Haunted Places in Poland

???Halloween is coming up soon, It’s this time of year where people get to dress up in spooky costumes, eat a bunch of candy, and share some chilling stories with friends. Sometimes, the most terrifying Halloween stories are the true ones, just like some of Poland’s spooky spots that I want to share with you, they all still exist in real life and retain an eerie atmosphere.?

Ogrodzieniec Castle

Ogrodzieniec Castle is one of the biggest fortresses in Europe, was originally built in the 14th–15th century, and is home to an atypical ghost: a big, black dog, which is said to be the disembodied spirit of Stanisław Warszycki, the early 17th-century owner and administrator of the castle, who did not want to share his wealth with anyone even after his death. Besides the legend, the castle is one of the most beautiful and well-preserved ruins, located on the peak of the Upland – the Castle Hill, rising at 515,5 m above sea level. One can see climbing the “Eagle Nest Path”  that runs through the dramatic landscape and will marvel at its wonders. 

Niedzica Castle

It is a medieval castle that was originally built in 1325 by the Brezevichy family. It’s said that one of the first owners of the castle,  Sebastian Brezevichy, whose wife was an Inca royal and they brought the Inca treasure of the family to the castle. The legend says that the ghost of Umina, called “white lady”, appears every night to scare away the people who want to steal their treasure that were hidden on the castle grounds. You can even find a sign along the road leading up to the castle, it’s said “Haunted Attention”. Thanks to its picturesque location and the legend behind it, Niedzica Castle is one of the most popular attractions in Poland and appears on many national publications and books, including one of Netflix TV shows The Witcher that was shot here.

Chęciny Castle

The castle was built around the 13th century and has had several different owners, such as the Casimir III the Great’s second wife Adelaide of Hesse, Elisabeth of Poland, and Queen of Hungary. The Queen of Poland Bona Sforza is one of the most famous occupants, it’s said that after she died, her ghost often wanders in the Chęciny Castle searching for the treasures that were supposed to be taken to Italy, but it’s believed the treasures had been hidden somewhere in the castle.

photo: Marek Skorupski/Forum

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GDAŃSK and WARSAW voted as some of the Best and the Safest European Christmas Destinations 2020.

Following recommendations made by the World Health Organization, the European Best Destinations (EBD) organization has unveiled a carefully selected list of destinations located in countries less affected by the coronavirus where it will be possible to enjoy the magic of Christmas while still following strict health and sanitary rules. And we are delighted to share the good news with you that two Polish cities of GDAŃSK and WARSAW were voted onto the list of the safest Christmas markets in Europe for Covid-19. Congratulations!???

?Gdańsk Christmas market is probably the most romantic Christmas market in Europe where you can find the fairy-tale Christmas fairs situated in the historical center of Gdańsk with its unique atmosphere and beautiful scenery. The streets and squares would be illuminated by colorful Christmas lights, and visitors will find many festive displays on the streets only for this special time of year such as the two-level Gdańsk Carousel, food and drink wooden stalls offering ethnic culinary specialties, craft workshops, and street performances. Do you know that the Gdańsk Christmas market was also nominated as the only one from Poland for the “Best European Christmas Market 2020” award In 2019? The Gdańsk market is definitely worth a visit.

Date: 20 November – 27 December, 2020

?As one of the most incredible cities in Europe, the capital of Poland, Warsaw is very impressive with its historic center declared a Unesco World Heritage. Visitors can find two Christmas markets here, the main Christmas market is held in Castle Square in front of the Royal Castle where you will be captivated by the giant colorful Christmas Tree and the abundance of colors and smells coming from the wooden stalls. In addition to seeing the stunning Christmas decorations and tasting local treats, ice-skating around the mermaid statue in the Old Town Square would also be an awesome experience. Another Christmas market can be found in front of the Palace of Culture and Science packed with lovely wooden stalls filled with ceramics, jewelry, candles, amber, hand-made crafts.

Date: 25 November – 27 January (Castle Square)

Photo from bozonarodzeniowy.gda

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The cutest guidance on social distancing measures for the EU states

How to get to know the EU social distancing measures quickly??‍♂️??‍♀️
At least distance yourself from others:
one bison in Poland?
two wolves in Estonia??
three pulis in Hungary???
? Take a look at the photo above, short and sweet!
? Well, if you haven’t met Bison in the wild, I strongly recommend you to visit Białowieża Forest in Poland to see the king of the forest – the bison!?
? Click on the link Europe’s last well-preserved primeval forest to find more information about the amazing forest and legendary creatures.

Photo from europapont.blog.hu

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The Corpus Christi Basilica in Kraków brought back to former glory

After four years of renovation work, the Corpus Christi Basilica in Kraków has been restored to its former glory. You should definitely visit it if you have the chance.

This historic massive church was commissioned by King Casimir III the Great in 1335, located in the Kazimierz district of Kraków, is one of the city’s largest, and defiantly most beautiful Gothic churches. The exterior of the Basilica remained mostly Gothic, with a free-standing bell tower, while its Baroque interior is a feast of brick, marble, gold, as well as a myriad of oil paintings. The Gothic walls are a sharp contrast to gilded Baroque altars adorning each pillar. Visitors will marvel at the fantastic interiors inside, which feature a boat-shaped pulpit held aloft by two mermaids, the largest organ in the city containing a total of eighty-three pipes, the Renaissance-style mausoleum with a painted door as well as the iconic paintings of Christ the Savior and Mother Mary in the nave, which was the masterpiece of the Polish artist Luke Porębski at the beginning of the 17th century. Another feature of the Basilica is the special opening placed near the apex of the vaulted ceiling, which is called ‘a rift in the skies’. 

The Corpus Christi Basilica is considered one of the most beautiful Baroque-style temples in Central Europe and is well worth seeing while you visit the Old Jewish Quarter of Kraków.

Photo from krakow.wiki

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The first capital of Poland – Gniezno

You might hear of the fairy tale city of Krakow, the former capital of Poland, and its famous dragon legend.?

Do you know that the establishment of the first capital of Poland also came with its own legend❓

Gniezno is only 50 km from Poznań, beautifully located on five hills among lakes. Considered as the cradle of the Polish state, Gniezno was the birthplace of its Royalty and Christianity and served as the capital of Piast Poland. It was here that Bolesław the Brave was crowned as the first Polish king in the year of 1025.

It is said that the name ‘Gniezno’ relates back to a legend. Once up a time, there were three brothers who went hunting together but each of them followed a different prey and eventually they all traveled in different directions. Among the three brothers, Lech decided to travel northward and he eventually stopped in a large valley where he noticed that there was a nest of a white eagle on the highest hill. Taking this as an omen, he chose to settle in this area and named his settlement Gniezno, meaning ‘nest’, and adopted the White Eagle as his coat-of-arms.

Known as one of the oldest towns in Poland, Ginezno is packed with historic buildings that most of them can stem from the 10th century and early 11th century. Its Old Town is a charming collection of winding streets and colorful, slope-roofed buildings centred on a pleasant cobblestone square and the city’s famous cathedral. The highlight of the town’s attraction is the 14th-century Gothic Cathedral, which dates back to the end of the ninth century, served as the coronation place for several Polish monarchs and the seat of Polish church officials continuously for nearly 1000 years. The Gniezno Cathedral is famous for the Gniezno Doors and the coffin containing the relics of St Adalbert. The Gniezno Doors fitted in the Gothic portal of the south entrance representing one of the outstanding examples of Romanesque metalwork in Europe. It contains two massive winged bronze doors decorated with 18 bronze panels, and each of them was engraved with scenes from the life of St. Adalbert of Prague. There are also several Gothic churches, the Archdiocesan Museum and the Museum of the Origins of the Polish State that are well worth a visit.

If you are tire of visiting museums and churches, wandering along the tranquil Jelonek Lake is another fun way to enjoy the splendor view of the old town of Gniezno.?

Photo by Getty Images

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MUSKAUER PARK

Did you know that there is a cross-border park located on the Polish and German border? Known for the largest and one of the most famous English gardens in Central Europe, MUSKAUER PARK is a landscape park that covers 3.5 km² of land in Poland and 2.1km² in Germany, extending along both sides of the border river Lusatian Neisse. This grand park was created by Prince Hermann von Puckler-Muskau from 1815 to 1844, an accomplished artist in landscape gardening who pioneered new approaches to landscape design and influenced the development of landscape architecture in Europe and America. 

The park blends in so well with the local town and surrounding agricultural landscapes. Natural ponds, ravines, streams, glades, the various parts of the park are connected with sweeping vista and paths that wind through the landscaping. On the Polish side of the park, visitors can enjoy a beautiful view of the heart of the park called the Park on Terraces, as well as Petzold’s Arboretum and beautiful wooden bridges that connected both parts of the park. Muskauer Park was considered one of the most remarkable examples of garden art of the 19th century in Europe and has added to World Heritage List in 2014, as an exemplary example of cross-border cultural collaboration between Poland and Germany.

This landscaped park is too large to be fully explored on foot in one day, taking a bicycle would be an excellent way to explore the park.?

Photo from pinterest

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