Oswiecim - The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum
The Museum commemorates the Nazi death
camp that was located in the town during the
Second World War. The first transport of Polish
political prisoners arrived in Auschwitz on June
14, 1940. Following victims of the camp were:
the Poles, Soviet prisoners of war, Gypsies, and
prisoners of other nationalities. From the year
1942 started the Hitler's plan of the total
extermination of the European Jews - the
Holocaust. Men, women and children were
murdered in gas chambers, and then their bodies
were burnt in crematoria. The overall number of
victims in the years 1940-1945 is estimated
at between 1,100,000 and 1,500,000 people.
At the end of the war the SS intended to remove
the signs of their enormous crime by dismantling
the gas chambers, crematoria and by destroying
documents. The liberation of the camp by the Red
Army took place on January 27, 1945. The site
was converted into a museum in 1947.
The Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum
was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in
1979.
Wieliczka Salt Mine
The 750-year old mining plant, which was
included in UNESCO's first World Heritage List in
1978, is a unique attraction. The historic Salt Mine
lies on nine levels. Its longitudinals, traverses,
chambers, lakes, as well as lesser and major shafts
stretch for the total of 300 kilometers reaching the
depth of 327 meters. There are some magnificent
salt sculptures that show the methods of mining.
The specific microclimate of the underground
excavation is still used as a treatment for the
diseases of respiratory tracks.
Wadowice
The home city of Karol Wojtyla: the Pope John
Paul II, Wadowice is an attraction for tourists and
pilgrims alike. The city abounds both with places
related to the life of Karol Wojtyla and with
references to the Great Pole: names of streets and
squares, and specific initiatives resulting from the
teaching of the Pope.
Czestochowa
The Monastery of the Pauline Fathers at Bright Hill
(Jasna Gora) is a world widely known pilgrimage
center. It is due to the presence of the Holy Virgin
Mary embodied in the icon of the Black Madonna.
According to specialists the icon dates between
the 6th and 9th centuries.
The most known event in the history of Jasna Gora
is a heroic defend of the monastery from the
Swedish invaders thanks to the decision of its Prior
Augustine Kordecki in 1655. It is believed that the
Mother of God herself helped to protect this holy
place. After the Jasna Gora victory, the whole
country rose up against the Swedish army.
This monastery is visited by 4-5 million pilgrims
every year, about 200,000 of them come to
Czestochowa participating in so called on-foot
pilgrimages. They start in different cities of Poland
and the longest route measures 600km. The
pilgrims gather on August 26, to celebrate the day
of The Holy Mother of Czestochowa.
Zakopane
Zakopane, Poland's largest mountain city and a
winter capital, within a walking distance to any place
in the Tatra Mountains, offers plenty marked tourist
trails and superb tourist infrastructure
(accommodation, cafes and restaurants). Picturesque
views and the charming culture of Polish highlanders
are long and pleasantly remembered.
Tyniec
Benedictine Abbey overlooking the Vistula River
from its rocky promontory. Soon after the
Benedictine monks arrived in Poland (ca. 1044), a Romanesque basilica-type church was built here
(only relics have survived). The new church and
monastery were built in the 15th century.
Niepolomice Primeval Forest
The favourite hunting grounds of Polish kings;
today a vast stretch of protected landscape with
bison reserve near Proszow. Rich flora and fauna,
invigorating air, and the climate of a truly primeval
forest help to relax.
Kalwaria Zebrzydowska
Registered by UNESCO World Heritage Cultural
Landscape Site (in 1999), Kalwaria houses
Poland's second most important sanctuary, and
one of the most important Polish heritage sites.
The Sanctuary consists of the Church of Our Lady
of the Angels, the Bernardine Monastery, and
more than 40 chapels composed into the
picturesque landscape, situated along the socalled
"paths of Calvary".
Ojcow
A beautifully situated spa town with mineral
springs; the hub of Ojcowski National Park.
Preserved of the castle erected by Casimir the
Great (Kazimierz Wielki) are the tower, remnants
of the gate, chapel, walls, and bridge. A charming
chapel was built over the waters of the Pradnik
Stream.
