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Visit Krakow in winter

Although Krakow is beautiful at any time of year, it features a mysterious allure in winter, where you can experience more warm and tender sides of the city. The cold weather gives the tourist the chance to enjoy slowly each step of the journey, look closely at the magnificent architecture from the Renaissance, Gothic and Baroque eras, warm up with a cup of steaming mulled wine or hot beer, and Indulge in various tasty local specialties. Another advantage of visiting during winter is that you can avoid the summer crowds and the high season prices, moreover, in addition to must-see attractions, there are more special spots that one can visit only in winter.

The glittering old town in Krakow

The beautiful Main Market Square of Krakow has been lit up by the dazzling Christmas lights display. Travelers and residents can admire the huge Christmas tree in front of Cloth Hall, standing tall at the heart of the market square and next to the beautiful blue angel decors. the fancy Christmas lights and winter illuminations transformed Krakow into a winter wonderland.

Annual Nativity Scene Exhibition

In order to preserve the tradition of the nativity scene (Polish: szopka), the first Kraków Nativity Scenes Competition was organized in 1937 and every year since except during the war. Each year the most intricate and interesting szopki will be collected by the Kraków Museum where visitors can feast eyes on these artworks. Besides, there are 40 beautiful szopkas placed at different squares, parks, showcases, restaurants, hotels and shopping centers for display until the end of February. As the first Intangible Cultural Heritage in Poland, the Nativity Scene exhibition is really worth a visit.

Winter image of Krakow

Image a perfectly preserved medieval city featuring majestic buildings and beautiful squares covered in snow, birds fly around the square, horse carriages across its winding cobblestones streets, and you are in this fairy-tale town.

There are plenty of fantastic attractions in Krakow you can discover by joining our ? 3days Krakow city break.?

Photo: Jacek Ogiela

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The 10 newly renovated churches in the Wielkopolska region

After four years of restoration work, 10 historical wooden churches in the Wielkopolska region of Poland have been restored to their former glory. That includes the oldest known preserved wooden church in Poland dating back to 1368, The St. Michael the Archangel church in Domachów. The church is covered with a steep two-ridged wood shingle roof with a quadrangular tower crowned with a steel bulbous tent with a lantern. When you walk into the church, you will marvel at its colorful interiors and plenty of historic relics, such as an exquisitely decorated rococo main altar dating back to 1775, baroque side altars from approximately 1700, a spectacular pulpit, and numerous sculptures. 

All the 10 newly renovated churches are situated around Poznań and come to life. They will become part of the ‘Tourist Trail of Wooden Churches of Wielkopolska’ and enrich the sight-seeing route. Poland boasts many historic wooden churches that possess a unique charm. Next time you visit Poland don’t miss out on these impressive wooden churches.

photo: parafia-domachowo.pl

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The Best Polish Present Ideas for Christmas

There are only 3 days left until Christmas! ? Have you picked out all the gifts? ?  Buying the perfect Christmas gift can be challenging but finding the distinctive Polish goods for Christmas gifts is not that hard. There are some good Christmas gift ideas that may inspire you.

?  A piece of Baltic amber jewellery can be a beautiful and special gift for ladies. So-called the Gold of the North, this warm-coloured stone has been known for ages as the Polish gold and is still popular and admired by people with taste.

? For gentlemen, there are many kinds of Polish vodkas to satisfy every taste. Among the most popular and special of them is Żubrówka (Bison Grass Vodka) which contains a bison grass blade in every bottle that makes it infused with naturally sourced ingredients from the Polish forest.

?  Polish sweets are a truly universal gift idea that is suitable for many festivals especially when it comes to Christmas, and you will be spoilt for choice. For example, the delicious Polish gingerbread(Piernik), Polish tree cake(Sękacz), soft chocolate-covered candy(Ptasie Mleczko) as well as polish specialties like wild mushrooms, polish golden honey, smoked cheese(Oscypek) and so on.

No matter what gift you have chosen, your love and best wishes are the most precious ones! ✨✨?✨✨

Photo: Polish Tourism Organisation

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Toruń Gingerbread

Polish Gingerbread, called Pierniki, is one of the sweetest Christmas traditions in Poland. It is a spiced cookie served around the world during the holidays, one can buy it in any city in Poland. But the most famous and popular of these is Toruń gingerbread, which dates back to the Middle Ages. Thanks to its excellent location, the city brought together high-quality soil, fine wheat, honey, and exotic spices from far-away countries, which explains why the superbly tasting gingerbread was born precisely here. Besides its good taste, Toruń gingerbread is also famous for the traditional baking method which contributes to its various peculiar shapes. During the Christmas holiday, Poles would also bake many small ginger cookies served as Christmas-tree decorations.

Today, the Living Museum of Gingerbread is proudly situated in the center of Toruń’s medieval and historic Old Town and was voted the destination of Google Map’s Golden Pin this year. As the first interactive museum in Europe, visitors can discover how gingerbread was baked in Medieval Times and even try to bake one in traditional wooden molds on their own.

Have you tried Toruń gingerbread? Not only the gingerbread, but the city also boasts numerous preserved medieval structures representing the magnificent achievements of brick Gothic architecture in Europe. You can find vast Gothic cathedrals, imposing Gothic Old City Town Hall, ruins of the very first in Poland Teutonic Knights’ Castle, St Mary’s Church with high ceiling and stained glass windows, St James’ Church with Gothic murals and spectacular stellar vaults, many Gothic townsmen’s houses and the long defensive city walls with Gothic gates and turrets. It is also the place where the famous Nicolaus Copernicus was born, and right next to the Museum it’s the living museum of gingerbread.

Today, Toruń is the most Gothic urban complex in Poland and attracts1.5 million tourists to visit each year. This magnificent walled Gothic town should definitely on your travel bucket list!?

Photo: Polish Tourism Organisation

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The largest Gothic altarpiece in the world

After several years of renovation work, the altarpiece of Veit Stoss in St. Mary’s Basilica in Kraków has been restored to its former glory. As the largest Gothic altarpiece in the world, it definitely worth a visit.?

The altarpiece of Veit Stoss is located behind the High altar of St. Mary’s Basilica and was carved between 1477 and 1489 by the German sculptor Veit Stoss who lived and worked in Krakow for over 20 years. It is about 13 m high and 11 m wide and consists of 200 fine limewood sculptures treated with color and gold foil. The central part, with huge lifelike statues of the saints, depicts the Dormition of Mary, who is gently falling asleep surrounded by all 12 of the Apostles. Looking upwards one sees the Ascension of Our Lady and Lord. And at the very top, there is Madonna’s Heavenly Coronation by the Trinity. The side panels show the six scenes of the Joys of Mary. At the lower part of the altarpiece, there is the genealogical tree of Mary from the house of David.

The Veit Stoss altarpiece is one of the most outstanding works of late Gothic sculpting art in Europe as well as one of the most important pieces of art in Poland. Thanks to years of hard work by the Interacademic Institute of Conservation and Restoration of Art, the restoration work is coming to a close, and visitors will be able to admire the refurbished Wit Stwosz, which is now closer to the colors of the construction from the late 15th century.

In addition to the altarpiece owned by St. Mary’s Basilica, It features magnificent stained-glass windows dating from the late 14th century and the blue star vaulting with exquisite interiors, which captivate all who visit here. The church is open to visitors every day when no Mass is being conducted. Don’t miss this amazing place while you visit the Main Market Square in Kraków.

There are plenty of fantastic attractions in Krakow you can discover by joining our 3days Krakow city break.?

?  https://www.visitpoland.com/tours/cracow-city-break?

Photo krakow4u.pl

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The magic of Podkarpackie Region

? The third edition of the Tourism Blogging Championship in Poland winners has announced!? The first place went to Karolina Miller and Piotr Andruszko, who introduced a magical world of Podkarpackie Province and stood out from 63 bloggers from all over the country. 

Podkarpackie voivodeship is located in Southern-East Poland sparing its borders with Ukraine and Slovakia. It is one of the greenest regions of Poland, boasts pristine meadows and lush forests including 10 landscape parks, 17 protected landscape areas, and 71 nature reserves. Apart from many scenic tourist trails and cycling routes of varying levels of difficulty, the traditional wooden architecture and numerous castles and palaces also attract many tourists and make it one of the most popular tourist areas in Poland.

?  What would this fairy-tale world have looked like through their eyes? 

?  Click on the link below, Let’s follow in the winner’s footsteps to explore this fairy-tale world. 

?  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wr-CcSWSLd8

Photo: Rudeiczarne – Travel Blog

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Poznan won 3rd place in the competition of European Best Christmas Markets 2021

? Congratulations! The city of Poznan won 3rd place in the competition of European Best Christmas Markets 2021!

For the second year in a row, Poznan Christmas Market has been rated as one of the TOP 10 BEST Christmas Markets in Europe, there is no doubt that Poznan has become a rising star that attracts increasingly people to explore the beauty of its winter wonderland.

Every year there are many wonderful activities and attractions waiting for people to come along since the first Poznan Bethlehem was held in Poznan in 2012. When Christmas comes, the city is lit up by numerous dazzling Christmas lights that bring the festival to life, the streets are full of the delicious smell of mulled wine and roasted sausages, and the sounds of carols and laughter. Although the Market has been canceled this year, you can still feel the magical atmosphere of Christmas in Poznan!

Photo: Poznan.travel

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78th Kraków Nativity Scenes Contest is underway

Kraków’s Christmas tradition of constructing the Nativity Scenes dates back to the 19th century. In order to preserve the tradition of nativity scene（Polish: szopka） for future generations, in 1937 Jerzy Dobrzycki, director of the Krakow Municipal Art Propaganda Office, organized the first competition. Since then, hundreds of craftsmen have taken place each year except during the war.

A unique and characteristic feature of the szopka is the use of historical buildings of Kraków as a backdrop for the Nativity of Jesus to depict historical, cultural and contemporary social events relating to life in the City of Krakow, Poland and the world. This exquisite szopki can be two meters high and three meters wide with rich decorations, which are inspired by Krakow’s architectural marvels, such as the St. Mary’s Basilica with its easily recognizable spires, the magnificent Wawel Castle, and impressive Kraków Cloth Hall.

In 2018, Kraków Nativity Scene was inscribed on the list of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity and became the first and only Intangible Cultural Heritage in Poland so far.

In general, the annual Kraków Nativity Scenes Contest will be held on the first Thursday of December and the result will be launched three days later, but due to the pandemic this year the result of the contest will post online on Official Facebook. Look on the bright side, It becomes easier for us to appreciate traditional arts. ?

If you haven’t been to Krakow, you definitely should take a trip to this stunning historic city. Check out our tour package to explore fantastic attractions and make the best of your time in Krakow with us! ? Cracow City Break ?

Photo: Bogusław Świerzowski / krakow.pl

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Alice in Wonderland – Garden of Lights

✨✨The spectacular light show ‘Alice In Wonderland’ has opened In Krakow! The organizer said that it’s the biggest open-air light exhibition in Poland. ?

Gloomy November leaves people expecting a bit of sunshine and there is still a long way to go until the Christmas holidays. How to cheer ourselves up? Spending a pleasant night filled with light and surprise would be a great option, and that is the fantastic light show ‘Alice in Wonderland – Garden of Lights’ organized by the Museum of Municipal Engineering and CD Lighting at the Experience Garden in Krakow.

Visitors will able to follow the paths of light into a colorful Alice’s wonderland, meeting many adorable even crazy inhabitants of Wonderland. With rich illuminations and a massive layout, the light show creates immersive experiences by night that visitors will find a glowing rabbit hole and the smiling Cheshire Cat hiding in the tree as well as a wisdom caterpillar smoking a hookah, join their mad tea party and visit the castle of the Queen of Hearts. The dreamlike light show will bring you into a fairy tale world full of colorful lights by night and it will be the ice on the cake of your trip to Krakow.

The light show ‘Alice in Wonderland’ at the Experience Garden in Krakow invites everyone to the open-air exhibition from October 30 to February 28 after 4 pm. 

? There are plenty of fantastic attractions in Krakow you can discover by joining our 3days Krakow city break. ? Cracow City Break?

Photo: ogrodswiatel.pl

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World’s deepest diving pool opens in Poland

We’d like to share the good news for all diving enthusiasts that the world’s deepest diving pool, Deepspot, has opened in Poland! ??  ?

Deepspot is aptly named, this world’s deepest diving pool is about 45 meters deep and holds 8,000 cubic meters of water, which is equivalent to 27 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Besides, It features artificial underwater caves, faux Mayan ruins, and a sunken boat for divers to explore. Moreover, It also includes a hotel with rooms from which guests can watch divers at a depth of 5 meters, as well as a restaurant and several meeting rooms.

Located in the Polish town of Mszczonow, the Deepspot is only about 25 miles from the capital Warsaw. Although the majority of swimming pools in Poland remain closed amid the pandemic, the DeepSpot opened its doors to the public and offered training services for scuba divers. 

Photo: Michał Braszczyński/deepspot

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