Poland

Tatra County, in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship in central-southern Poland, is home to Tatra National Park, a national park situated in the Tatra Mountains.The town of Zakopane is home to the park's headquarters. Poland and Slovakia share a natural border with the Tatra Mountains to the north and south, and since the early 1900s, they have worked together to conserve the region. After Slovakia established a nearby national park, the region was subsequently named a transboundary biosphere reserve by UNESCO. One of Poland's most intriguing natural features is the Tatra Mountains. This tiny area of our lowland nation has risen significantly above the surrounding terrain. Here are the deepest caves and the highest peaks in Poland. Snowfall in the midst of summer is normal here. Deep postglacial lakes remain frozen for six months only here. This allows us to discover a lot of riches in the Tatras that aren't found anyplace else. Only here do the stone pine forests flourish, and the gentian, edelweiss, saxifrage, and pasque-flower bloom so abundantly. Only here do snowy voles, marmots, and chamois reside. Only in the Tatra Mountains did our forefathers succeed in eradicating bears, with the exception of the untamed Bieszczady Mountains. The only location where wallcreepers construct their nests in rock cracks is here. The backdrop of impassable mountain peaks is the only place where golden eagles appear so majestic. The distinctive culture of the Podhale highlanders (górale), which developed from the centuries-old pastoral heritage and the battle for life on the rocky terrain, is also seen in plenty here.The Tatra National Park is one of 23 national parks in Poland. It encompasses territory of 21 197 hectares - and as it forms one natural whole with Slovak parts of the Tatras, in total ca 100 000 hectares are protected. The highest peaks within the Park exceed 2400 meters above the sea level (Rysy, the highest peak in Poland: 2499 m).

Built in the 13th century and greatly rebuilt in the 14th, the Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork, also known as Malbork Castle (Polish: Zamek w Malborku; German: Ordensburg Marienburg), is a Brick Gothic castle complex situated in the town of Malbork, Poland. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the biggest castle in the world in terms of land area. It was named Marienburg in honor of Mary, the mother of Jesus, and was built in the shape of an Ordensburg fortification by the Teutonic Order, a German Catholic monastic order of crusaders. Bohemian mercenaries ceded the fortress to King Casimir IV of Poland in 1457 during the Thirteen Years' War as payment for indemnities.After a few years of Swedish rule, it continued to serve as the location of Polish offices and institutions and one of several Polish royal residences until the First Partition of Poland in 1772. After that, the castle was ruled by the Germans for more than 170 years until 1945, although it mostly fell into ruin as military technology made it only a historical landmark. Despite disagreements, most historians agree that the 132 years between 1274 and 1406 constitute the building period. When it was finished in 1406, the castle was the biggest brick fortification in the world and is a quintessential example of a medieval fortress.In December 1997, the Malbork Castle Museum and the "Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork" were named World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. Along with the 1231-founded "Medieval Town of Toruń," it is one of two World Heritage Sites in the north-central Poland region. On September 8, 1994, Malbork Castle was officially recognized as one of Poland's national historic monuments (Pomnik historii).The Polish National Heritage Board is in charge of maintaining its listing.  

The magnificent Gothic spires of St. Mary's Basilica, which have guarded Europe's second-largest market square for the past seven centuries, have come to represent Kraków and serve as a central theme in the tales that comprise the city's mythological and historical history. From the red-brick exterior to the interior ceiling art's yellow-specked starry murals, the church's façade's oddly mismatched towers, and the magnificent, painstakingly carved altar piece, this building exudes elegance and mystery. It is simultaneously both breathtaking and thought-provoking, and it is forever enmeshed in the folklore of this Slavic town.Prior to your arrival in Poland, you can purchase tickets for St. Mary's Basilica through Get Your Guide. Additionally, you can participate in a Kraków tour that includes a visit to the church and other important sites. The greatest method to learn more about what you are looking at is to do this. Access to around 40 other attractions is also provided with the KrakowCard.The current basilica, which was first constructed in the 13th century, was rebuilt in the 14th century as a result of the Mongol invasions that destroyed Kraków in 1259. When a lone trumpeter plays the so-called Hejnal Mariacki from the top of St. Mary's tallest tower, visitors are reminded hourly of the church's pivotal role in Cracovian history, in addition to the red medieval frontispiece and Gothic decorations that have come to define Polish cathedral architecture.This little trumpet song honors the now-famous Polish peasant who forewarned the city of an approaching Mongol invasion in the thirteenth century. Just as it is today to remember the tragic death of the city's valiant savior, who was immediately shot in the neck by a Mongol archer, Kraków was spared, but the trumpeter's song was interrupted.The legends don't end there, though, as is the case with most things Kraków. Another story is told by the two towers that make up the church's frontal façade. It is said that a horrific fratricide that swiftly put an end to building is the reason for their starkly disparate heights. According to the myth, two brothers were engaged to be architects—one on each tower—and jealously developed as one started to eclipse the other. The envious person killed his brother in a fit of rage, but as soon as he realized what he had done, he immediately jumped himself from the larger tower.

The most historically and culturally significant location in Poland is the Wawel Royal Castle (pronounced "Wawel") and the Wawel Hill where it is located. On the instructions of King Casimir III the Great, it was built as a fortified residence on the Vistula River in Kraków. Over the ages, it expanded into a variety of buildings centered on a Polish Renaissance courtyard. It embodies almost every architectural style from the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque eras in Europe.Standing 228 meters (748 feet) above sea level on a limestone outcrop on the left bank of the Vistula River, the castle is a component of a fortified architectural complex.The Wawel Cathedral, where Polish monarchs were crowned and interred, is one of the many structures of significant historical and national significance that make up the complex. In addition to the oldest instances of Romanesque and Gothic architecture in Poland, some of Wawel's oldest stone structures date back to 970 CE.Constructed in the fourteenth century, the present castle grew throughout the ensuing centuries. Wawel, which is a part of Kraków's Historic Center, was designated the first World Heritage Site in 1978.Wawel Castle, the home of Poland's monarchs for centuries and a representation of Polish nationalism, is currently one of the top art museums in the nation.Goldsmithing, arms and armor, ceramics, Meissen porcelain, period furniture, and a significant collection of Italian Renaissance paintings, prints, sculptures, and textiles, including the Sigismund II Augustus tapestry collection, are all part of the museum's ten curatorial departments, which were established in 1930. The greatest collection of Ottoman tents in Europe is part of the museum's collections of oriental art. The side chapels that were erected in subsequent years surround the cathedral, which was built in a trinavel fashion. The first of these chapels was constructed off the chancel; St. Margarita's chapel was dedicated in 1322 (it now serves as a sacristy), and a few years later the chapel that would later be called the Báthory Chapel was finished. Built during the time of Casimir IV Jagiellon (1440–1492), the cathedral's west entrance is flanked by two chapels: one devoted to the Holy Cross and the other to Queen Sophia, the final wife of Władysław II Jagiełło. The former is famous for its polychrome vaulted ceiling.Nineteen further side chapels were constructed or renovated starting at the end of the 15th century.