Summer Hotspots: Poland

Through these photographs taken with my little Olympus XA2, I'll tour you around three important cities in Poland that I visited last summer: Warsaw, Krakow and Gdansk, all rich in history, art, and architecture. I made this four-day trip in August 2015, flying from Milan, Italy to Warsaw and then via train to reach the other two cities.

On the first day, I arrived at the Warsaw Chopin Airport in the morning, reaching my hotel by midday. I dedicated the remaining part of the day to visiting the Old Town ("Stare Miasto" in Polish language). This historical center is included in the UNESCO World Heritage list and is filled with restaurants, cafes, shops, and medieval architecture. In the third photo below, you can see the Market Place, considered as the true heart of the Old Town, which houses the bronze sculpture know as "The Warsaw Mermaid" that has served as symbol of the city since 1855. In the last photo, you can see the birthplace of the Nobel Prize winner Maria Skłodowska-Curie and a mural that shows the radioactive elements she discovered: Polonium and Radium. Her home is now a museum which is definitely worth a visit.

The second series of photos were taken in Krakowskie Przedmieście (literally "Kraków suburb"). As one of the most important streets in the city, it is surrounded by many historic palaces, churches, and manor-houses. The first image in this series shows the Church of St. Joseph of the Visitationists, an important example of Polish rococo churches. Outside the church, there was an exhibition of writing and drawings to remember the horror of World War II.

The skyscrapers along Warsaw Central Train Station show the modern side of the city.

During the summer season, there's an event that takes place every Sunday in the wonderful Lazienki Park: a piano tribute to Polish composer Frederic Chopin. Every morning and evening, thousands of people can listen to wonderful live performances of the most important piano works of this great artists thanks to the loudspeakers placed around the area. After the concert, you can enjoy a nice walk in this immense park.

I dedicated the first and third day of my trip to visit the capital city of Warsaw. On the second day, I took the early morning train to reach one of the most ancient and beautiful Polish cities: Krakow. I stayed here until late afternoon. It was a Saturday so the city was crowded with locals and tourists. Because of this, it was very difficult to take nice photos of this wonderful city, its large Main Square, and the wonderful gallery of the Cloth Hall, one of the most recognizable buildings in the city which dates back to the Renaissance. The last image of the series was taken in the Kazimierz, a historical district of Krakow with a presence of a small Jewish community.

A visit to Krakow is not complete without going to the Wawel Castle situated on a hill. This is the site of the Royal Castle and the Cathedral.

The last day of my trip was dedicated to Gdansk, a city situated on the Baltic coast. It was a weekday so there were few tourists, which gave me an opportunity to take many photos. The first series of photos was taken in the Old Town: a pretty city center linedb with colorful streets. This part of the city suffered a large-scale destruction during World War II and was rebuilt during the 1950s and 1960s to resemble its original landscape.

Just outside the historical center, I took photographs of the city view and its river Motlava, a branch of the Vistula River that runs through all the three cities that I visited.

If you are in this city, the Gdansk Shipyard is worth a visit. It is in this place where the Polish trade union "Solidarnosc" was founded on September 17, 1980 under the leadership of Lech Walesa. This was the beginning of a new era that ended with the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the Eastern Block after ten years.

A final tip: To visit the main cities of Poland, you don't need a car. There is a fast, reliable, and comfortable Intercity railway service that links the most important places of this country.

written by sirio174 on 2016-11-14 #places #summer #poland #warsaw #krakow #gdansk #regular-contributor #summer-hotspots