The Treasure Trove of Culture

The doorway to Poland’s culture is symbolically and literally marked by the sculptured bronze door of the Gniezno Cathedral, the repository of relics dating back to the origins of the Polish state in the 10th century A.D.

The Heritage of All Mankind

The city of Toruń, the birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus, has preserved its medieval urban cityscape with defensive walls, towers and skyrocketing spires of churches.

Zamość allures visitors with the beauty of its Renaissance architecture and the well–preserved sections of its formidable fortifications.

Malbork boasts the world’s largest Gothic castle, once the seat of the Teutonic Order. Visitors will be impressed by the enormous size of the castle complex. The beauty of the amber collection displayed in the castle art gallery is breathtaking.

Leonardo da Vinci in Cracow

When visiting the Czartoryski Museum in Cracow, observe how crowds always gather at one place. They all come to admire the portrait of Lady with the Ermine by Leonardo da Vinci.

When visiting Warsaw, Napoleon Bonaparte joined the mazur dance at a ball and – as the gossip of the day had it – got so carried away that he lost his heart for war and surrendered to a beautiful Polish lady. Alas, he did not tarry there. Soon he left for war again, and we know how it all ended.

Sunlit Castles and Palaces ...

On the hilltop overlooking the town of Nowy Wiśnicz sits a sunbathed castle surrounded by fortifications, a rare example of the palazzo in fortezza style. Sunlit castles captivate visitors to Baranów Sandomierski and Krasiczyn with beautiful architecture and splendid interiors. Łańcut, once the stately home of Polish aristocratic families, continues to be a meeting place of the aristocracy of the operatic world at the annual festivals held there. The largest collection of antique carriages on display in the Łańcut coach house draws crowds from all over Europe.

... and Baroque Contrasts

The Royal Palace at Wilanów in Warsaw, the Jesuit Monastery at Święta Lipka in Masuria, and the Old Basilica at Bardo in Lower Silesia are all very different and very beautiful examples of the baroque style in Poland.

Baroque artists were often inspired by the theme of memento mori. One of them used three thousand human sculls to decorate the walls of the chapel at Czermna near Kudowa Zdrój! Incredible but true!

To the Manor Born

Manor houses, the family seats of the Polish gentry, have always been furnished with objects of art and rare books. Intellectual aspirations of their residents have left an indelible mark on Polish culture. One such house is the small country house at Żelazowa Wola where Frederick Chopin was born. The composer’s famous polonaises and mazurkas were named after the old Polish dances played for the opening and closing of society balls.

Churches Carved in Wood

Roman–Catholic and Eastern Orthodox wooden churches are found in the regions of Małopolska and Podkarpacie (Carpathian Foothills) in many villages and little towns. They are unique in rural wooden architecture and enchant visitors with their graceful forms and beautiful interior decorations.

Pilgrim’s Progress

Roman-Catholic sanctuaries are the Poland’s landmarks. The majority of pilgrims flock to the Pauline Monastery on Jasna Góra in Częstochowa. Here is the blessed icon of the Black Madonna, venerated both in Poland and abroad.

The followers of other faiths have their sanctuaries in many places around the country: the Eastern Orthodox at Grabarka, the Protestants at Karpacz, Wisła and Cieszyn, and the Muslims at Bohoniki.

Colourful and Mysterious

On Palm Sunday preceding Easter, an unusual procession is held in Łyse, a village in the Kurpie region, and in Lipnica Murowana near Bochnia. Some 25 metre-tall Easter “palms” soar up over the crowd. Made of wicker and wood, decorated with paper flowers, these palms are slender and surprisingly solid. Corpus Christi processions also represent the ancient religious and folk customs. Especially famous are those held in Łowicz. Women’s costumes glitter with colours of the four seasons and the procession looks like a parade of field flowers.