Discover Poland - Visit Poland - LOVE POLAND!

Welcome

Welcome to Love Poland, your online guide to discovering this beautiful country located in Central Europe. From Poland's lake district Masuria with over 2,000 lakes to true wilderness areas like The Bialowieza Forest to the stunning Tatra Mountains, you will find that Poland has something to offer every visitor.

With large natural forest, Poland is a bird-watcher's paradise and Northern Poland caters for Beach lovers. Poland is home to spectacular mountain ranges, the world's oldest operating salt mines, fantastic landscapes, caves, historical monuments, cities with a vibrant nightlife and much more...

Poland is a large country in Central Europe. It has a long Baltic Sea coastline and is bordered by Belarus, the Czech Republic, Germany, Lithuania, Russia, Slovakia, and Ukraine and is therefore an ideal central point to explore the, 'Wild East', Germany and Scandinavia.

Poland has a long and very interesting history. The first cities in today's Poland, Kalisz and Elbląg on the Amber Route to the Baltic Sea, were mentioned by Roman writers in the first century AD, but the first Polish settlement in Biskupin dates even further back to the 7th century BC.

Poland was first united as a country in the first half of the 10th century, and officially adopted Catholicism in 966 AD. The first capital was in the city of Gniezno, but a century later the capital was moved to Kraków, where it remained for half a millenium until moving to Warsaw.

Many of WWII's most infamous war crimes were committed by both the Soviets and Nazis on Polish territory, with the latter committing the vast majority of them. Polish civilians opposed to either side's rule were ruthlessly rounded up, tortured, and executed. Nazi Germany established both concentration and extermination camps on Polish soil, where many millions of Europeans were ruthlessly murdered; of these Auschwitz is perhaps the most infamous. The camps have become a place of pilgrimage for survivors, their families and all who wish to travel to remember the Holocaust. Auschwitz is a memorial rather than a tourist attraction; however it is one of the most visited places in Poland and many who visit describe the experience as, 'life changing'.

Poland is split up into 5 distinct areas:

Central Poland: (Łódzkie, Mazowieckie, Wielkopolskie, and Kujawsko-Pomorskie) - A varied landscape and the location of Europe's largest natural forest, profusion of wildlife, bird-watcher's paradise, inland dunes, the enormous cityscapes of Warsaw and Lódz.

Northern Poland: (Pomeranian (Pomorskie), Warmian-Masurian (Warmińsko-Mazurskie), and West Pomeranian (Zachodnipomorskie)) - Home to Poland's attractive seaside; sandy beaches with dunes and cliffs; lakes, rivers and forests.

Western Poland: (Lubuskie, Lower Silesian (Dolnośląskie), and Opolskie).

Eastern Poland: (Podlaskie and Lublin (Lubelskie)) - Unique primeval forests and picturesque backwaters (e.g. Biebrza river) with protected bird species make the region increasingly interesting for tourists.

Southern Poland: (Małopolskie, Silesian (Śląskie), Subcarpathian (Podkarpackie), and Świętokrzyskie) - Home to spectacular mountain ranges, the world's oldest operating salt mines, fantastic landscapes, caves, historical monuments and cities. The magnificent medieval city of Kraków is a major metropolitan centre.

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The countryside throughout Poland is lovely and relatively unspoiled. Poland has a variety of regions with beautiful landscapes and small-scale organic and traditional farms. Travellers can choose different types of activities such as bird watching, cycling or horseback riding.

Culturally, you can visit and / or experience many churches, museums, ceramic and traditional basket-making workshops, castle ruins, rural centers and many more. A journey through the Polish countryside gives you a perfect opportunity to enjoy and absorb local knowledge about its landscape and people.

There are a lot of big cities in Poland that are worth seeing. Most of them have a flourishing medieval history:

• Warsaw — the biggest city and capital of Poland, and one of the EU's thriving new business centers. The old town, demolished during World War II, has been rebuilt in a style inspired by classicist paintings of Canalletto.
• Katowice — the largest city in Polish Silesia which is both an important commercial hub and a centre of culture.
• Kraków — the "cultural capital" of Poland, and its historical capital during its formative years in the Middle Ages. In modern times Krakow became one of the largest tourism centers in Europe. The historical center is filled with old churches and many monuments, the largest European medieval market-place, and plenty of magical pubs and cafes; all attract millions of visitors from around the world each year. Its location is a great starting point for trips of any kind.
• Łódź — once renowned for its textile industries, the "Polish Manchester" has the longest walking street in Europe, the Piotrkowska Street, full of picturesque 19th-century architecture.
• Wrocław — the old Silesian city; it was also destroyed during World War II and successfully rebuilt. Placed on 12 islands, it has more bridges than any other European town except Venice, Amsterdam and Hamburg (which has more than the other two combined).
• Poznan — the merchant city, considered to be the birthplace of the Polish nation and church (along with Gniezno). Presents a mixture of architecture from all epoques : from pre-romanesque to modern buildings. Vibrant night life and many historical monuments make it an interesting stop for tourists.
• Gdańsk — one of the old, beautiful European cities, right on the Baltic coast. Although it was destroyed in World War II, it has been perfectly rebuilt. The city is a good departure point to the many sea resorts along the north coast.
• Szczecin — one of the most important cities in Pomerania since the Middle Ages. An enormous harbour, monuments and old parks in the centre, museums, etc.

We hope you enjoyed this brief introduction to discovering Poland. Please browse through our website for more detailed information about visiting Poland and getting the most out of your stay.