Top 13 Travel Attractions in Poland according to Lonely Planet 13. Białowieża Forest Białowieża Forest is the last remains of the primeval forestry which once covered most of Europe at the end of the last ice age, which has never been completely deforested. It contains several species of fauna which were once native in forests throughout Europe, but which have now been mostly eradicated. 12. Sampling Vodka For most Poles, the day-to-day tipple of choice is beer. But when it comes time to celebrate, someone's bound to break out the vodka. And once that bottle is on the table, you can put to rest any notion about having a convivial cocktail. No one leaves until the bottle is finished. 11. Black Madonna Pilgrimage Częstochowa is known for the famous Pauline monastery of Jasna Góra, which is the home of the Black Madonna painting, a shrine to the Virgin Mary. Every year, millions of pilgrims from all over the world come to Częstochowa to see it. 10. Folk Architecture If the word 'skansen', referring to an open-air museum of folk architecture, isn't a regular part of your vocabulary yet, it will be after your trip to Poland. These great gardens of log cabins and timbered chalets make for a wonderful ramble and are a testament to centuries of peasant life in Poland. 9. Gothic Toruń Toruń is a beautiful, medieval city in North-Western Poland, situated on the Vistula River. Its architecture has managed to escape bombing during World War II, and as such represents one of the only examples of true gothic architecture in Poland. 8. Wolf's Lair Wolf's Lair was Adolf Hitler's first Eastern Front military headquarters in World War II. The complex, which would become one of several Führerhauptquartiere located in various parts of occupied Europe, was built for the start of Operation Barbarossa - the invasion of the Soviet Union - in 1941. 7. Malbork Castle The Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork is the largest castle in the world by surface area, and the largest brick building in Europe. It was built in Prussia by the Teutonic Knights, a German Roman Catholic religious order of crusaders, in a form of an Ordensburg fortress. 6. Baltic Beaches The season may be brief and the sea one of Europe's nippiest, but if you're looking for a dose of sand, there are few better destinations than the Baltic's cream-white beaches. Many people come for the strands along one of the many coastal resorts, be it hedonistic Darłówko, genteel Świnoujście or the spa town of Kołobrzeg. 5. Great Masurian Lakes The Masurian Lake District or Masurian Lakeland (Polish: Pojezierze Mazurskie; German: Masurische Seenplatte) is a lake district in northeastern Poland within the geographical region of Masuria. It contains more than 2,000 lakes. The lakes are well connected by rivers and canals, forming an extensive system of waterways. 4. Wrocław Wrocław is the largest city in Lower Silesia in Poland. Wrocław is also the historic capital of Silesia and it has changed hands repeatedly over the centuries. At different points throughout history, Wrocław has been in the Kingdom of Poland, Bohemia, the Austrian Empire, Prussia and Germany. 3. Gdańsk Gdańsk is a city in Poland on the Baltic Sea. It is the capital of Pomerania. Gdańsk with nearby Sopot and Gdynia are often referred as Tricity. Gdańsk is considered the most beautiful city on the Baltic Sea and has magnificent architecture. Its position on the Baltic has historically made Gdańsk one of the most important port cities in Northern Europe, and tragically also the scene of a rather disturbing past. 2. Warsaw's Palaces Images of elegant palaces don't immediately come to mind when thinking of Poland's capital. After all, the city was flattened by the Germans in WWII. But that's where Warsaw really surprises. From Łazienki Park's lovely 'Palace on the Water' to stately Wilanów Palace, a veritable Varsovian version of Versailles on the city's outskirts, Warsaw sports an elegant side that people rarely see. 1. Stately Kraków The city of Kraków is in the lowland of the Lesser Poland region in the southern region of Poland. It is the capital city of the Lesser Poland Voivodship. It covers both banks of the Wisla river. Uplands region at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains. It is Poland's second largest city, with a population of 756,000 in 2007. SUBSCRIBE http://www.youtube.com/videovoyagetv?sub_confirmation=1 CONNECT Website: http://videovoyage.tv Google+: http://google.com/+videovoyagetv Twitter: http://twitter.com/videovoyagetv Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/videovoyagetv Instagram: http://instagram.com/videovoyagetv Tumblr: http://videovoyagetv.tumblr.com Facebook: http://facebook.com/videovoyagetv YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/videovoyagetv

• published: 21 Aug 2014
• views: 210