LET'S EXPLORE POLAND

Copyright 1997 by the AngloPol Corporation

This series will take us through the cities, towns, villages and countryside of Poland, 
as well as give us insights into the rich history and culture of the nation.

Part 19

MAZOVIA AND EASTERN POLAND

Middle-Eastern Poland is a predominantly lowland country with plateaus and hilly landscapes towards its boundaries. The variety of landscape is truly overwhelming: the old Swietokrzyskie Mountains [Gory Swietokrzyskie], lesser plateaus [Wyzyna Lubelska and Wyzyna Krakowsko-Sandomierska] on both sides of the Vistula [Wisla] river with their picturesque network of ravines, the forest belt of Roztocze, rich in flora and fauna, and little rivers laboring their way through waterfalls; the valleys of three big rivers: the Vistula, the Bug and the Narew, flowing in their own fashion, not yet subdued by man in a straight-jacket of concrete; the largest marsh in Europe (Bagno Biebrza); the variable landscapes of Gostynin and Leczna-Wlodawa lake districts; magnificent forests: Puszcza Bialowieska, Puszcza Knyszynska and Puszcza Kampinoska, and numerous other forested areas with abundant species of flora and fauna.

There are several cities and towns in the region which no tourist should miss: Warsaw, Lublin, Zamosc, Bialystok, Kielce, Lodz, Plock and Torun with many interesting monuments of architecture and art, cultural centers, shopping and service facilities; smaller places famous for live folklore and finally the areas barely touched by civilization, where nature still lives by its own rules.

Polish tour operators offer a wide variety of activities not restricted to just sight-seeing, so that practically everyone can find something to satisfy their interests. The region is a paradise for nature lovers, fans of photo-safari, hunters, canoeists, sailors and anglers. One can also relax in one of the renowned health-spas and enjoy close contact with nature.

WARSAW--POLAND'S CAPITAL

We explored Warsaw earlier in this series, but as Poland's capital, hub and largest city, Warsaw is certainly worth another look as we visit the nation's middle eastern area.

Warsaw has now about 1,7 million inhabitants. The city is situated on both sides of the Vistula River in the central part of the Masovian Lowland [Nizina Mazowiecka]. It is a big center of industry, culture and science, attracting large numbers of tourists from Poland and abroad. Like the mythical bird Phoenix from ashes, Warsaw was reborn from the sea of ruins it had been at the end of the Second World War. It is now a modern city, but seven centuries of history have left impressions almost everywhere.

Tourists are usually interested in monuments of the past. Despite the destruction during the war there are many such monuments in Warsaw, as the majority of them have been completely rebuilt according to the old documents and drawings. Most of the monuments are situated in the Old Town and along the so-called Royal Route.

The Royal Castle [Zamek Krolewski] is now open to visitors. The former residence of Polish monarchs, a witness to the most important events in the history of Poland, has been reconstructed and once again has become the treasury of precious works of art and relics of the past. King Sigismund Vasa the Third looks down from his high column in Zamkowy Square. This monument, very characteristic of the landscape of the Old Town, is the oldest in Warsaw. It has been rebuilt after being destroyed during the war. A number of the reconstructed medieval buildings of the Old Town now house museums.

One should not miss the exhibition and film show in the Historical Museum of Warsaw located in the houses on the northern side of the Old Market Square. The old narrow streets and back-alleys, and the spacious Market Square with painters selling their works to the sound of an old street-organ, numerous coffee-houses and souvenir shops, which have retained a lot from the atmosphere of past centuries, all make the Old Town the most picturesque part of Warsaw.

The Royal Route leads from the Royal Castle south to Wilanow along famous streets of Warsaw: Krakowskie Przedmiescie, Nowy Swiat, Aleje Ujazdowskie. Numerous churches, palaces and residences now housing, among others, Warsaw University and the Academy of Fine Arts. as well as statues of famous Poles. The writer Adam Mickiewicz and astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus are located there.

Right next to the Royal Route are Victory Square with the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the stately building of the Opera House. The monument to the Heroes of Warsaw, called "Warsaw Nike" adorns the square on the other side of the Opera.

Lazienki, the former summer residence of the last king, Stanislaw August Poniatowski (1764-95), is situated on the escarpment of the Vistula. Beautiful Classic buildings, with the famous Palace on the Water, now a museum, are spread over a large park. In the upper part of the park is the statue of the famous Polish composer, Frederic Chopin (1810-49). Summer time visitors can enjoy open-air concerts of Chopin's music given every Sunday at the foot of the monument. Next to Lazienki Park is Belvedere-- former residence of the President.

The Royal Route terminates in Wilanow, the former Baroque residence of the Polish King Jan Sobieski the Third, the hero of the battle of Vienna in 1683. The Palace, one of the most beautiful in Poland, is now a museum, but also serves as a residence for visiting heads of states. Visitors can admire the rich interior of the Palace and the Gallery of Polish Portraits (16th-19th century). The palace buildings are surrounded by a large park; one of the buildings houses very interesting exhibitions of the Museum of Posters.

Warsaw is growing rapidly; new housing estates are being built, new thoroughfares and bridges connecting the two banks of the Vistula have been constructed and now the most needed development project--the Warsaw Subway--is gaining momentum.

Tourists are always cordially welcome in Warsaw. After sight-seeing and visits to numerous museums, one can spend the evening at a theater, a concert or a music festival, such as the Chopin International Competitions, Warsaw Autumn and the Jazz Jamboree, all of which are of international standing. The tourists may also choose from a variety of artistic, folklore and sport events, or spend the evening at a cabaret or a nightclub.

Recreation facilities with tennis courts, swimming pools, skating rings and horse tracks are located around Warsaw. Zalew Zegrzynski, a large artificial lake about 30 km. north of Warsaw, is suitable for all forms of water sport.

Warsaw offers its tourists modern hotel facilities, restaurants with Polish and international cuisine, souvenir shops and shops selling folk-art and craftsmen products.

IN THE LAND OF FORESTS AND FOLKLORE

The area north of Warsaw is mostly covered by forests. These are the remnants of the Kurpiowska Forest now divided into two complexes--White Forest [Puszcza Biala] between the Narew and the Bug rivers covering an area of 450 sq. km. and Green Forest [Puszcza Zielona] between the right tributaries of the Narew with an area of 500 sq. km. Pines dominate in both forests. The oldest trees are protected in nature reserves. The fauna is represented by wild boar, deer, fox, and the occasional elk or badger.

A lively folk culture adds to the attraction of the region. Traditional, richly decorated Kurpie wooden houses are still numerous in forest villages. Folk crafts such as weaving, embroidery, colored-paper cutting and Easter-egg painting are still cultivated. Women still wear traditional costumes on church holidays and during folklore events. A competition of Easter Palms is organized on Palm Sunday (one Sunday before Easter) in the village of Lyse.

Kadzidlo and Myszyniec are important centers of the Kurpie folklore, but the material culture of the region is best presented in the Skansen (an open-air museum) in Nowogrod near Lomza. The Kurpie Museum was created in 1927 and displays old Kurpie farmsteads with the original interiors and the equipment of bee-keepers, raftsmen and fishermen.

Lomza is an old Masovian town cultivating its old traditions. The Festival of Old Polish Culture with presentations of old Polish music, oratory competitions, Old Polish Fair and literary meetings, is organized there in May of every second year. The Gothic Cathedral from the 15-16th centuries and the exhibits in the Regional Museum (history, ethnography and collection of amber) are also worth seeing.

Pultusk, a very important town in the Middle Ages, is also situated on the bank of the Vistula. Here, in 1806, Napoleon fought an important battle against the Russian army. The name of this small town appears on the Arc de Triumphe in Paris. The former Bishops' Castle has become the seat of the Polonia Society.