Bialystok (Poland)
Bialystok is the capital of the northeastern region of Poland. It is located in an ecologically clean region. In addition, there are several hundred historical and architectural objects in Bialystok, and about 150 of them are recorded in the Register of Cultural Monuments. The most important are: the Branitsky Palace, the “Konyushy’s House” (1771), the City Palaces of manufacturers, the Town Hall and sacred objects, among them the Cathedral Ensemble “St. Virgin Mary” or the 19th-century Orthodox Church “St. Nicholas the Wonderworker”.
For most visitors, the city becomes a place from which they travel to the forested corners of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha, the Biebrza swamps, to charming old towns and villages, as well as to other corners of Podlasie.
Wroclaw (Poland)
According to Countries and Websites, Wroclaw is one of the oldest Polish cities on the Odra River, the largest industrial, commercial, scientific, cultural and tourist center in the southwestern part of the country. For centuries the city was part of the Kingdom of Bohemia, Poland, Austria-Hungary, Prussia and Germany. Traces of those times remained in urban areas and in cemeteries where Protestants, Catholics and Jews are buried.
The oldest part of the city is Ostrow-Tumski, on which in the IX-X centuries. a fortress was built to protect the crossing over the river (through Wroclaw passed the trade route connecting Russia with the West). During the Second World War, the old part of the city was almost destroyed, but now all the old buildings have been carefully restored. At Ostrow Tumski, the monumental Cathedral of John the Baptist (1158, the first Gothic church on Polish soil), the Church of St. Krzysz and St. Bartholomew (St. Cross and St. Bartholomew, XIII-XV centuries), the Church of Marcina (St. Martin), a small church of St. Idzi (XIII century, the oldest brick building in Wroclaw) and the inclined Kapitula tower adjacent to it.
On the other side of the Odra, the city itself is located, built around the market and the majestic Town Hall (XIII century, now the Historical Museum and the Museum of Medal Art work here). The market is surrounded by old stone houses. It is worth visiting the baroque complex of the University of Wroclaw with its famous Leopoldinsky Hall (XVIII century), which hosts concerts and festivals of classical music, the university library and the Ossolenium library, the rotunda of the Racławice Panorama, the National Museum of the City of Wroclaw, the former royal palace, the Church of St. Elizabeth (XIII century), the Church of the Virgin (XIV century), the Diocesan Museum and many other beautiful buildings.
In Wroclaw people know how to have fun. The market is surrounded by stylish restaurants, the most famous of which is Pivnica Swidnicka located in the cellars of the Town Hall. The city hosts festivals in all areas of culture, including the International Festival of oratorical music “Vratislavia Cantans”, highly valued by music lovers, the festival “Jazz on the Odra” and others.
Zakopane (Poland)
Zakopane is located in the Tatras, 100 kilometers from Krakow on the border with Slovakia. The city was called the “winter capital of Poland”. The ski season here lasts from November to April. Numerous ski lifts and more than 60 kilometers of well-prepared slopes and trails of varying difficulty are at the service of lovers of skiing and snowboarding. Mountain routes are laid out so that they intertwine with each other, forming a bizarre pattern on the map. This allows, if necessary, to switch to a simpler route, or vice versa, to increase the load. All trails are marked with special signs that accompany you along the way. There are direction signs at every intersection. The most popular skiing areas are Gubalowka and Kasprowy Wierch, to which funicular and cable cars are laid, respectively. In addition to skiing and snowboarding in Zakopane there are opportunities for mountain climbing, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling and ice skating.
The mountain ranges of the Polish Tatras surrounding Zakopane attract tourists all year round. Here is the Tatra National Park, where dozens of routes for mountain hiking are offered to outdoor enthusiasts. From the simplest, which even children can pass, to quite complex ones, which only experienced tourists can overcome.
The wonderful climate of this resort is recommended for the treatment of tuberculosis, respiratory diseases, allergies, anemia and active recovery processes. There are mineral springs, pools.
The main attractions of Zakopane – old cemetery at Piueskowym brzyku (XIX c.), Tatra Museum, Museum of Zakopane Style. Stanislav Vitkevich, Museum of Nature of the Tatra National Park.
Katowice (Poland)
Katowice is located in the south of Poland. The first mention of it refers to 1598. In the XVIII century. it was under the rule of Prussia, and in the XIX century. received German city law.
The historical core of Katowice is the Śródmieście district with the central Market Square and a chess network of streets. The main attractions are the wooden church of St. Michael the Archangel (1510), the neo-Gothic Catholic church “Mariatsky”, built in 1862-1870, the building of the voivodship administration, built in the 30s, the entertainment and sports center “Spodek”, considered a symbol of Katowice, a monument to the Heroes of the three Silesian uprisings.
