Tourist attractions Poland

The cathedral hill is the site of several of Frombork’s curiosities. Surrounded by walls, the 14C cathedral has around 20 altars, 101 funerary plaques and 19 epitaphs, including Copernicus’s memorial (he is buried here). In the old bishop’s palace,..

Lying at the southern end of the Podkarpackie region, this little massif of medium-altitude mountains straddles Poland, Slovakia and the Ukraine. Sparsely populated as a result of its topography and recent political history, the Bieszczady is today a..

Forming a natural frontier between Poland and Slovakia, the Tatras are the highest massif of the western Carpathians. Called “pocket mountains” by some, this massif has all the necessary geological attributes despite covering a small area. Zakopane a..

Lancut is known for its vodka, but principally for its castle . A sort of museum of Polish interiors, its multitude of rooms has sculpture, music boxes, Chinese porcelain, a wide array of furniture, and display cases groaning with arms and armour. V..

This geometrically perfect square with blue and yellow hues reminiscent of an Italian piazza is best viewed from the top of the town hall steps. Note the Armenian houses (Kamienice Ormianskie), which differ from the other merchants’s houses in th..

A veritable patchwork of styles, the building has a complex, much remodelled, frontage although late Gothic predominates. Historically the seat of city government, its basement served as as beer cellar. The Flamboyant décor of the east façade is the ..

Standing at the centre of the Rynek, this is one of Poland’s finest town halls. Italian Giovanni Battista Quadro restored it in the Renaissance style after the fire in 1536. Each day when its bells strike noon, the Poznan goats emerge from the cloc..

At the very centre of the city, the market place is surrounded by Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque houses, most of which were badly damaged in 1945 but superbly restored after the war. In warm pastel hues, some of the façades are embellished by painti..

Linking the Upper Gate to the Green Gate and running perpendicular to the River Motlawa, this is the city’s main artery, historically used by the kings of Poland as a processional way on their annual visits to Gdansk. Herlded by the “long street”..

Two gables to the right of the Artus Court (n°41), the fine façade of this 1609 house is striking on account of its rich ornamentation, notably the twelve friezes created between 1609 and 1818 by Rostok artist Johann Voight, separated at each storey ..

This small town will be forever associated with the horrors of Nazism and the Holocaust. Incorporated into the Third Reich, its name was germanicised to Auschwitz, by which it was known for the next six years. These two syllables evoke the greatest m..

Originally used to unload cargoes, this wooden crane has a majestic silhouette. The largest medieval machine of its kind in Europe, it is today the symbol of Gdansk. Rebuilt in 1444 after a fire, it was enhanced in the 17C with the addition of an upp..

The Old Town (completely rebuilt to its 17C-18C layout, based on archive documents and engravings) gives a beautiful panorama of Gothic and Renaissance buildings, symbolising the capital's historical richness.This remarkable work of reconstruction, s..

The market square is one of the Old Town’s most popular spots. The many market stalls, terraces and restaurants and bars that it offers share in its success. Several centuries of architecture today offer the onlooker a mixture of the most wonderful a..

A former hunting ground of King Stanislas II Augustus, this park at the southern end of the Royal Way , was acquired by him in 1776 in order to build his summer residence. Sited among linked ponds and water features formerly used as spas ( lazienki ..

The Wilanow Palace was used as a summer residence in the 17C by King Jan III Sobieski. A splendid villa in the Baroque style, many of its rooms display period furniture and decorations (see in particular the Crimson Room, Etruscan Study, the royal ap..

This big square is always lively. The ground floors of the attractive buildings house boutiques and cafés. In the centre, near the Church of Our Lady , stands a statue of the poet Adam Mickiewicz (a popular meeting point). Every hour, trumpets ring ..

This surprising monument with a yellow ochre frontage is lined with arcaded galleries supported on columns with carved capitals. The Cloth Hall was built in the 14C, and has been renovated many times. The mixture of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque el..

The Church of Our Lady is an impressive redbrick Gothic building with a pentagonal porch flanked by two square towers. The ornate interior reveals a combination of styles and colours. The main point of interest is undoubtedly the monumental altarpie..

On a hilltop, surrounded by ramparts, this Pauline monastery is of special significance to the Church in Poland. Richly decorated in the Baroque style, the basilica is home to a masterpiece: the Icon of the Virgin the work of an Italian artist from..