This is a small guide about nice and interesting cities in Poland.
I will begin with the capital - Warsaw (Warszawa)
WARSAW - WARSZAWA
Warsaw, located in the heart of Poland is not only the capital but also the largest city of the country, ninth largest city in the European Union and the seat of polish authorities.A mixture of contrasts: historic old town, communist past architecture and modern skyscrapers.
Warsaw has been a small village in the early medieval period and developed to a city which in 1596 become the capital of Poland.
Where to go:
Top attraction is the Royal Castle (Zamek Krolewski) located on a plateau overlooking the Vistula river. It was built for the Dukes of Mazovia and expanded when King Zygmunt III Vasa moved the capital to Warsaw. From the early 17th until late 18th century, the castle was the seat of the polish kings. It subsequently housed the parliament and is now a museum displaying tapestries, period furniture, coffin portraits and collections of porcelain and other decorative arts. The castle gardens, which were also badly scarred by the Nazis during second World War, have recently been redesigned and returned to their former glory. Website: www.zamek-krolewski.pl
You could also visit Chopin's Parlour, located on Ulica Karkowskie Przedmiescie. The admission is free. Frederic Chopin only lived in Warsaw until he was twenty years old but he is an honored Polish national. Chopin's Parlour, in his family's former home, is open to the public, while Chopin's heart is interred in a pillar at the Church of the Holy Cross (Kosciol Znalezienia Swietego Krzyna) next door. His body, however, lies in the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris. There is also the Muzeum Fryderyka Chopina, located in Ostrogski Castle, with exhibits on the different phases of his life and career. GDANSK
Gdansk is located on the Baltic coast in northern Poland and historically the largest city of the region. The city was birthplace of Solidarnosc movement.Its history should be best looked up on
Wikipedia - about Gdansk.
A short historical chart displayed below:
Throughout its long history, Gdańsk/Danzig has faced various periods of rule by different states:
- 997-1308: as part of the Kingdom of Poland
- 1308-1454: as part of the territory of the Teutonic Order
- 1454-1466: Thirteen Years' War
- 1466-1569: as part of the Kingdom of Poland
- 1569-1793: as part of Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
- 1793-1805: as part of Prussia
- 1807-1814: as a free city
- 1815-1871: as part of Prussia
- 1871-1918: as part of Imperial Germany
- 1918-1939: as a free city
- 1939-1945: as part of Nazi Germany
- 1945–1989: as part of Polish People's Republic
- 1989–present: as part of Republic of Poland
Where to go: coming soon + photos + more cities
