Tag Archive for: Warsaw DMC

Do you know that Białystok is one of the best places in Poland to live? According to the latest Report on the Quality of life in European Cities by the European Commission, Białystok is a remarkably safe city that 91% of residents surveyed say they feel safe walking alone at night in the city, a figure that is well above the average of 75% across the EU. Moreover, 94% of those surveyed said they hadn’t had money or property stolen in the last 12 months, while the EU average is 83%. Besides safety, Białystok is in the top 3 on the cleanliness of the city among 83 EU cities that 92% of residents surveyed are satisfied with the cleanliness in the city.

With a population of almost 300,000, Białystok is the capital of the Podlaskie Voivodeship, which is known as “the Green Lungs of Poland”. Its rich natural resources and the varied landscape make contributions to a good living environment. Białystok is not only a good place to live but also an ideal place to visit.

If you are a nature lover, then Bialystok is an excellent base where you can walk deep into the wilderness of the Białowieża Primeval Forest to see the king of the forest – the bison, admire the unspoiled, wild nature of the Biebrza river valley where is home to hundreds of species of birds and other wild animals. These wonderful natural landscapes are perfect for people wanting to switch to a slower pace of life.

Besides its natural beauty, Bialystok is also full of numerous historical sites. You can start off in the historical Old Town Square known as the Rynek Kościuszki, and then visit the stunning Branicki Palace to admire its Baroque architecture and fantastic French-style gardens. Make sure to admire the Neo-Gothic Bialystok Cathedral located In the center of town, which is known for its sheer magnitude and its lofty vaults.

Photo: Wojciech Wójcik

? Congratulations to 2️⃣ Polish museums that have been nominated for the European Museum of the Year Award 2021(EMYA), which is the longest-running and most prestigious museum award in Europe.

They are the Czartoryski Museum and Thesaurus Cracoviensis, both located in Krakow, one of the prettiest and historical cities of Poland.

Founded in 1796 by Princess Izabela Czartoryska, the Czartoryski Museum is one of the country’s oldest museums and boasts the city’s richest art collection, the most famous of which is the painting “Lady with an Ermine” by Leonardo da Vinci. Apart from numerous precious paintings, the museum also has an excellent collection of weaponry and antiques from Greece, Rome and Egypt. After a thorough renovation, the museum has reopened in December 2019 as a branch of the National Museum.

Thesaurus Cracoviens is one of the first and largest modern central collection warehouses with more than 172,000 exhibits on an area of over 2000 m2, where people can not only enjoy museum collections that have had not been exhibited so far, but learn about the secrets of art conservation techniques.

In addition to the Krakow museums, there are plenty of fantastic attractions and stories in Krakow you can discover by joining our ? 3days Krakow city break.?

Photo: muzeumkrakowa.pl

Thanks to the list of 21 places to go in 2021 compiled by The Guardian, we got some of the new inspiration for travel destinations. And one of them is the city of Łódź in the centre of Poland.

Many people might tend to visit the big cities like Warsaw and Krakow on their first trip to Poland, but a visit to Łódź will show a completely different side of the country.

Located 120 kilometers south-west of Warsaw, Łódź is the third-largest city in Poland and famous as the former textile industrial center that grew fabulously wealthy in the 19th century. The wealth differences between rich and poor are still noticeable in the architecture of the city, where luxurious mansions stand in stark contrast to redbrick factories and old tenement houses. Over time the city boomed again after World War II and has been transformed into a modern, pluralistic and avant-garde city, which was named the UNESCO Creative Cities Network as a “City of Film“ in 2017. Many of its former industrial spaces are now bars, restaurants and shops, one of the most famous of these is Manufaktura, which is the biggest shopping center in Central Europe and was built in an old factory complex that belonged to Izrael Poznanski, one of the richest businessman in Łódź. Besides, the city also features the longest promenade in Poland and one of the longest shopping streets in Europe, where people can find the best cafes, bars, and clubs in town.

Apart from its fascinating industrial heritage site, Łódź is also a multicultural city in which Polish, Jewish, German and Russian nations lived and worked together here. In an atmosphere of acceptance and tolerance, they left their mark on the early development of Łódź and become part of this beautiful city they were building together. For years Łódź had been a melting pot of four cultures and nationalities, where synagogues, tserkvas, as well as Catholic and Protestant shrines got along well with each other in peace.

Today, known for its Film School, Łódź is also a significant cultural center and aptly described as the country’s top cultural hotspot in Poland. With the distinct characters of buildings and the abundant art activities, there is no shortage of exciting things to do in Łódź.

? Check out our ? Lodz City Break? to find more multicultural heritage and charming attractions with us.

Kraków is a city filled with stunning architecture and legends, some of which have become the symbol of the city today such as the trumpet call played from the highest tower of Saint Mary’s Church in Kraków.?? ?

Like so many places in this charming city, the St Mary church is shrouded in mystery and legend. One of the well-known legends is the iconic trumpet call which is played every hour on the hour, four times in succession in each of the four cardinal directions, by a trumpeter on the highest tower of the ancient church. Although the earliest written mention of the appears of the trumpet dates from 1392, the most popular legend about the trumpet call comes from a story in the 13th century which tells a brave city guard who saved Kraków from a Tatar invasion.

Centuries ago, the high church tower served as a watchtower where a trumpeter stood guard and played the trumpet call at sunrise and sunset to give the signal to open and close the city gates or to warn the townspeople of fire or invasion. In 1241, when Mongol troops were approaching the gates of Kraków, a watchful guard noticed the enemy and blew the trumpet immediately, so that the gates were shut before they arrived. In the middle of the melody, a Tatar arrow pierced his throat and broke the alarm, but the city was saved. To commemorate the event, every day the trumpeter played the same melody from the four sides of the tower, and the tune always breaks in mid-note where the brave guardsman finished many centuries ago.

Today, the melody is not merely known to almost every Pole, but it was famous in the world after it was played by almost 2,000 trumpeters from all over the world and listed in the Guinness Book of Records in 2000. Lately, Kraków is looking for a new trumpeter to join a seven-person team and continue the 600-year-old tradition. Have you ever heard of the live trumpet call from the most beautiful market square of Kraków? I wonder how you feel about this living legend.?

If you haven‘t been to Kraków, you are welcome to join our ? 3days Krakow city break? to explore and enjoy the charm of the city.?

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