About Poland

Poland lies in the heart of Europe - the geometric centre of the continent is right here. Warsaw is not far from other European cities: Paris and London are 2 hours away by plane, Vienna and Berlin not much more than an hour. You can get here quickly by international roads and railway connections. Half a million places to stay, thousands of restaurants, hundreds of forms of leisure and entertainment - they're all waiting for visitors. Poland is a country that is safe and friendly for visitors from abroad, a statement confirmed by official international statistics. In figures concerning access to cash machines, for instance, Poland is 8th in Europe. Mobile phone networks cover 94% of the country.

You can find more or less everything in Poland: alpine mountains, wide beaches, clean lakes, deep forests, world-class historic monuments, and friendly people. The climate is temperate, and the people warm and hospitable. Polish cities with a thousand-year history invite their visitors to encounters with culture, and Poland's villages and small-time towns offer the opportunity to get away from the bustle of modern life. And all this comes with a backdrop of breathtaking natural landscapes, because Poland's greatest attraction is nature. Wild, untouched, more diverse than in most countries either in Europe or the world and, what's more, easily accessible. Tourists value this greatly and their number is constantly increasing.

Poland's Treasures on the UNESCO World Heritage List

2008 is a very special year for UNESCO. Exactly 30 years ago UNESCO published the first list of properties known now as the World Heritage List

Brief History

The idea of creating an international movement for protecting cultural properties in different countries emerged after World War II. The decision to build the Aswan High Dam in Egypt aroused international concern, as it would flood the valley containing the Abu Simbel temples, a treasure of ancient Egyptian civilization. In 1959, after an appeal from the governments of Egypt and Sudan, UNESCO decided to launch an international safeguarding campaign. Archaeological research in the areas to be flooded was accelerated. Above all, the Abu Simbel and Philae temples were dismantled, moved to dry ground and reassembled. The campaign cost about $80 million, half of which was donated by some 50 countries, showing the importance of nations sharing responsibility in conserving outstanding cultural properties. Its success led to other safeguarding campaigns, such as those of Venice in Italy and Borobodur in Indonesia to name just two. The first UNESCO heritage list was devised in 1978. At that time, only the 12 most important heritage sites in the world received this prestigious distinction. Two Polish sites: Kraków and Wieliczka Salt Mine were among them. So far thirteen sites in Poland have been put on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites. Three more are submitted on the Tentative List.

List of World Heritage in Danger

A variety of dangers - looting, war, natural disasters, etc. - are constantly threatening properties inscribed in the World Heritage List. As a result of this, some properties on the World Heritage List have been inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger, which entitles them to special attention and emergency conservation action. Several properties that were damaged have been successfully restored thanks to their inscription on that list. The Wieliczka Salt Mine in Poland is an example of successful restorations. The Wieliczka Salt Mine, near Kraków, was placed on the List of the World Heritage in Danger in 1989. During nine years of joint efforts by both Poland and the international community, an efficient dehumidifying system was installed.

Kraków's (Cracow's) Historical Center - Metropolis of the Polish Crown

Kraków, with its a thousand years of municipal history and erstwhile capital of Poland, is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. The entire medieval layout of the Old City has been preserved. Some buildings, such as St. Adalbert's Church on the Market Square (Rynek Główny) date from Poland's early Middle Ages, the 10th and 11th centuries. Market Square is the biggest medieval square in Europe. Just as in previous centuries, the cultural, commercial, and public life of Kraków is concentrated here. It's the favorite place of street artists, traveling musicians, and pigeons.

There are cafés, restaurants, bars, galleries, museums and shops in almost every historic townhouse. In the Cloth Hall (Sukiennice), which stands in the center of the Market Square, there are souvenir stalls selling folk art and amber jewellery, just as in the 13th century. On the corner of the Market Square in St. Mary's Basilica you can see the biggest and one of the most beautiful medieval altars in Europe, carved in limewood by Veit Stoss (Wit Stwosz). Close to the Old City, the Royal Castle on Wawel Hill has also been registered on the UNESCO list. It was the center of power and chief residence of the kings of Poland from the 10th to the late16th century. Wawel Castle and Cathedral overlook the River Vistula. Kraków is a city of students - there are over 100 thousand of them studying at 12 institutions of higher education, thanks to which one of the country's oldest cities is simultaneously one of the youngest in spirit. One of Europe's oldest academic institutions, the Jagiellonian University, founded in 1364, is based here. Kraków was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1978.

Wieliczka Salt Mine - a Jewel in the Polish Crown

There are tourists who come to Poland just to see the Wieliczka Salt Mine, located in the town of Wieliczka, within Poland's Kraków metropolitan area. It's the world's oldest commercial enterprise still in business - salt has been mined here since the 13th century with no interruptions, although it's no longer done on an industrial scale. Today's mine is a labyrinth of corridors and chambers over 200 mi. long, 1.25 mi. of which are accessible to visitors. The route winds through 20 chambers located on three levels (from 210 ft to 443 ft underground), past lakes, and chapels, bas-reliefs, and chandeliers sculpted in the rock salt. The most spectacular sight is Saint Kinga's Chapel, although, in fact, it deserves to be called an underground salt church in deference to its dimensions.

The mine also has an underground post office, a restaurant, and cinema and even some tennis courts. Concerts, theatre performances, banquets and charity balls are held in the majestic chambers. Thanks to the curative properties of the air, a subterranean health center has been opened on the fifth level (692 ft below ground level), for the treatment of bronchial asthma and allergies. Wieliczka Salt Mine was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1978. It was on the Endangered List in 1989-1998.

Former Nazi Concentration Camp Auschwitz-Birkenau - Lest We Forget!

Auschwitz - Birkenau was the largest of Nazi's Germany's concentration camp. Its remains are approximately 31 mi. west of Kraków near the town Oświęcim. Several hundred thousand people visit it every year. During the Second World War, the Nazis murdered Jews, Poles, Romany People, Russians, and people of several other nationalities; the majority of those who died were Jews deported from all over occupied Europe. Entry to the Auschwitz museum is through the gates immortalized in many films and photographs, inscribed "Arbeit Macht Frei" ("work makes you free"). On the other side you can see clusters of brick buildings in which the prisoners lived. In the prison cell blocks there are horrifying displays of objects looted from the imprisoned.

The neighboring Birkenau was the main extermination center and the world's largest. Some barracks and ruins of the crematoria and gas chambers can be seen there today. It is open to visitors. The Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp museum has been entered on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.

Białowieża Forest - the Relict of Primeval Forest

There's also a work of nature on the UNESCO list - the Białowieża Forest. It is the biggest naturally forested area in Europe and the last remaining section of primeval forest, with an abundance of flora and fauna unmatched anywhere else in Europe. It is located on the country's eastern border and distributed roughly evenly between Poland and Belarus. Both Polish and Belarusian parts are listed by UNESCO. The Białowieża National Park is also on the World Biosphere Reserve list.

The Białowieża Forest, in part growing on swamps, is covered with mixed vegetation untouched by man. Oak, hornbeam, spruce and pine are the predominant species. The most valuable section, about half of the forest, is strictly protected within the boundaries of the Białowieża National Park. This nature reserve can only be entered with a guide and toured on foot along signposted trails or more comfortably, by horse- drawn carriages. It's the habitat of the European bison, the continent's largest mammal, 26 species of trees and 56 species of shrubs. The average age of the trees is 126 years. Approximately 100,000 tourists come to the Białowieża Forest each year. Most of them stay in the village of Białowieża, which has ample hospitality facilities to host individual tourists, conferences and incentive travel groups. The village is located in the very heart of the Białowieża Forest. The Białowieża Forest has been entered on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979. The Biosphere Reserve was inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1992.

Historical Center of Warsaw - Annihilated and Revived

Warsaw is also on the UNESCO list. Looking at this city, it's hard to believe that it was almost razed to the ground during the Second World War. Due to the effort and skill of our architects and conservators as well as to the flow of time, today tourists are not able to distinguish original fragments of the historic buildings from the reconstructed ones. The charming Old Town streets lead to the Market Square where artists display their works and visitors can enjoy a meal or café in the numerous restaurant and café gardens or take a buggy ride. The first-floors of many houses are occupied by stylish restaurants, art galleries, antique and souvenir shops. Worth a visit are Old Town's richly adorned churches and interesting museums.

The Royal Castle is a real trove of national mementos; its interiors are beautifully decorated and contain many works of art by the most famous European and Polish artists. Very popular is the nearby Krakowskie Przedmieście Street, the favorite meeting place and strolling area for Warsovians and tourists. The parks are the pride of the city, a real treasure being the Lazienki Park, an 18th-century complex of palaces, parks and pavilions. Warsaw's Old City has been placed on the UNESCO list in 1980 as an example of faithful reconstruction including the preservation of original sections of the architecture.

Old City of Zamość - The Polish Perfect Town

Zamość, often referred to as the Pearl of Renaissance and the City of Arcades, is a fortress established in 1580 surrounding a luxurious housing estate. The originator and, as we would call him today, the developer of the city was Jan Sariusz Zamoyski, the Great Chancellor of the Crown.

Taking into consideration not only the common good and safety of himself, his family and friends but of the whole neighborhood monumental buildings were established, that have remained there until today. The palace residence, city hall, arsenal, collegiate church and tenement houses ­ everything is the work of the same architect. The architecture of Zamość reflects elements of local art, the south of Italy, the north of the Netherlands and the Armenian east. The characteristic elements of the tenement houses of Zamość are arcades of varied shapes. Perfectly planned and inhabited by the financial elite, Zamość was one of the examples of cohabitation of people from different cultures. Armenians, Jews, Greeks, Germans, Italians, Scots and, of course, Poles came to settle here. The historical city center was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1992.

Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork - the Capitol of the Monastic State

Another UNESCO site which arouses excitement and admiration is Malbork Castle: the largest Gothic fortress in Europe. It consists of three wards surrounded by separate fortifications and occupies about 20 hectares. There's also a museum with an amber collection. The immense castle was started in the 13th century and built by the Teutonic Knights in stages. During the next century, when Malbork became the capital of the order's large state, the fortress was expanded considerably by adding to it the Great Refectory and the Grand Master's Palace. Very impressive are the red brick walls of the Middle and High Castles as well as the belt of defensive walls with their towers and gates. Visitors can admire the ingeniousness of medieval master-builders while viewing the clever system of central heating, very rare in medieval times.

Very popular with tourists are the sound and light spectacles staged in the evening in the castle courtyards as well as nighttime tours of the castle interiors. The castle chambers often host music concerts and medieval style banquets. In recent years, a great historical event entitled The Siege of Malbork is organized during the last weekend of July. The Malbork Castle was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1997.

Medieval Town of Toruń - the Gothic City

Toruń, birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus, is famous for having the largest number of authentic works of Gothic art and architecture in Poland, after Kraków. Toruń is one of the few Polish cities which were not destroyed in World War II. The layout of Toruń's market and surrounding streets hasn't changed for 700 years. Toruń owes its origins to the Teutonic Order, which built a castle there in the mid-13th century as a base for the conquest and evangelization of Prussia. It soon developed a commercial role as a wealthy Hanseatic port. Toruń was one of the most important trade and cultural centers in this part of Europe. Toruń still possesses magnificent Gothic buildings that testify to the city's past splendor: one of the most imposing old town halls in northern Europe, today occupied by the regional museum featuring valuable collections, the mighty Cathedral of SS John the Baptist and John the Evangelist with original interiors, St James' Church with Gothic murals and spectacular stellar vaults and St Mary's Church with richly adorned interiors of great historical value. There are several eye-catching burgher houses with the superbly decorated House Under the Star and the fine brick Gothic house where the astronomer was born, now housing the Museum of Copernicus.

The medieval old town complex of Toruń includes ruins of the Teutonic Knights' castle, gates and towers of the long defensive city walls once protecting Toruń from the Vistula side as well as many other buildings dating back to medieval times. One of the special attractions is the leaning tower built at the turn of the 14th century, rather like the famous tower in Pisa. The authenticity of the medieval and Gothic skyline of Toruń was one of the arguments supporting the decision to add Toruń to the UNESCO List of World Heritage Sites in 1997.

Kalwaria Zebrzydowska - the Polish Jerusalem

After an hour's drive south-west from Kraków you'll come to another extraordinary place - the Shrine at Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, which has an outdoor Calvary based on the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem.

The founder of this open-air pilgrimage center was Mikołaj Zebrzydowski, Lord Voivode of Kraków in the early 17th- century, who observed a resemblance to Jerusalem in the surrounding hills. He founded a monastery and church at Kalwaria, and installed the Franciscans of the Strict Observance there. Next he had a series of chapels built on the hillsides for the various episodes of Jesus' Passion. One of the hills became Golgotha, another the Mount of Olives, and the river served as the Cedron Brook. Forty chapels and churches are scattered picturesquely over the surrounding hills and in the valley. The result is a cultural landscape of great beauty and spiritual quality in which natural and man-made elements combine in a harmonious manner.

The sanctuary is visited by approximately one million pilgrims each year. Colorful and spectacular Passion Plays are performed here during Holy Week (Easter). The most important processions are held during Holy Week and on Our Lady's Assumption Day. The Mannerist Architectural and Park Landscape Complex with Pilgrimage Park of Kalwaria Zebrzydowska was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999.

Churches of Peace in Jawor and Świdnica

These two Lutheran half-timber churches were erected in the mid-17th century, following the end of the Thirty Years' War that ravaged large parts of Europe. Signing the Peace Treaty of Westphalia (1648), the emperor of Austria let the Protestants of Lower Silesia erect three churches of peace. They were to commemorate the end of the devastating war and religious conflicts. The buildings were not supposed to be reminiscent of traditional churches. They were to be constructed with the use of low quality materials and located within the range of a cannonball from the city walls. And this is how two of Europe's biggest wood-and-clay shingled constructions were built, each seating a few thousand people. With modestly looking outside walls, they both have rich baroque decorations inside.

The Church of Peace in Świdnica is located on the old Protestant cemetery, away from the oldest part of the city. The paintings that cover the walls and ceiling depict the visions of St John Evangelist as described in his Apocalypse. They also represent coats-of-arms of the most prominent members of the church community as well as views of the local towns and residences. The Church of Peace in Jawor (18.5 mi. from Świdnica) is also richly decorated with 180 paintings representing scenes from the Old and New Testaments as well as coats-of-arms belonging to different families and guilds. Both towns boast rich historical heritage. Two historic Lutheran churches in Świdnica and Jawor were put on the UNESCO list in 2002.

Wooden Churches of Southern Little Poland

This southeastern region of Poland features medium-size mountains and picturesque landscapes. Here we find wooden Orthodox and Roman-Catholic churches perfectly fitted into their natural environment. Some of these churches are several hundred years old and six were entered on UNESCO's World Cultural Heritage List. None were designed by famous architects. Simple carpenters constructed them all. The oldest one is the 15th- century church in Haczów, made of fir-wood and covered with shingles. Fragments of wall paintings were uncovered in the church interiors. Of great value is the shingle-roofed church in Blizne. Erected at the turn of the 15th century, it also contains fragments of Gothic and Renaissance wall paintings.

The church at Binarowa boasts a very precious wall painting depicting scenes from the New Testament and a carved wooden figure of the Madonna from the 14th century. Many unique paintings, sculptures and artistic handiworks can be admired in the 15th century church at Dębno. The interior decorations of the church at Lipnica Murowana include precious wall paintings as well as baroque paintings and sculptures. The six trails on the Route of Timber Architecture in the Małopolska region are over 930 mi. long. They feature 232 timber constructions of great value, including 123 Roman-Catholic churches, 39 Orthodox churches, 25 rural and small town complexes, and 27 rural architecture museums that comprise 9 skansens and 14 country manors. The wooden churches in Poland were added to the UNESCO list in 2003.

Park Mużakowski /Muskauer Park ­ the ideal man-made landscape

Occupying more than 1700 acres, it's one of the largest landscape parks in Europe. It stretches on both sides of the Nysa Łużycka River that constitutes the Polish-German state border. The larger part of the park (over 1200 acres) is located on the Polish side. Prince Hermann Pückler-Muskau, the leading expert and father of German landscape parks, founded the park in the early 19th century. Inspired by English gardens, he transformed his family residence into unusual parkland. It was skillfully arranged in the natural valley with the residential buildings erected on diverse slopes and high terraces, all surrounded by gardens featuring rich architectural and floral details. In order to create picturesque park scenery, an artificial river branch was created.

Thanks to the careful preservation of the original parkland by the subsequent owners, such as Prince Frederick of the Netherlands, the Muskauer landscape retained its original character. After WWII, the new Polish- German state border divided the Mużaków/Muskauer Landscape Park into two parts. The Polish and German authorities started the renewal program in the 1980s. This project has become a unique example of fruitful bilateral cooperation in the field of protection and conservation of cultural landscape. In 2004, the UNESCO inscribed the park on the World Heritage List, as an exemplary cross-border cultural collaboration between Poland and Germany. It was inscribed to the list for two reasons: for breaking new ground in terms of development towards the ideal man-made landscape, and its influence on the development of landscape architecture as a discipline.

Centennial Hall in Wrocław - the landmark of the reinforced concrete architecture

It is not a frequent occurrence that a building merely 100 years old is honored in this way. Construction of the Centennial Hall is one of the turning points in the history of the utilization of steel for reinforcing structural frames of buildings. It was constructed between 1911 and 1913, in commemoration of the hundredth anniversary of the Battle of the Nations, fought with Napoleon (1813). Its other purpose was to serve as the center for the great Centennial Exhibition. At the time of its construction, the Hall had the biggest reinforced concrete roofing in the world. The covered central cupola is 220 feet in diameter and the maximum width of the interior equals 312 feet. Available surface amounts to 150,000 square feet.

The Hall is spacious with an inner height of 140 feet. Further 56 exhibition rooms and vast lobbies were planned around the central hall. It was assumed that the Jahrhunderthalle exhibition center could receive even 10,000 visitors at a time. In 1948, a 330 feet high needle-like metal sculpture called Iglica was set up in front of it. The Centennial Hall in Wrocław was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage in 2006, under its original German name as Hala Stulecia (German: Jahrhunderthalle).

Over the centuries the city of Wrocław has been part of Poland, Bohemia, Austria, Prussia and Germany. In 1945, the Potsdam Agreement returned the city to Poland. Wrocław boasts fascinating architecture, many rivers and bridges, and a lively metropolitan cultural scene. Its Market Square is one of the most beautiful and largest, second biggest after Kraków. One can not only admire architecture of the city but also its vibrant atmosphere created especially by students by whom the city is widely inhabited.

Polish Properties on the UNESCO Tentative Lists

Poland has three new properties that are to be considered for addition to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Gdańsk - Town of Memory and Freedom

Situated by the Baltic Sea, Gdańsk (known also by its German name: Danzig) is considered one of the most beautiful cities of this area. It used to be important harbor city of Northern Europe. Gdańsk is very often associated with nearby cities of Sopot and Gdynia as they are together referred to as Tri-City (Trójmiasto). One may notice that the architecture of the city is the result of influence of its former German citizens. The city has many fine buildings from the time of the Hanseatic League. Most tourist attractions are located along or near Ulica Długa (Long Street) and Długi Targ (Long Market), a pedestrian thoroughfare surrounded by buildings reconstructed in historical (primarily 17th century) style and flanked at both ends by elaborate city gates. This part of the city is sometimes referred to as the Royal Road as the former path of processions for visiting kings. Gdańsk played also an important role in modern history as a birthplace of Solidarity party that helped to bring down the Communism in Poland.

The Augustów Canal (Kanal Augustowski)

The Augustów Canal is a precious masterpiece of water construction, unique on the European scale, dating from the first half of the 19th century. Preserved wholly, it is a testimony to the engineering art of Polish constructors, both military and civil. The Augustów Canal was the first part of the well-developed system of inland waterways in this part of Europe. The Canal is exceptionally beautiful and offers sightseeing and tourist attractions. First, it is the landscape and natural value of the Biebrza River Valley where it meets the Netta River. Second, these are the views of coniferous forests and lakes of Augustów Primeval Forest, which the Canal cuts from the west to east. The Canal's combined length from Dębowo Sluice on the Biebrza to Niemnowo Sluice in Belarus is 63 mi., out of which 12.5 mi. are on the Belarusian side.

The canal was constructed for political and economic reasons, after Prussia unilaterally introduced repressively high customs duties for transit of Polish and Lithuanian goods through its territory, practically blocking the access to the sea for Polish traders. In 1823-1839 a waterway was constructed, including buildings and hydraulic engineering structures, intended to bypass Prussian territory and link the centre of the "Congress" Kingdom of Poland with Latvian ports on the Baltic Sea.

The Dunajec River Gorge in the Pieniny Mountains

The river, a tributary of the Vistula, transects the central portion of the Pieniny range. In the process it drops some 75 feet. The river's narrow gorge changes direction by 90 degrees a dozen times in half as many miles crating many picturesque vistas. Raft trips through the gorge have been one of the most popular tourist attractions of the region for the last century and a half. Just west of the park stood two important castles, one on each side of the river. Niedzica Castle on the south side, a major tourist attraction, remains in excellent repair. A dam was constructed below the castle in the 90's creating a lake; the possible ecological effects of the lake have caused concern.