aleksander Fredro in Wroclaw associated with the artistic community of Cracow, began to emerge. A key role in this was played by Stanislaw Wyspianski 1869-1907 , author of the Symbolist play The Wedding Wesele , which was made into a film by Andrzej Wajda 70 years later. Also influential in Young Poland was a Bohemian group surrounding Stanislaw Przybyszewski, a friend of Henrik Ibsen and...
Spichlerze Island
106, 111, 112, 120, 138, 166, 178, 186. V 8, 13. Once joined to the mainland, Spichlerze Island was created when the New Motlawa Canal was dug in 1576. A centre of trade developed here at the end of the 13th century. What was then a relatively small number of granaries had grown to more than 300 by the 16th century. Each granary had a name and each fa ade was decorated with an individual emblem. The purpose of digging the canal, and thus of surrounding the district with water, was not only to...
Decjusz Villa
al. 28 Lipca 1943 r. 17a. Tel 012 425 33 90. 102, 134, 152, 192. For details of the cultural programme, visit the website www.villa.org.pl In the charming residential district of Wola Justowska stands the Decjusz Villa, a manor house whose origins go back to the late Middle Ages. It was rebuilt around 1530 in the Renaissance style for Justus Ludwik Decjusz, and acquired its present shape around 1620, when it was extended for Stanislaw Lubomirski, Palatine of Cracow. It was then remodelled in...
Church of St Mary
The Church of St Mary Koscioi Mariacki is the largest medieval brick-built church in Europe. Building work began in 1343 and took 150 years to complete. The final stage of construction, involving the 100-m 325-ft long nave, was carried out by Henryk Hetzel. From 1529 to 1945, when it was destroyed, St Mary's was a Protestant church. Like so many other parts of Gdansk, it was rebuilt after World War ii. The interior contains furnishings . in the Gothic, Mannerist and Baroque styles. Look out for...
Church of St Anne O
Map 2 D3. Tel 022 826 89 91. E-1, E-3, 116, 122, 125, 160, 170, 174, 175, 180, 190, 192, 195, 303, 307, 503, 518. V 13, 23, 26, 32. This Gothic church was built for the Bernardine order by Anna, widow of the Mazovian prince Boleslaw III, in the second half of the 15th century. It was extended between 1518 and 1533. Destroyed during the Swedish invasion in 1655-60, it was rebuilt in a Baroque style to a design by Jozef Szymon Bellotti. The Gothic chancel and the external walls were retained. The...
Kolobrzeg
Road map B1. 46,000. B ul. Dworcowa 1 _ Kolobrzeg Summer Music Festival. www.kolobrzeg.turystyka.pl The fine sandy beaches of Kolobrzeg make it one of the most popular health resorts on the Baltic coast. it has a full complement of hotels, sanatoria, holiday homes and fried-fish stalls, but it is also a working fishing port. in the past it was a fortified coastal town of strategic significance. in summer the long promenade, The sturdy brick-built lighthouse in Kotobrzeg harbour The sturdy...
Polands Golden Age
In the 16th century the Republic of Two Nations Rzeczpospolita formed by Poland and Lithuania was one of the largest European powers. In the western territories of the Polish Crown there was peace, relative prosperity and - rare elsewhere - religious tolerance. Under the Jagiellonians, and later under the first elective kings, art, education and the economy flourished. In the political sphere there was a significant movement to improve the Republic and institute reforms. The so-called real...
Opatw
The collegiate church of St Martin Kolegiata sw. Marcina , built in the first half of the 12th century, is among the best-preserved of the major Romanesque churches in Poland. The massive fa ade has two quadrilateral towers and representations of dragons and plants on its borders. The interior contains interesting furnishings and tombs, the most eminent being the tomb with the bronze effigy of Krzysztof Szydlowiecki, the Collegiate Church of St Martin in Opat w Collegiate Church of St Martin in...
MAtOPOLSKA
The tragedy of the Polish Jews can be witnessed at Oswifcim Auschwitz see pl60 where an estimated 1.1 million people died at the hands of the Nazis. This is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The old underground salt mine at Wieliczka seepl62 features a chapel, museum and a restaurant. A favourite retreat for many artists and intellectuals at the turn of the 20th century, Poland's winter capital Zakopane see pl64 attracts thousands of skiers every winter. The ski resort at Zakopane, upgraded for...
Pauline Church on the Rock j
ul. Skaleczna 15. Tel 012 421 72 44 or 423 09 48. 100, 103, 112, 114, 124, 128, 144, 162, 164, 169, 173, 179, 184, 197, 424. V 18, 19, 22. 8am-4pm Mon-Sat. Crypt of Honour by appointment only. amp The impressive Baroque Pauline Church on the Rock Kosciol Paulinow na Skalce , with its adjoining monastery complex, was built in 1733-42 by Gerhard M ntzer in collaboration with Antoni Solari. The present church was preceded by two earlier buildings. It was at the foot of the altar of the Romanesque...
Bieszczady Mountains Tour
The Bieszczady mountains, together with the neighbouring Beskid Niski, are the wildest in Poland. Tourists return with blood-curdling tales of encounters with bears and wolves, or the discovery of a skeleton in the forest undergrowth. Needless to say, these stories are often exaggerated. Before World War II, the region was densely populated by Ukrainians and ethnic groups known as the Boyks and the Lemks. After the war, because of fighting and resettlements, it became deserted, and farming...
Czerwinsk on the Vistula G
The church and monastery in Czerwinsk on the Vistula, formerly owned by the Canons Regular and now by the Salesian order, are among the oldest buildings in Mazovia. The monastery was in existence by 1155 and the Romanesque basilica was probably built in the time of Bishop Aleksander of Plock in the mid-12th century. In spite of later Gothic and modern alterations, the main body of the building largely retains its original appearance. The basilica's nave and aisles each end in an apse -a...
The Traditional Nobility
The tradition of the Polish nobility was dominated by the idea of Sarmatism, which was based on the myth that the Polish aristocracy were descended from a warrior people called the Sarmatians. Sarmatism was influential in shaping the ideology of the ruling class, as well as its customs and lifestyle. A Sarmatian embraced the old order, was patriotic and Catholic, and at the same time valued freedom and privilege, lived life as a landowner and upheld family traditions. Sarmatism played an...
Koszuty O
In an enchanting 18th-century country house, set in a landscaped garden, the interior of a Wielkopolska landowner's mansion has been reconstructed and is now the Sroda Land Museum. Tel 061 285 10 23. 9am-3pm Tue-Fri, 10am-2pm Sat. The town of Sroda Wielkopolska, which is situated just 6 km 4 miles east of Koszuty, has an interesting Gothic collegiate church dating from the 15th-16th centuries. Country house in Koszuty dating from the 18th century Country house in Koszuty dating from the 18th...
Czoch Castle
Road map A4. Sucha. Tel 075 721 15 53. www.zamekczocha.pl Czoch Castle Zamek Czocha is one of Silesia's major tourist attractions. Standing in a picturesque location on the banks of Lake Lesnianskie, it can be seen for miles around. The castle dates from the 14th century, and because it was destroyed and rebuilt several times over many centuries, incorporates a range of architectural styles. It was most recently renovated in the early part of the 20th century, when the Gutschoff family of...
Lubomierz
075 783 3 5 73 . _ Review of Polish Comedy Films Aug . A sleepy little town in the foothills of the Izerskie Mountains, Lubomierz boasts a picturesque market square lined with large arcaded houses. The Baroque Benedictine church built by Johann Jakob Scheerhof in 1727-30 dominates the town. Many Polish films have been shot in Lubomierz. The popular comedy film Sami swoi Just Our Own brought it the greatest renown. The film follows the fortunes of displaced persons from Poland's eastern...