Going on vacation to a particular country, curious tourists tend to visit as many interesting places as possible. And this is quite understandable, because sights are the hallmark of any state, which allows you to get a more complete picture of it. Multifaceted Poland is no exception, a trip to which can give the traveler a lot of vivid impressions. The country is famous for a large number of cultural and historical sites, 14 of which are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Historic center of Warsaw
The Second World War did not spare the city: after the end of hostilities, only a huge pile of stones remained from it. Walking around the center of Warsaw today, tourists involuntarily wonder how much effort the Poles needed to restore the original appearance of the current capital. Thanks to the virtuoso work of architects and restorers, numerous guests of the city do not notice the difference between the original and restored elements of the historical building.
In the very center of Warsaw's Castle Square is the famous Sigismund Column - the first secular monument in Poland, built back in 1644. On an elegant pedestal, which reaches 30 meters in height, there is a bronze sculpture by Molly - one of the most colorful objects in the capital. In the right hand of the royal statue, a sword is held, symbolizing courage and bravery, while in the left hand there is a cross, which indicates the readiness to fight against evil. According to local legend, the loss of weapons from the hand of Sigismund can entail very dire consequences for the country.
By the way, the main historical square of the capital owes its name to the Royal Castle located on it. In the XII century, a wooden fortress was built here, on the site of which a huge palace later grew, which later became the center of the Old City. After the transfer of the capital from Krakow to Warsaw, the castle was awarded the title of the official royal residence. During the war, the palace was burned and plundered; the process of its reconstruction began only in the 1970s. Upon completion of the restoration, the castle turned into a museum, housing hundreds of rescued sculptures and paintings, as well as other works of art.
Walking through the historic center of Warsaw, tourists should definitely drop by the Market Square. Once only wooden buildings towered here, but today this place is famous for its unusual architecture. Nice stone houses with classical facades of the Middle Ages attract the interested glances of the guests of the city. Previously, the square was the site of fairs and public executions, when it was the main town hall. Now it is the perfect place to relax and have fun. Tourists can watch lively performances by street musicians, buy paintings and souvenirs, taste delicious local pastries and listen to the organ-grinder's performances. A significant part of the square is occupied by the Historical Museum of Warsaw, the exhibits of which clearly demonstrate the process of the city's development from the 13th century to the present.
Belovezhsky National Park
For Poles and Belarusians, this name is very ambiguous. The world-famous Belovezhskaya Pushcha is a fairly large corner of the relict lowland forest, which grew throughout Europe in prehistoric times. Gradually, the trees were subjected to massive felling, as a result of which only the massif in the territory of modern Poland and Belarus remained unharmed. It so happened historically that the area of the park is divided by the border between the two states. Previously, Pushcha was the only protected area, the capital of which was located in the Polish village of Bialowieza.
Now the park belongs to the ecological region, which is called "Sarmatian mixed forest". In 1993, the natural site was awarded the status of a biosphere reserve. Today Belovezhskaya Pushcha includes four administrative units: reserved, recreational and economic areas, as well as a zone of regulated use. The average age of the trees growing here is about 80 years, but in some areas you can find two to three centuries old oaks, ash, pine and spruce.
By the number of representatives of flora and fauna collected in it, Belovezhsky Park has no equal in all of Europe. Large areas of the reserve are home to European bison, elk, deer, wild boars, beavers, wild minks and other animals. Also in the open areas of the nursery you can find tarpans - wild forest horses. In addition, the park is home to the world's largest population of bison - the last European representatives of wild bulls.
Salt mines in Wieliczka and Bochnia
Not far from the cultural center of the country - the city of Krakow - there is a real miracle of nature that can amaze even the most sophisticated traveler. The unique salt deposits are a popular Polish attraction, visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. The history of the mines goes back more than seven centuries and goes back to the 13th century. In those days, salt was valued so much that a whole village could be bought for a barrel of "white poison". Not surprisingly, the mines were a royal monopoly. From the very beginning, they fascinated tourists with their exceptional beauty. Already in the 15th century, with the permission of the king, the first excursions for noble persons began to be organized here. During the existence of the mines, many famous personalities have visited them, including Nicolaus Copernicus, Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Frederic Chopin and others.
Going to Poland, many tourists tend to visit the salt castle in order to see with their own eyes the figures made of such an unusual material. At a depth of over 100 meters, there is an amazing underground chapel, the large hall of which can accommodate about 500 people. Shown here are statues and bas-reliefs made from layers of salt. The most interesting exhibit of the underground museum is considered to be a copy of The Last Supper, modeled on the work of Leonardo da Vinci. The unusual chapel is also decorated with the majestic salt statues of Casimir the Great and Pope John Paul II.
An excursion to this underground paradise filled with a host of unique sights lasts about 2.5 hours. During this time, guests have time to visit three of the nine levels of the mine. In the underworld, there are not only statues and chapels. There is a wonderful restaurant, a banquet hall, a sanatorium and even a small cinema where tourists can watch a movie about the mine levels closed to the public. Thrill-seekers will certainly love the descent on the old elevator, which moves the cold wind into the cabin.
The Wieliczka Salt Mines are so unusual that it is difficult to describe in words these deep galleries and halls. You need to see them with your own eyes, combining a vacation in Poland with an extremely interesting excursion.
Concentration camp at Auschwitz
This Polish city, which bears witness to the ruthlessness of the fascist regime, has become the site of a brutal massacre of hundreds of thousands of people. In the concentration camps located on its territory, terrible death conveyors were created, annihilating a huge number of people every day. A visit to this place allows tourists to touch the terrible pages of our history.
Auschwitz-Birkenau was the largest Nazi concentration camp for both Poles and people of other nationalities. Fascism doomed prisoners to isolation and a slow death by starvation, burdened with grueling work. Many of them became victims of sophisticated experiments, mass and individual executions. Formed at the beginning of World War II, the camp by 1942 had become the largest center for the extermination of European Jews. Most of them suffocated in the gas chambers immediately upon arrival, without even going through the registration and number assignment procedure. In this regard, the exact number of deaths has not been established, but historians call the figure about one and a half million people.
Today Auschwitz is a large memorial complex and museum. The excursion here begins with watching a short documentary film filmed in the process of liberating concentration camp prisoners by Russian soldiers. Then the guide takes tourists to the exposition, arranged in several preserved barracks, demonstrating the crematorium and gas chambers. After a short break, the next stage of the excursion starts, associated with a visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp, where from the height of the watchtower you can appreciate the scale of the largest Nazi "death factory".
We have listed just a few attractions that are worth seeing when visiting Poland. All of them are interesting and attractive in their own way, thanks to which they are especially popular among curious tourists. In addition, Poland boasts a large number of churches and castles belonging to the category of valuable architectural monuments. A visit to this country promises to give travelers a lot of vivid emotions and leave a deep mark in their memory.
