POLAND
Most of the major cities boast lovely old centres and a range of splendid buildings, some of them World Heritage sites. Many old quarters were heavily damaged or even destroyed in WWII bombings, but were meticulously rebuilt after the war, using the original bricks and ornaments where possible. Although remains of the Soviet Union and even scars of the Second World War are visible in most of them, the Polish cities offer great historic sight seeing while at the same time they have become modern, lively places. The capital, Warsaw, has one of the best old centres and its many sights include the ancient city walls, palaces, churches and squares. You can follow the Royal Route to see some of the best landmarks outside the old centre. The old city of Kraków is considered the country's cultural capital, with another gorgeous historic centre, countless monumental buildings and a few excellent museums. Just 50 km from there is the humbling Auschwitz concentration camp which, due to the horrible events it represents, leaves an impression like no other World Heritage site does. The ancient Wieliczka salt mine is another great daytrip from Krakow. Poznańis a underestimated place, but definitely worth a visit. With oldest Cathedral in Poland which is also 2nd biggest necropolis of polish kings and rulers, a beautiful Renaissance town hall with fiery 2 billy goats (can be seen only at 12:00/ noon), picturesque Town Hall and XXth century Imperial Castle - just to mention few attractions - makes great impression on most of the visitors. Once a Hanseatic League-town, the port city of Gdańsk boasts many impressive buildings from that time. Here too, a walk along the Royal Road gives a great overview of notable sights. Wrocław, the former capital of Silesia, is still less well-known but can definitely compete when it comes to amazing architecture, Centennial Hall being the prime example. Its picturesque location on the river Oder and countless bridges make this huge city a lovely place. The old town of Zamość was planned after Italian theories of the "ideal town" and named "a unique example of a Renaissance town in Central Europe" by UNESCO. The stunning medieval city of Toruń has some great and original Gothic architecture, as it is one of the few Polish cities to have escaped devastation in WWII. Other interesting cities include Poznań and Lublin.
Cities:
Będzin, Bełchatów, Biała Podlaska, Białystok, Bielsko-Biała, Bydgoszcz, Bytom, Chełm, Chorzów, Częstochowa, Dąbrowa Górnicza, Elbląg, Ełk, Gdańsk, Gdynia, Gliwice, Głogów, Gniezno, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Grudziądz, Inowrocław, Jastrzębie Zdrój, Jaworzno, Jelenia Góra, Kalisz, Katowice, Kędzierzyn-Koźle, Kielce, Konin, Koszalin, Kraków, Łódź, Legionowo, Legnica, Leszno, Łomża, Lubin, Lublin, Mielec, Mysłowice, Nowy Sącz, Olsztyn, Opole, Ostrołęka, Ostrów Wielkopolski, Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, Pabianice, Piekary Śląskie, Piła, Piotrków Trybunalski, Płock, Poznań, Pruszków, Przemyśl, Puławy, Racibórz, Radom, Radomsko, Ruda Śląska, Rybnik, Rzeszów, Siedlce, Siemianowice Śląskie, Słupsk, Sosnowiec, Stalowa Wola, Starachowice, Stargard, Suwałki, Świdnica, Świętochłowice, Szczecin, Tarnobrzeg, Tarnów, Tarnowskie Góry, Tczew, Tomaszów, Mazowiecki, Toruń, Tychy, Wałbrzych, Warsaw, Włocławek, Wodzisław, Śląski, Wrocław, Zabrze, Zamość, Zawiercie, Zgierz, Zielona Góra, Żory.
