Pearls of Poland

Welcome to Warsaw interesting and happening city in Europe!
Today the city has undergone a huge transformation process. Many old buildings gave way to modern sky scrapers and dilapidating old town was restored. Worth seeing subsection includes sample walks around Warsaw and has suggestions on trips outside of Warsaw.

Warsaw – a charming capital
Warsaw is a city with many faces where tradition intermingles with modernity. From the terrace on Zamkowy Square, where the Royal Castle and St. Anne's Church are located, is a view of the new Świętokrzyski Bridge. The dominating silhouette of the city centre belongs to the Palace of Culture and Science, which today shares the city skyline with numerous office towers. You can feel the breath of history in the Old Town, on Nowy Świat Street and everywhere where the city's roots have been preserved.

We hope you enjoy your stay in one of the most interesting and happening places in Europe!
This site enables you to make the most of your travel to Warsaw. It offers export recommendations for sights to visit, places to stay, car rentals, excursions, restaurants as well as provides useful practical traveller’s information. Hotels, car rentals and excursions can be now reserved online using our fast and reliable service. If you wish to contact us regarding personalized trip to Warsaw or Poland please e-mail us and one of our reservation clerks will get back to you with useful information.

Gdańsk - the capital of Pomerania
Gdańsk is the Polish maritime capital with the population nearing half a million. It is a large centre of economic life, science, culture, and a popular tourist destination. Gdańsk, capital of the Pomerania, lying on the Bay of Gdańsk and the southern cost of the Baltic Sea the city is a thousand years old. Gdańsk has a modern international airport and two ferry terminals servicing regular lines between Gdańsk and Copenhagen via Trelleborg (Denmark), and Gdańsk and Nynashamn (Sweden).

In its "golden age" the city enjoyed the specific status of a municipal republic. It was also a melting pot of cultures and ethnical groups. The air of tolerance and the wealth built on trade made culture, science, and art. flourish. Today, works by outstanding Gdańsk masters can be admired in museums, churches, and galleries. These collections, as well as the historic sites of enchanting beauty witness a thousand years of the city's continued existence. The break-through events of the most recent turbulent period are documented in the multi-medial exhibition: "Roads to Freedom". The exposition recalls the local struggle for freedom and justice, and the birth of the "Solidarity.”  

Gdańsk cultivates its centuries-long tradition in the field, and its nickname of the world capital of amber. Just like in the olden days the city owes much to its sea port. The harbour, largest along the Polish coast and in the entire Southern Baltic basin, continues to develop.

Toruń (200,000 inhabitants) is proud of its Old Town, which has been added to UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. Founded in 1233 by the Teutonic Knights, the city is home to many splendid examples of historical architecture. The Old Town Hall combines the elements of Gothic with late Renaissance. Opposite, there is a monument commemorating Nicolaus Copernicus. In the house of his birth, a collection of documents and instruments from the epoch can be viewed. His name was given to the Toruń University. The sumptuous church of St Mary is famous for its stellar vault.

Nicolaus Copernicus
The famous astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus was born and lived in the medieval town of Toruń, which is now on the UNESCO World’s Cultural Heritage List. Copernicus was the first astronomer who said that the earth is not the centre of the universe, but rather the planets revolve around the Sun. Maybe this is what makes our sky so attractive for aviators. Polish air clubs have training courses for aircraft and glider pilots. Hang-gliding and increasingly popular motor-gliding can also be enjoyed in Poland. Enthusiasts of hot-air ballooning and parachuting are also catered for.

The first capital of Poland and also the old sea of Polish Archbishops. the most important monument in the town is the Cathedral with the shrine of Saint Adalbert and the bronze doors a fine example of Romanesque decorative arts. 

All who want to acquaint with the beginning of our State and the beginning of the Christian faith in Poland are cordialy invited to Gniezno, the First Capital of Poland and the City of St. Adalbert. It was here that legendary Lech bade his brothers Czech and Rus farewell, and stayed here to found on a hill the first city.

There are numerous hotels, motels and restaurants and many new project under development. Tourism still remains one off the most important income sources for Gniezno citizens.

Gniezno is a town open for investors. The authorities and citizens welcome all new prospects and ideas for those who are willing to invest in this marvelous city and see the great venues and opportunities.

Poznan one of the oldest cities in Poland by the Warta River.
Poznan's impressive cathedral is the earliest church in the country, containing the tombs of the first Polish rulers: duke Mieszko I, king Boleslaw the Brave, king Mieszko II, dupe Casimir I the Restorel, duke Przemyslaw I and king Przemyslaw II. Today the city is a vibrant center for trade, industry, and education. Poznań is Poland's 5th largest city and 4th biggest industrial center.

Poznań is known around the world as an important international trade-fair centre. Every year about 30 international and national events are held here. Specialist trade fairs, such as the Polagra Fair, featuring food products, and the Budma Fair, featuring building materials, are among the largest sectoral events in Europe.

The historical landmarks in this city are also well worth seeing. The observation terrace of the Economics Academy skyscraper, 80 m above ground, offers an excellent view of the city's old quarter, Ostrów Tumski, where the cathedral stands today and where once stood the castle of Prince Mieszko I and his son Bolesław the Brave, crowned in 1025 the first king of Poland. Their sarcophaguses can be viewed in the Golden Chapel of the cathedral. Besides gold cups and monstrances from the churches of Wielkopolska, the Archdiocese Museum houses Poland's only painting by Anthony van Dyck.

Poznań's most beautiful church is the huge Baroque Parish Church of St. Stanisław. This is one of Poznań's most mysterious buildings, since parts of the crypts have not yet been investigated. Rumors say that crates of sketches by great Polish painters Jan Matejko and Wojciech Gerson, purchased for the Poznań City Museum just before World War II, were hidden here. Organ concerts are held in the church every day in the summer, with proceeds going to the renovation of the historic organ. Billy goats on the Town Hall The city authorities were housed in the Renaissance Town Hall until 1939, and today the building is home to the Poznań History Museum. At noon two mechanical billy goats clash horns on the Town Hall tower in the middle of the Old Market Square. The fasade of the houses surrounding the square, once the homes of the wealthiest residents, feature Renaissance and Baroque motifs.

our first choice! the capital of Polish Tatras.
From here, you can reach virtually every single mountain nook in Tatras. Starting your day with a thrilling climb, continuing emotions in a great theatre, ending in one of Zakopane's numerous bars and pubs, your stay here will certainly be remembered. Tourists will find many attractions in Zakopane, starting with walks through the picturesque mountain valleys, wild terrain bicycle rides and horse rides and line railway rides to Kasprowy Wierch, Gubałówka and Butorowy Wierch. In winter the enthusiasts of white madness come to Zakopane to ski down the professionally prepared routes. On the lighted, evened-out with ratracks slopes of Nosal, Gubałówka and Polana Szymoszkowa you can see people skiing till late evening, sometimes even night hours. Krupówki, the cult walking place of Zakopane, is crowded all day and evening long. You can rest from the bustle of everyday life and regain your vigour here.

Cracow- an ancient magic city.
Cracow offers a wide spectrum of museums, art galleries full of exhibitions, theatres, historic cellars, clubs, cafes & restaurants with live music, is an exciting destination for the travelers on the world map!
The city’s cultural heritage is mirrored in its intellectual achievements – the Jagiellonian University is the oldest in Poland. The student population of the city numbers almost 100,000 and this large student population fires a lively nightlife scene that burns brightly in the atmospheric cellar bars away from the tourists above. Cracow has sharply contrasting seasons with cold, snowy winters and fresh springs and autumns. Visitors should beware of the locals’ use of the word fresh – an optimistic reference to blatantly cold weather. The labyrinthine cellars of the Old Town are an ideal place to escape the winter chill. However, come summer, the quintessential Cracow experience is relaxing in a pavement café on the main square enjoying one of the long and balmy nights.

Cracow (Krakow) is now well established as a major tourist destination. At the height of summer, Poland’s fourth largest city throngs with tour groups, all manner of tourist tack and countless pavement cafés that seem to occupy every cobble of the main square. Out of season, late at night or even in the first slivers of morning light, it is clear why so many people flock to visit. This magical city, situated in the southeast of the country, between the Jura uplands and the Tatra Mountains, on the banks of the Wisla (Vistula) River, has one of the best-preserved medieval city centres in Europe. Dozens of churches cover almost every architectural period and are surrounded by monasteries and abbeys – walking through the Old Town streets is like drifting back through the musty pages of a historical novel.

Cracow – a tourist horn of plenty
Cracow, Poland's former royal capital, is one of the most attractive spots on the tourist map of Europe. This is a place where legends, history and modernity intertwine. The city, which lies on the banks of the Vistula River, is famous for its priceless historical monuments of culture and art.

general info:
spa: lowland spa
climate: lowland climate, moderately stimulating
height: 250 m above sea level
postal code: 32-020 Wieliczka
telephone area code: +48-12

Main treatment areas:
respiratory system diseases, particularly bronchial asthma, and rheumatic disorders.

Natural therapeutic features:
therapeutic microclimate in a salt excavation site with salt particles in the air, in the salt mine at a depth of 200 m.

Location:
Wieliczka lies on the border between Sandomierska Valley and Wielickie Upland, 15 km from Cracow. The town centre is in a hollow surrounded by hills. The development of the spa, famous for its historical salt mine, began in 1964, when the world's first underground anti-allergy sanatorium was established in the mine's chambers.

Treatment facilities:
spa hospitals with 153 beds.

Attractions and cultural events:
It is worth visiting the historical Salt Mine, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. After 700 years of exploitation, the mine forms an extensive subterranean town. Sights include wonderful salt lakes, unique chapels with salt sculptures, and mining machinery and equipment. Banquets, concerts and seminars are held in the mine's underground rooms. In the town above ground, interesting sights include historical military stables with characteristic arcades similar to Cracow's Cloth Hall, and the architecture of Wieliczka's town centre.

Tourism and sports:
indoor swimming pool, 3 tennis courts, numerous hiking and biking routes in the area. It is not far to Ojcowski National Park, which has a lot of unusual rock formations and old trees.
Wieliczka is famous for one of the world's oldest salt mines, which is open to sightseers. The valley of the Pradnik River, part of the Ojcowski National Park, is a unique nature reserve with a fairy-tale landscape carved from limestone. The ruined Gothic castle in Ojców and the beautifully preserved Renaissance castle in Pieskowa Skała are two more reasons to visit the park. Just 35 km south of Cracow is the Beskidy mountain range and 100 km away in the Tatra Mountains lies Zakopane the winter capital of Poland.

Auschwitz-Birkenau
(inscribed according to criteria (vi))

The fortified walls, barbed wire, platforms, barracks, gallows, gas chambers and cremation ovens show the conditions within which the Nazi genocide took place in the former concentration and extermination camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest in the Third Reich. According to historical investigations, 1.5 million people, among them a great number of Jews, were systematically starved, tortured and murdered in this camp, the symbol of humanity's cruelty to its fellow human beings in the 20th century.

Information copied from UNESCO web site - http://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/pl/