Poland is blessed with stunning landscapes and wild nature. It boasts beautiful mountains and spectacular valleys, winding rivers, and breathtaking beaches. It is also a country of unique cultural heritage. You may know that Poland boasts some of the amazing sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites list, including the mysterious Wieliczka Salt Mine and the world’s largest brick gothic castle in Malbork. But have you heard about the seven wonders of Poland? They are selected from over 400 national monuments via a country-wide plebiscite in 2007, and some of them are added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List as well. Are you ready to reveal the answer to those seven wonders of Poland??
7 Kraków Market Square and Old Town
Kraków, the former capital of Poland is famous for having Europe’s largest market square. It occupies an area of about 4,000 square meters and dates back to the 13th century. Historic churches and townhouses surround this main square. Some of the famous buildings in the vicinity of the main square of the Old Town of Kraków are the Church of St. Adalbert and the Adam Mickiewicz Monument. Every year, visitors flocked from around the world, drawn by its beautiful Market Square and the Old Town dotted with magnificent historic architecture.
6 Zamość Old Town
Zamość is known as a pearl of the Renaissance’, dates back to the 16th century. It combines Italian and central European architectural traditions and its Renaissance character has been preserved until today. It’s a cathedral, ranks among the most outstanding accomplishments of late Renaissance architecture. The Renaissance town layout has been maintained and the bastion fortifications surrounded the town are a distinctive Renaissance type. The majority of buildings are tenements, which are also an example of the Renaissance period.
5 Elbląg Canal
Elbląg Canal is an 80.5 km long canal in Poland running southward from Lake Drużno to lake Jeziorak and river Drwęca. Small vessels with a displacement of 50 tons can be accommodated in the canal. The canal, famous for being related to the history of technology, is one of the country’s National Historic Monuments. Currently, the canal is mostly used for recreational activities.
4 Wawel Castle and Cathedral
King Casimir III the Great built the Wawel Castle, which is the country’s most important cultural and historical site that served as the residence of Poland’s kings for centuries and is thus the symbol of Polish statehood. It is a castle residency with many structures surrounding a central courtyard and houses two towers, the Danish Tower and the Hen’s Foot, which were added later. The exteriors of the castle were well-fortified with numerous defensive walls and towers. Now, the castle is home to one of the best art museums in the country.
The Wawel Cathedral adjoining the Royal Castle has witnessed many coronations, royal weddings, and funerals. Almost all of the Polish kings were crowned in Wawel Castle. The Cathedral is flanked by various chapels, Sigismund Chapel is among the most surprising which has been hailed by many art historians as “the most beautiful example of Tuscan renaissance north of the Alps”. At the top of its Tower, there is the most famous Polish bell – the massive Sigismund’s Bell. The Wawel Cathedral has been standing for nearly 1,000 years, is one of the most important sacred buildings in Poland.
3 Malbork Castle
Malbork Castle is the world’s largest brick castle and one of the most admired in Europe. Its medieval architectural composition has made this impressive castle, an example for Gothic buildings and medieval defense architecture development. It played an important historical role in medieval Europe and it is recognized as the most significant monument of Gothic brick architecture in Europe.
2 Toruń Old Town
Toruń is one of the oldest and charming cities in Poland, located on both banks of the Vistula River, at a site of intersection of ancient trade routes. Its medieval gothic town character, with a wide range of architectural masterpieces, had a significant influence on Eastern Europe’s urbanization process in the 13th and 14th centuries.
The Old Town of Torun and the New Town of Torun, combined with a castle was a unique medieval settlement agglomeration, which has been greatly preserved and untouched until today.
1 Wieliczka Salt Mine
The Wieliczka Salt Mine is located in the Wieliczka town in southern Poland, one of the oldest ones in the world. It was opened in the 13th century and continued to produce table salt until 2007. The mine is over 300 km long and thanks to dozens of statues and a chapel carved out of the rock salt it is a popular attraction. Visitors can also find a large chamber with salt walls, an underground lake and exhibits on the history of salt mining there. About 1.2 million people come annually to tour the 3.5 km of the mine passages open to tourists.
