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? Polonaise dance is likely to be inscribed on the List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity!? The dance is among five historic national dances of Poland, often considered the most traditional Polish dance and one of the few that we still dance today. Though it’s a peasant dance in origin, it gained popularity among the nobility and townspeople in later centuries.

Polonaise is danced in pairs, slow and dignified. The most common form of Polonaise is the procession, in which the pairs are arranged one after the other. In the past, the dance had a ceremonial function that the nobles performed this dance to express their tribute and respect for the monarch. Moreover, not only was the dance present at the royal court, but you can find it in the music of great composers like Fryderyk Chopin as well. Today, the Polonaise still retains its ceremonious function on the occasion of extraordinarily formal dance events, particularly at weddings and the senior prom, so-called “studniówka”.

Polish national dances were deeply immersed in the Polish culture and had become an integral part of it. So far, the preparation of the application to the Polish Committee on Intangible Heritage is already at the final stage. Regardless of the result, the Polonaise dance will always remain a classic in Poland.

Photo: poland.pl

As the first step of easing coronavirus restrictions, shopping malls, museums and art galleries around Poland were set to reopen on this Monday.? It’s good news for all the travelers who are in or planning to visit Poland. For example, the National Museum in Krakow and its branches are ready to welcome its visitors from Tuesday, February 2, including the Sukiennice Museum, the Czartoryski Museum, and the Main Building of the National Museum.

The Sukiennice Museum is also called the Gallery of 19th-Century Polish Art at Sukiennice, which is housed on the historical Cloth Hall in the center of the Main Market Square in Old Town Kraków since 1883. The gallery contains four rooms and focuses solely on Polish paintings and sculptures dating from the 18th and 19th centuries, some of the paintings are huge and all of them are adorned with lavishly–framed.

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.

Established in 1897, the National Museum in Krakow is a top-notch institution for all fans of sophisticated art. It contains three permanent exhibitions, of which the most interesting is the exhibit of 20th and 21st century Polish Art featuring nearly 500 works by Poland’s leading modern artists.

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

Photo: mnk.pl

Today is the 76th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau. To commemorate the end of the tragedy of the Holocaust that occurred during the Second World War, January 27 was officially designated as International Holocaust Remembrance Day by the United Nations. 

76 years ago today, the largest of the German Nazi concentration camps and extermination centers was liberated. Auschwitz is located in southern Poland and was run by Nazi Germany during its occupation of Poland, where there are over 1.1 million people falling victim to the Nazi death factories. Today Auschwitz-Birkenau is a memorial and museum and the only place of its kind that has been added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List. For visitors, It’s a place to gain a deeper understanding of the Holocaust and the Nazi concentration camps, to see thousands of preserved objects and well-preserved sites, to learn about living conditions and the tragic fate of Auschwitz prisoners.

On the occasion of the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we pay tribute to all the victims of the Holocaust, and we will never forget the history behind Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Healed as “The land of a thousand lakes”, Masuria is a picturesque region of more than a thousand lakes that attracts a large number of water sports enthusiasts even in winter. One of the region’s biggest cities, Giżycko is a popular holiday destination for water sports enthusiasts and is the largest sailing center in the lakes, situated between the lakes of Niegocin and Kisajno in the heart of the Masuria.

The town of Giżycko boasts over 100 lakes and offers absolutely breathtaking views of the surrounding wilderness, it’s attractive not only in summer but also in winter. While in summer the lakes is a nice place to relax in the sun, go sailing, and kayaking, in winter they often become frozen solid with thick which provide excellent conditions for ice yachting. National and international ice-boat competitions are arranged there almost every weekend, that includes Poland’s Ice-boat Championships which have been held every year since 1951. It’s easy to find local offices that offer various training courses on ice-boating and to rent ice boats and other equipment. Fly in an ice boat on the frozen lake, you are going to be blown away by this incredible experience. Moreover, taking a sleigh ride across the forest and the lake is also a great opportunity to feel the magic of Mother Nature.

Apart from the natural landscape, there is a multitude of historical places you can visit as well, such as the 14th-century Teutonic castle and the 19-century Boyen Fortress. When you are done with various activities of the day, the town also offers a multitude of charming restaurants and bars, featuring a cozy and comfortable atmosphere, where you can relax and enjoy a good meal.

Photo: mojegizycko.pl

If you love snow and ice, cold fresh air, and want to spend some time in a beautiful, historic mountain village in Europe, then a small town of Zakopane in Poland is a perfect destination for you. Not only is it known for ski resorts, but it also features Poland’s largest snow maze, which is bigger than 10 tennis courts and was pieced together by using over 60,000 ice blocks.

This giant snow maze covers an area of over 3000 square meters, surrounded by 2-meter tall walls made of snow and ice and it boasts dozens of winding alleys that make people feel disoriented. But there is no need to panic, you can get help from strangers who might stand on a high place and shout out directions to you. It’s better to wear a brightly colored coat so that you could be spotted more easily by others, if you are not sure you would find the right direction all the time by yourself. By night, the maze is lit up with colorful illumination, creating a magical atmosphere. In addition to the maze, there are many interesting attractions made of snow and ice that you can find in the Snowlandia Winter Theme Park in the capital of the Tatra Mountains. If you have seen the Disney movie “Frozen”, you will be fascinated by a 16-meter high Snow Castle that features chambers, secret passages, tunnels through which you can get to a tower or terrace from which a beautiful view extends. There is also a Palace of the Snow Queen full of exquisite ice sculptures, where you can sit on her ice throne, lie on an ice bed or warm up by the ice fireplace. 

With the largest snow maze in Poland and many attractions made of snow, Snowlandia Park is a winter wonderland park suitable for everyone, especially for the whole family.

Photo: snowlandia.pl