LESSER POLAND

Lesser Poland (Latin Polonia Minor) is an historical and ethnographic region in south-eastern Poland. Geographically, it encompasses the basin of the upper and part of the middle Vistula with most of the Polish Carpathians, the Sandomierz Basin, the Oświęcim Basin and the Lesser Polish Uplands which include the Cracow and Częstochowa Jura with its unique flora and Jurassic rocks.

With more tourist attractions than any other region in Poland, Lesser Poland has a delightful collection of historical monuments, religious shrines, beauty spots and resorts. The major destination for sightseeing is of course Cracow, Poland's cultural capital, with about a quarter of all the country's museum holdings, and European City of Culture for the year 2000. It has strong competition, though. The main rival is Zakopane - a lively resort at the foot of Poland's highest mountains, the Tatras, and the best-known town in the mountainous Podhale region. Some four million pilgrims come every year to Czestochowa, the country's national shrine, to pray in front of the holy picture of the Black Madonna at the Monastery of Jasna G�łra. Another great attraction is Wieliczka with its stunning salt mine. The mediaeval town of Oswiecim had its peace shattered forever during the Second World War when the Nazis built a death camp in the neighbourhood and called it Auschwitz. The site and the memorial museum set up there after the War are now the grim destination for thousands paying homage to those who died there. If you like unspoiled countryside, see the Roztocze and the area around Lublin, both east of the Vistula and south of the Bug. Noted for their beauty (there are two national parks here), these lands once had substantial Jewish enclaves in the small towns dotted around the area, where vestiges of the Ashkenazi material culture may still be observed. Two other places definitely deserve to be visited: Lublin itself, a charming city with an interesting Old Town and many historical buildings including an impressive castle, and Zamosc, a splendid Renaissance town dubbed the Padua of the North and entered on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The name "Malopolska" - Lesser Poland - appeared in the 15th century, and is derived from the Latin "Polonia Minor" , which indicates that this region joined the Kingdom of Poland after "Wielkopolska," Greater Poland, the cradle of the Polish state. However, already by the mid-11th century Lesser Poland had risen in status to be Poland's principal province. It was here, in the capital Cracow, that kings and princes resided in the Royal Castle on Wawel Hill. From an early period the city was a flourishing centre of cultural and academic life. In 1364 King Casimir III the Great founded the University of Cracow, which was renamed the Jagiellonian University much later (1815). Cracow is noted for its plethora of fine churches, mansions and town houses. The fact that it was on major trading routes from Western Europe to the Black Sea contributed to its prosperity.

Cracow's golden age ended when the monarch moved his principal seat to Warsaw (early 17th century). A period of economic stagnation and decline followed, especially when Poland was partitioned in the late 18th century. Lesser Poland was annexed by Austria and given a new name, "Galicia". In 1809 during the Napoleonic Wars part of the region was joined to the Duchy of Warsaw; and in 1815, at the Congress of Vienna it was again split up, with part allocated to the "Congress Kingdom of Poland" under the Tsar of Russia, while the City of Cracow and its environs was to be an autonomous Republic (or Free City) of Cracow (1815-1846), jointly administered by the three partitioning powers. After the unsuccessful Cracow Uprising (1846), the Free City was incorporated into Austria. In 1918, when Poland regained independence, most of Lesser Poland returned to it. Cracow was the first Polish city to be liberated from foreign rule. After the Second World War a significant part of the region was annexed by the Soviet Union.

NATURE: MAJESTIC MOUNTAINS AND SPECTACULAR UPLANDS

Nature in Lesser Poland means first and foremost the mountains, as the southern part of the region is the location of the Carpathians. This 2600 km chain arches east of the Danube valley, rising near Bratislava in Slovakia, running through Poland and Ukraine, and extending into Rumania. The Polish stretch is about 300 km long and is divided into the Western Carpathians (including the Tatra, Pieniny and Beskid ranges) and the Eastern Carpathians (the Bieszczady).

The most spectacular Western Carpathian peaks are situated in Lesser Poland. Access and accommodation facilities are good and the ramblers' routes, which are clearly signposted and maintained in a good condition, allow you to leave all civilisation behind. On your way, you won't stumble across hamburger kiosks, asphalt roads or enclosed private land - just wooden huts and shelters. Equipped with a backpack full of food, sturdy boots, and a bit of courage, you can venture into a genuine wilderness, unspoilt by human interference. Yet nature in Lesser Poland is much more than just the mountains.

The Lesser Polish Uplands, and particularly the part known as the Cracow and Częstochowa Upland (Jura), is a land of fantastic karst landforms in Jurassic limestone. The principal beauty spots which call for special environmental protection are now in two national parks - the Ojc�łw National Park and the Swietokrzyski National Park - as well as in several nature reserves and natural landscape parks. A series of spectacularly situated ruins of 14th-century hilltop castles known as the Eagles' Nests runs along the ridges of the Cracow and Częstochowa Jura. The most impressive (and best-known) are those at Ogrodzieniec, Mir�łw, Bobolice, and Olsztyn. In summer the Jura is a mecca for rock climbers as the limestone pillars, gates and cliffs are ideal for practising this sport. The upland has one more attraction: the Blędowska Desert; although its size is diminishing, it is still a real desert.

Facts

The Bledowska Desert is Poland's largest - and until recently the largest in Central Europe - accumulation of loose sand away from any sea, created thousands of years ago by a melting glacier. Covering 32 sq km (not so long ago it was 150 sq km), it lies between Klucze, Chechlo, and Blęd�łw. It is 9 km long, 3-4 km wide, and the average depth of sand is 25 m. As late as in the 1950s and 1960s you could still observe such phenomena as mirages, sand storms, sand vortices and oases here. Now the desert is quickly becoming covered with vegetation, colonised mainly by Caspian willows, and it's getting harder and harder to find patches of spectacular bare sand. Fortunately for the lovers of the exotic, some scientists think that the desert is going to recover, at least partially.
Over the last few years, the Blędowska Desert has become a favourite with paragliding aficionados. Two factors contribute to this popularity: a series of relatively high hills making excellent launching sites and favourable air currents allowing you to soar high in the sky.

The Ojc�łw National Park in the Pradnik Valley, not far from Cracow, is Poland's smallest national park (1580 ha) which celebrated its 45th birthday on January 14th 2001. Despite the rather inconspicuous size, it is among the top twenty reserves on the 1,200-strong UN list. Every year it attracts 350-400 thousand visitors, which is hardly surprising, given its fairy-tale landscapes with fantastic rock formations bearing mythical names (like the upright 20m Club of Hercules ), over 400 caves, gorges and ravines reaching up to 100m in depth, karst springs. unique plants and, last but not least, mediaeval castles and ruins. This is a place you simply have to visit.

The G�łry Świętokrzyskie: the oldest and lowest

Another part of the Lesser Polish Uplands is the Kielce-Sandomierz Upland with the G�łry Świętokrzyskie (Holy Cross Mountains), one of the oldest ranges in Europe. Not very high (the highest peak, Łysica, is just 612 m a.s.l.) but long and with gentle ridges, they are about 650 million years old. Some of them feature distinctive heaps of rock debris known as goloborza, created as a result of intensive erosion at low temperatures.

The G�łry Świętokrzyskie were once entirely covered with impenetrable forests. Only two fragments of those primaeval woods have survived: the Puszcza Jodlowa (Fir Forest) and the Puszcza Świętokrzyska, but the dense forest stands (usually on mountain ridges) are more characteristic of the region. These mountains mark the European limit for the fir, beech and sycamore; in the pine and oak & pine forests you can also see a lot of larch, liime, maple, ash and - in some areas - hornbeam, elm, yew, and spruce. All the plain species of ferns and lycopods can be found here. Another special interest for nature lovers are the protected peat bogs with rare wetland plants such as sundew and orchids. The lush vegetation provides a habitat for wild boar, foxes, roe deer, deer, fallow deer, badgers, beavers, martens, ermines, and squirrels, as well as over 150 bird species (including black grouse and capercaillies). The most valuable areas are protected by the 7626-hectare Świętokrzyski National Park established in 1950. The Park encompasses Łysa G�łra (Bare Mount), where, as legend has it, witches held their sabbaths. Excavations have revealed that centuries ago the mountain was a centre of pagan worship devoted to old Slavonic gods of natural phenomena called Łada, Boda, and Leli (Whizz, Sough and Weather). Sixty-six other areas have also been designated as reserves, protecting over 670 sites of natural beauty.

The G�łry Świętokrzyskie are surrounded by younger rock formations, partly of limestone, so the region abounds in many beautiful caves. The most spectacular of them, protected but open to visitors, is fittingly called Raj (Paradise).

Facts

The most famous natural monument in the G�łry Świętokrzyskie is the 1000-year-old oak Bartek, one of the oldest trees in Poland. Its circumference at ground level is 13 m and its height is about 30 m.

Not far from Kielce, Raj is the best known and arguably the most beautiful cave in Poland. Discovered only in 1964, it contained the bones of a variety of Pleistocene animals: mammoth, woolly rhinoceros, and cave bear, as well as flint and bone tools made by Neanderthal man some 40-50 thousand years ago. It is a visitor-friendly cave, not requiring any specialist equipment or training. The loop through its chambers, although relatively short (180 m), gives a good glimpse of the rugged subterranean world with its staggering wealth of stalactites, stalagmites, stalagnates (at some places, there are as many as 200 stalactites per square metre of the ceiling!) and - extremely rare in the world - cave pearls (layers of calcite deposited around grains of sand).

The Carpathians: hiking through forests and pastures

The Tatras

The highest range in the whole Carpathians, the Tatras are considered by the lowlanders to be the only "true" mountains in Poland. The Tatras are a summer favourite with tourist groups and individual hikers, while the throngs of skiers they attract in winter are just as big.The Tatras have plenty to offer. They are Poland's only alpine-type mountains with scenic trails and breathtaking vistas. To appreciate their beauty, you don't have to climb the peaks - just take a walk in one of the picturesque valleys such as the Dolina Chocholowska, Dolina Kościeliska, Dolina Stra�źyska, Dolina Rybiego Potoku. In winter many slopes become ski runs. At the foot of the Tatras lies Zakopane, "Poland's winter capital" with an exceptionally rich folk culture: customs, music, costumes, dialect and distinctive architecture.

The Tatras cover 785 sq km, of which Poland has only 25%, that is about 175 sq km. The highest peak, Gerlach (2655 m) is on the Slovakian side . Poland's highest summit is Rysy (2499 m) on the border with Slovakia. The highest peak situated entirely in Poland is Kozi Wierch (2291 m).

The Polish Tatras are divided into the High and the Western Tatras; the former boast a profusion of tarns (glacier-created lakes) while the latter have the most beautiful caves. The High Tatras, with their treacherously steep trails, rugged crests, fells and precipices, are for intrepid hikers only. But the views are magnificent and unforgettable. The Western Tatras are safer, with broad, gently rounded ridges, less strenuous trails, more vegetation and space.

Facts

The highest peak situated entirely in Poland is Kozi Wierch (2291 m).
The biggest lake in the entire Tatras is Morskie Oko (34.9 ha).
The deepest lake is Wielki Staw in the Valley of the Five Polish Lakes (Dolina Pięciu Staw�łw Polskich - 79.3 m).
The deepest cave is Wielka Śnie�źna in the Czerwone Wierchy massif (814 m).
The longest valley in the Polish Tatras is the Dolina Suchej Wody Gasienicowej (13km).
The highest waterfall in the Polish Tatras (and in the whole of Poland) is Wielka Siklawa, dropping 70m from a cliff above the Valley of the Five Lakes.
A record snow cover of 3.55 m was reported at Kasprowy Wierch in April 1996.

The diversified Tatran terrain abounds in waterfalls. The two best-known and most spectacular waterfalls in the Polish Tatras are Wodogrzmoty Mickiewicza and Wielka Siklawa, the latter looking its best at sunrise in spring. Not less popular with tourists are the 43 glacial tarns (traditionally called stawy) with emerald-blue waters and a total area of about 160 ha. Most of them are situated in the High Tatras, above 1600m. The biggest, most beautiful and also most accessible is Lake Morskie Oko (1,393 m above sea level).

Out of the multitude of Carpathian ranges, the Tatras have a remarkably rich flora. In the Polish Tatras alone, over a thousand vascular plants have been found, of which 250 are of the montane or alpine variety. A characteristic feature are the distinct vegetation belts. Above the foothills, there are two belts of forests, known as the lower regiel (up to 1250 m; chiefly beech, fir and man-planted spruce) and the upper regiel (up to 1500 m; chiefly spruce with some Arolla pine and Carpathian birch). The forests give way to a zone of dwarf mountain pine which protect the slopes against erosion. Above 1800 m lie the open pastures (hale) which until a few decades ago were still being used for sheep-grazing. The highest zone, above 2300 m, is made up of bare rocks covered only with alpine vegetation adapted to the harsh climate.

Some plants commonly associated with the Tatras are the tiny szarotka and smooth carline (popular motifs in the Podhalanian folk art); violet crocuses which shoot up in the mountain meadows when the snow begins to thaw. Another interesting species is the Arolla pine - a handsome tree encountered mostly around Lake Morskie Oko and in the vicinity of the Dolina Roztoki.

The Tatras are home to many animals that every mountain lover wants to see. Different species inhabit each vegetation belt. The forests provide a habitat mainly for common animals such as deer (about 300), roe deer, wild boar, wolves and foxes. Occasionally lynxes and wild cats may be spotted. The most eminent denizen of the two regiels is the brown bear, which may climb even the high mountain passes. Currently about a dozen of them live on the Polish side, and there are about sixty of them in the whole range. Sadly, you have only a meagre chance of seeing the golden eagle, as only a few pairs nest in the whole Tatras. The population of ravens is also declining. The main attractions are the kozica (mountain goats - about 80 of them were recorded on the Polish side in 2000) and marmots. The kozica, which has become the emblem of the Tatra National Park, is easier to spot; to see a marmot, you need to be lucky and patient. Actually, you're more likely to hear it as this shy rodent always warns others with a whistling sound when it senses a danger.

The flora and fauna of the Tatras is protected by the Tatra National Park set up in 1955 (21,400 hectares).

The Beskidy Mountains

The Beskidy Mountains, the largest part of the Polish Carpathians, are divided into the Eastern Beskidy and Western Beskidy. The latter are further divided into eight groups :the Beskid Maly (Small Beskid), the Beskid Zywiecki, the Beskid Wyspowy (Island Beskid), the Beskid Sadecki, and the Gorce ranges. Their gentle wooded slopes, criss-crossed by a dense network of ramblers' routes, with scenic villages and towns at their foot, are ideal for long but easy hikes.

The Beskid Maly (Small Beskid) is, as the name suggests, a low range stretching from Bielsko-Biala in the west to the valley of the Skawa River in the east. To the south it borders with the Beskid Zywiecki while the northern slopes descend towards the old towns of Kęty, Andrych�łw, and Wadowice (birthplace of Pope John Paul II). The ridges are separated by deep valleys and are usually wooded, although there are some clearings with interesting views. The summits do not exceed 950 m and are not difficult to climb.

The Beskid Zywiecki is Poland's second highest mountain group after the Tatras. Stretching between the upper Sola and Skawa Rivers, it is a great tourist attraction. The highest peak is Babia G�łra (1725 m). Its dramatic landscapes are protected by the 3392-hectare Babia G�łra National Park (established in 1955). It was one of the first national parks in the world to join the UNESCO network of World Biosphere Reserves (1977).

The Beskid Wyspowy (Island Beskid), between the central part of the Raba Valley in the west and the Dunajec Valley in the east, owes the name to its rather unusual appearance. It has few ridges but many isolated summits with steep slopes and flattened tops (the highest of them is Mogielica, 1171 m). The mountains look beautiful at any time of the year, although they are at their best in autumn, when they indeed resemble an archipelago of dark peaks towering above mist-enveloped valleys. The locals, who come from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, have preserved their intriguing customs and ancient traditions.

The Beskid Sadecki is a densely wooded range stretching from the Dunajec Valley in the west (which separates it from the Gorce and Beskid Wyspowy) to the Beskid Niski in the east. To the south it borders on the Pieniny and the Slovak border. The range is divided into two by the striking valley of the Poprad River, part of the Poprad Natural Landscape Park. Again, the mountains are not very high, with the highest peak, Radziejowa, just over 1,200 m. West of the Beskid Sadecki lie two historic towns: Nowy Sacz and Stary Sacz, both with many fine historic buildings and traditions going back to the Middle Ages. There are also a few well-known spa resorts with mineral springs, including Krynica, Zegiest�łw, Piwniczna, and Muszyna. The area was once populated by the Lemko or Russniak (Rusyn) People, and some of their charming churches, of wood or stone, have survived, one of the region's architectural highlights .

The Gorce Mountains

The Gorce is a mountain group in the Western Beskidy, embraced by two rivers, the Raba and the Dunajec, with the Beskid Wyspowy to the north and the Podhale region to the south. Seen from above, the range resembles a gigantic octopus or a starfish. The peaks are hiker-friendly: easily accessible, rounded, with flat tops and not very high (the highest peak is Turbacz, 1,310 m). Devoid of dramatic fells, scenic tarns and deep ravines, the Gorce is attractive and captivating for its unique atmosphere that makes you return to the area again and again. You're bound to fall under the spell of its landscape - long, broken ridges separated by wild valleys, sometimes covered with almost pristine beech and spruce forests interspersed with vast pastures and fascinating clearings. These picturesque stretches of countryside, dotted with old wooden cottages, once used by shepherds, and offering extensive vistas are perhaps the most exciting feature the Gorce has to offer.

In 1981 the Gorce National Park was established, covering 7,020 hectares and still very much a haven of peace. Despite its numerous hiking trails supplemented by a few mountain hostels and campsites, it's not hard to find a secluded spot here. In the wild natural setting, amid the rustling of trees, the humming of insects and the bubbling of brooks, you can forget about the buzz of civilisation and let yourself wander into a land of dreams.

The vast and wild fir-and-beech or spruce forests amaze you with their profusion of flowers and herbs, including many protected species like the crocus, Turk's cap lily, spring snowflake, orchid, and smooth carline. In summer delicious blueberries and wild raspberries peep out of the pastures and forest undergrowth. This is also a great place to see roe deer, deer, wild boar, hares and lynxes - the latter have recently returned here after many years of absence. About a hundred bird species nest in the Gorce, including capercaillies, black grouse and large birds of prey such as the goshawk, buzzard, kestrel, red kite and sparrow hawk. A species which has made a comeback are the ravens, which are rare and always live in pairs. Another rare and strictly protected species is the salamander, the emblem of the Gorce National Park.

The Pieniny Mountains

The Pieniny Mountains were attracting tourists already in the 18th century. Their first admirers were the upper and cultured classes. Today this scenic range has some 400,000 visitors every year from Poland and abroad.

Part of the Western Carpathians, the Pieniny is a relatively small range with dramatic views and a rich wildlife. Its limestone peaks, upthrusted millions of years ago, are lower than the Tatras, but equally lofty, their vertical faces towering above steep, wooded slopes and the spectacular Dunajec Gorge.

In 1932 this area of exceptional natural beauty prompted a decision to establish the Pieniny National Park. At 2,346 hectares, it is one of the smallests national parks in the country, but this is easily compensated by its wealth of attractions. The exciting ramblers' routes studded with numerous vantage points allow you to see the main sights even during a short outing. Their relatively small altitudes (the highest peak, Wysoka, is 1050 m) make these mountains accessible for everyone, even if you are not very experienced. The Park continues into Slovakia, where another 3750 ha are under protection.

The Pieniny flora is exceptionaly rich. The steep slopes are covered by fir-beech forests with some sycamores, elms and maples. A characteristic view is a small pine cluster on a rocky summit. Occasionally you may come across a solitary yew.

For a nature lover and wildlife watcher, the Pieniny meadows are a delight. Created by humans, who once felled the forests to make pastures and cultivate the fields, today they are largely home to self-sown plants that colonised the treeless areas. Over 3,000 plant species have been identified here, including the endemic Teraxacum pieninicum and Erysimum pieninicum and relics such as the Chrysanthemum zawadzkii, a common sight on the Pieniny rocks, otherwise found no closer than the Ural mountains.

The Pieniny National Park is the habitat of some 250 animal species, including the lynx, wild cat, deer and fox. There are 150 bird species and a staggering 1,600 insect species.

Hiking highlights are the trails to Trzy Korony (Three Crowns, after the characteristic three summits; 982 m) up the scenic Sokola Perć (Falcon Path), to Sokolica (747 m), and in the Male Pieniny subrange. Especially in the autumn, when the trees glitter with all the shades of yellow and orange and the air becomes more transparent than usual, the views are simply breathtaking. The biggest attraction is the whitewater raft trip through the Dunajec Gorge. The narrow wooden boats, roped in fives into small platforms, and steered by raftsmen in folk costumes, have been ferrying tourists for well over a hundred years. The 15 km stretch of the Dunajec has three enormous bends snaking down a scenic narrow gorge dominated by monumental cliffs.

SITES AND CITIES: REVELLING AND MEDITATING

Cracow: fleshpots and havens of prayer

For many of its residents, Cracow, a city with a thousand years of tradition and Poland's capital for many centuries, remains the country's only true capital. While Warsaw's appeal rests in its modernity and busy atmosphere, Cracow spellbinds you with its quiet cobbled lanes, countless monuments of the past which could easily furnish a few other cities, splendid museums, lively bars and cafes, all enveloped in an atmosphere of unique tranquillity and magic. It is a city of students - over 100,000 of them study at its numerous institutions of higher education - to whom Cracow owes much of its air of eternal youth.

Unlike Warsaw, Cracow was not devastated during the Second World War. Its historic architecture survived intact (some buildings, like the tiny Church of St Adalbert in the Main Market Square and St Andrew's Church in ulica Grodzka, date back to the early Middle Ages: 10th-11th century). The two biggest sights are the Royal Castle on Wawel Hill, and the Main Market Square, surrounded by finely restored old town houses and bustling with activity. In 1978 the entire urban precinct of the Old City was entered on UNESCO's first World Heritage List, a prestigious distinction awarded then only to the 12 most valuable sites in the world.

Facts

In 1995 the EU Council of Ministers of Culture named Cracow European City of Culture for the year 2000. In this way, Cracow was recognised as one of Europe's major cultural centres along with Avignion, Bologna, Bergen, Brussels, Helsinki, Prague, Reykjavik and Santiago de Compostela.

Overlooking the Vistula River, Wawel Hill has been inhabited since times immemorial (as early as 50,000 years ago it was a campsite for mammoth hunters). The Royal Castle and Cathedral, after many centuries of conversions and new building schemes, are a mixture of the Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance styles. Make sure to visit the Sigismundian Chapel, a masterpiece of Renaissance art, and to ascend the Tower with the Sigismundian Bell, until recently Poland's biggest, cast in 1520 from cannon barrels. Weighing 12.7 m. tons, it needs ten men to be rung, which happens only for significant state occasions - then its sound can be heard within 12 km from the city centre. On Christmas Eve in 2000 its clapper broke, which many people saw as a bad omen. A new clapper, weighing 300kg, was cast and fixed within a few months. But recently an even worse thing has happened: the bell has stopped being the biggest in the country, superseded by the one in the Licheń Basilica in the Kujawy (Cuiavia) region.

Walking around Wawel Hill, you can feel the burden of history stronger than anywhere else in Cracow. The Cathedral is the last resting-place of the kings and heroes of Poland, including Tadeusz Kościuszko, J�łzef Pilsudski, and Wladyslaw Sikorski. Don't fail to visit the royal chambers and private apartments, treasury and armoury. Another highlight are the Wawel Arrases, the world's biggest and most precious collection of over a hundred Renaissance tapestries.

Cracow's Main Market Square (Rynek Gl�łwny) is Europe's largest mediaeval market-place, measuring 200 x 200m and beautiful at any time of the day and year. For centuries it has been the focus of the city's life, its cultural, commercial, and tourist showcase. The illustrious mansions around the square house cafes, restaurants, pubs, galleries, shops and museums, alongside residential premises for the lucky few. There are flowers stalls, buskers, street painters, pretzel vendors, souvenir sellers... And you can always bet on tourists, students and pigeons.

However deeply immersed in history, Cracow's Old Town is also a great place for fun. To do this, you have to go underground as most of its restaurants, cafes and pubs are hidden in what are now the cellars (but once the ground floors) of the historic town houses. With their imaginative interior decoration and lively atmosphere, they attract many weekend trippers from all across Poland. In summer many cafes and pubs put their tables outside, surrounding the square with a tight ring of colourful and lively enclosures. But Cracow is primarily a city of prayer. With over a hundred churches, many of them gems of art and architecture, it is sometimes referred to as Poland's answer to Rome and has been vying with the Eternal City since at least the mid-13th century (when it received its municipal charter) for sanctuaries of serenity ... interspersed with the dens of sin...

But there is one more absolutely fasctinating place in Cracow: the Jewish quarter of Kazimierz, once an independent borough founded in 1335 by King Casimir the Great (hence the name) and today part of the City of Cracow, with a distinctive atmosphere and character. This is a neighbourhood of old synagogues (the oldest of them is from the 15th century), narrow lanes and little houses, with a painstakingly restored 16th-century Jewish cemetery tucked in between. The Jews living there were deported during the War by the Nazis and today the area is only reviving, still looking a bit desolate and dilapidated but don't be put off by this appearance. A walk around the maze of quiet streets is an unforgettable experience - in some places you may feel that nothing has changed for centuries. In fact, though, over the last few years many houses have been converted into posh hotels, restaurants with Jewish cuisine and stylish bars.

Wieliczka: a land of salt

There are visitors who come to Poland only to see Wieliczka. Probably the world's most famous salt mine, it is one of just a few sites in Poland that have been both entered on the UNESCO World Heritage List (in 1978) and declared a Historic Monument (in 1994).

The history of salt mining at Wieliczka goes back thousands of years. Excavations have revealed that as early as about 3000 BC natural brine gushing from the ground was being collected here. Enhanced technology was brought to Wieliczka by Benedictine monks who dug out the first shafts - the oldest of them dates from 1280.

Today the mine is a subterranean labyrinth of tunnels and chambers totalling some 350 km, of which only 2 km are open to the public, attracting every year over 700,000 visitors from all over the world. The route runs through 20 fairy-tale chambers on three levels between 64 and 135 m underground (altogether there are nine levels, the deepest of them at 342 m) taking in original chambers, underground lakes and dazzling chapels with statues and bas- reliefs carved in rock salt by miners. The highlight is the Chapel of St Kinga at 101 m, with beautiful sculptures and chandeliers, measuring 54.5 m (length) x 10-18 m (width) x 10-12 m (height) and thus deserving actually to be called a church.

On the third level (135 m), a few of the chambers house the Salt Mining Museum advertising itself as the world's biggest mining museum. There are over 3,000 exhibits including old mining tools and a collection of minerals and crafts. As the air in the mine has curative properties, on the fifth level (211 m), there is a health centre for people suffering from allergies and asthma.

Częstochowa: the Holy Picture

Częstochowa is a large city (160 sq km, 260,000 inhabitants) on the Warta River, a major railway centre, but above all Poland's religious capital. It has the shrine of the Virgin Mary in the 14th-century Pauline Monastery of Jasna Gora (Bright Hill) with the holy picture of the Black Madonna. Every year the shrine is visited by some four million pilgrims from all over the world.

Pilgrims come to Jasna G�łra to see the holy picture of the Black Madonna, which is displayed in a 15th-century chapel behind a silver curtain (from 1673) which is pulled up only twice a day to show the actual image. The Virgin and Child are dressed in one of seven metallic "robes," richly adorned with gold, silver and precious stones . Legend has it that the image was painted by St Luke on a board from the Holy Family's house and that the scars on Mary's cheek were slashed with a sword when the monastery was plundered in 1430. In fact the holy picture is a copy of a 6th-8th c. Byzantine icon which came to Poland via Ruthenia and was damaged by looters. It was painted after 1430 and its painter highlighted the two scars so that the damage to the original should not be forgotten.

The walls of the chapel are hung with numerous votive offerings presented by pilgrims; you can also see crutches left by people who were miraculously healed by the Madonna of Częstochowa. Much more - including dazzling jewels and gifts from Polish monarchs - is to be seen in the treasury where you can easily spend half a day. The oldest items date from the 14th century and many of them are priceless works of art.

Auschwitz: death camp

The shocking museum near the city of Oświęcim, on the site where the Nazis built a concentration and death camp known by the German name Auschwitz, is certainly not a place for children, although teenagers and adults should visit it at least once in their lifetime to see the evidence of the biggest single act of genocide in mankind's history.

The Nazis established the camp in 1940 on the outskirts of Oświęcim - then, like all of Poland, occupied by Germany. The inhabitants of the quiet town of Oświęcim found they had the Auschwitz charnel-house on their doorstep, which gradually evolved into the biggest death camp in Europe, extended in 1941-42 by a much larger camp, Birkenau, near Brzezinka.

In 1947 the two surviving camps, Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau, were turned into the National Museum of Auschwitz-Birkenau. In 1979 the site was put on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Facts

Immediately after the War, the Supreme National Tribunal estimated that 2.8 milion people from 30 countries had been murdered in the camp. Later research reduced the number to a still shocking 1.1-1.5 million victims. 90% of them were Jews brought here from all the countries of occupied Europe. Other nationalities included Poles (140,000; half were killed), Gypsies from a few countries (20,000) and Soviet POWs (over 10,000). It is impossible to give an exact figure for the number of people who lost their lives here, as the retreating Germans destroyed most of the documents. Most of those who died were sent to the gas chambers directly upon arrival, with no registration

The Auschwitz museum of genocide is entered through a gate with the cynical inscription "Arbeit macht frei" ("Work makes you free"), known from many films and photos. Then you visit several brick prison blocks with displays of clothes and personal belongings of the murdered prisoners, including children's toys. Not less horrifying are the gas chambers, death wall and the cell in which St Maksymilian Maria Kolbe was starved to death, sacrificing his life to save another prisoner.

The nearby Birkenau camp is even more depressing. This was a purpose-built death factory with almost 300 wooden barracks constructed by the prisoners and the most efficient "facilities": four gas chambers and four crematoria. There are no exhibitions here and nothing has been changed since the end of the War in order to preserve the atmosphere of utmost debasement and show the scale of the crime.

Zakopane: half-town, half-village

A trendy resort at the foot of the Tatras and, at 730-1000 m above sea level, Poland's highest alpine town - that's how Zakopane is perceived by most visitors. It became fashionable in the early 20th century and has remained so until today. It has always been in vogue to come here and brag about it. Since the late 19th century Zakopane has been attracting the best Polish writers, poets, painters and sculptors, who contributed to its extraordinary atmosphere by designing fine villas and creating works of art inspired by local traditions.

Visiting Zakopane is still something that "you should do", like going to St. Moritz in Switzerland. Fortunately, the town is safeguarded against a slide into the inevitable snobbery by the crowds of backpackers who continue the over century-long tradition of hiking in the Tatras.

Out of the current 30,000 residents, some five thousand are descendants of the old G�łrale Highlander families. Zakopane has always been fascinating for their exotic culture. It is a strange town with just a few rows of houses, not too tall and predominantly early 20th-century, surrounded by detached villas, pensions and wooden cottages, often great achievements of regional architecture. Since the 19th century a Zakopane Style house, with a sloping roof, verandah and rich wooden ornaments, has been an object of desire for many wealthy townsfolk while the skilled designers and builders of Zakopane are sought-after not only in Poland, but even in America. When you walk around the tranquil lanes and alleys, you may feel you're in a well-maintained open-air museum.

The main thoroughfare in Zakopane is Krupowki, one of the best-known promenades in Poland. Lined with shops, restaurants, cafes, pubs and stalls offering souvenirs and delicious ewe's-milk cheeses called oscypki, at any time of the year it attracts lively, multinational crowds. Because of the town's location and buildings, you can't see the mountains from every place - sometimes they are concealed. The easiest to see is Mt Giewont, the most characteristic peak in the Tatras.

Facts

Despite its not particularly impressive height (1894m), Mt Giewont has become the best-known summit in the Polish Tatras and a symbol of Zakopane. This is due to its distinctive shape - when seen from Zakopane, it resembles a recumbent figure. Legend has it that Giewont is a sleeping knight who will wake up when the country is in trouble. The mount stands in the geometrical centre of the Tatras, so in the past it served as a clock and helped the locals to forecast the weather. In 1901, to commemorate the turn of the century, a 15m metal cross was erected on the knight's "nose".