Insight Guides Poland (Travel Guide eBook)

Insight Guides

Description

All you need to inspire every step of your journey.

From deciding when to go, to choosing what to see when you arrive, this Insight Guides book is all you need to plan your trip and experience the best of Poland, with in-depth insider information on must-see, top attractions like Wawel Castle and hidden cultural gems like the Bialowieza Forest.

·       Insight Guides Poland is ideal for travellers seeking immersive cultural experiences, from exploring the Chopin trail, to discovering the Great Mazurian Lakes
·       In-depth on history and culture: enjoy special features on festive foods and amber, all written by local experts
·       Includes innovative, unique extras to keep you up-to-date when you're on the move - this guide comes with a free eBook, and an app that highlights top attractions and regional information and is regularly updated with new hotel, bar, restaurant, shop and local event listings
·       Invaluable maps, travel tips and practical information ensure effortless planning, and encourage venturing off the beaten track
·       Inspirational colour photography throughout - Insight Guides is a pioneer of full-colour guide books
·       Inventive design makes for an engaging, easy reading experience

About Insight Guides: Insight Guides is a pioneer of full-colour guide books, with almost 50 years' experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides with user-friendly, modern design. We produce around 400 full-colour print guide books and maps, as well as phrase books, picture-packed eBooks and apps to meet different travellers' needs. Insight Guides' unique combination of beautiful travel photography and focus on history and culture create a unique visual reference and planning tool to inspire your next adventure.

Sujets

• Varsovia
• Guide book
• Travel
• Kraków
• Insight Guides
• Warsaw
• Poland
• Cracovie
• Europe

Informations

• Publié par: Apa Publications
• Date de parution: 01 mars 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781789193268
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 9 Mo

Extrait

How To Use This E-Book

Getting around the e-book
This Insight Guide e-book is designed to give you inspiration for your visit to Poland, as well as comprehensive planning advice to make sure you have the best travel experience. The guide begins with our selection of Top Attractions, as well as our Editor’s Choice categories of activities and experiences. Detailed features on history, people and culture paint a vivid portrait of contemporary life in Poland. The extensive Places chapters give a complete guide to all the sights and areas worth visiting. The Travel Tips provide full information on getting around, activities from culture to shopping to sport, plus a wealth of practical information to help you plan your trip.
In the Table of Contents and throughout this e-book you will see hyperlinked references. Just tap a hyperlink once to skip to the section you would like to read. Practical information and listings are also hyperlinked, so as long as you have an external connection to the internet, you can tap a link to go directly to the website for more information.
Maps
All key attractions and sights in Poland are numbered and cross-referenced to high-quality maps. Wherever you see the reference [map] just tap this to go straight to the related map. You can also double-tap any map for a zoom view.
Images
You’ll find hundreds of beautiful high-resolution images that capture the essence of Poland. Simply double-tap on an image to see it full-screen.
About Insight Guides
Insight Guides have more than 40 years’ experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides. We produce 400 full-colour titles, in both print and digital form, covering more than 200 destinations across the globe, in a variety of formats to meet your different needs.
Insight Guides are written by local authors, whose expertise is evident in the extensive historical and cultural background features. Each destination is carefully researched by regional experts to ensure our guides provide the very latest information. All the reviews in Insight Guides are independent; we strive to maintain an impartial view. Our reviews are carefully selected to guide you to the best places to eat, go out and shop, so you can be confident that when we say a place is special, we really mean it.

© 2019 Apa Digital (CH) AG and Apa Publications (UK) Ltd




Table of Contents
Poland’s Top 10 Attractions
Editor’s Choice
Introduction: The appeal of Poland
The Polish people
Decisive Dates
A glorious past
Dependency and division
Rebirth: The Second Republic
World War II and its aftermath
The Communist state
Poland today
Life in rural Poland
The Jews
The Catholics
The arts
Insight: Maintaining traditional culture
Food and Drink
Poland’s national parks
The environment
Introduction: Places
Introduction: Warsaw and Mazovia
Warsaw
Insight: The beauty of Łazienki Park
Through Mazovia
Insight: The spirit of Polish Romanticism
Introduction: Małopolska: Little Poland
Kraków
Through Little Poland
Karpaty
Introduction: Silesia
Upper Silesia and Katowice
Insight: Poland’s liquid assets
Wrocław and Lower Silesia
Introduction: Wielkopolska: Greater Poland
Poznań
Around Poznań
Introduction: The North
West Pomerania and Szczecin
Gdańsk
Around Gdańsk
Introduction: The Northeast
The Mazurian Lakes
Travel Tips: Transport
Travel Tips: A–Z
Travel Tips: Language
Travel Tips: Further Reading


Poland’s Top 10 Attractions



Top Attraction 1



Łazienki Park. Poland’s greatest public park is home to numerous palaces, and the city’s botanical gardens. Half of Warsaw visits on summer Sundays to enjoy free Chopin concerts. For more information, click here .
Gregory Wrona/Apa Publications


Top Attraction 2



Wawel Castle, Kraków. For centuries this was the seat of power of Polish kings. It towers over Kraków to this day, a symbol not just of the city but of Polish greatness. For more information, click here .
Dreamstime


Top Attraction 3



Morskie Oko. The largest and most beautiful lake in the breathtaking Tatras Mountains region. For more information, click here .
Dreamstime


Top Attraction 4



Gdańsk Shipyards. Spreading along the Mołtawa River, the wonderfully restored waterfront boasts magnificent historic buildings, imposing old cranes, elegant moored tall ships and the pedestranised Granary Island. For more information, click here .
iStock


Top Attraction 5



Białowieża forest. Take a walk on the wild side in the Białowieża primeval forest, where you may encounter bisons, lynxes, wolves and numerous bird species. For more information, click here .
iStock


Top Attraction 6



Słowiński National Park. The main attraction of this biosphere reserve is its shifting sand dunes, some reaching 40m- (131ft-) high, but there are also deer and wild boars, lakes and desolated beaches to look forward to. For more information, click here .
Gregory Wrona/Apa Publications


Top Attraction 7



Great Mazurian Lakes. The land of thousands of lakes, hills and dense forests is well suited to water sports, cycling and trekking. For more information, click here .
Gregory Wrona/Apa Publications


Top Attraction 8



Chopin trail. Immerse yourself in Fryderyk Chopin’s music and learn about the composer’s life at several museums across the country, starting with the spectacular Fryderyk Chopin’s Museum in Warsaw. For more information, click here .
Corbis


Top Attraction 9



Malbork Castle. The magnificent Gothic fortress is not only a great museum but also a venue of knight tournaments, sound and light shows, and the re-enactment of the castle’s siege every July. For more information, click here .
Gregory Wrona/Apa Publications


Top Attraction 10



Gniezno Cathedral. The biggest Gothic church in Poland stands in the centre of what was the first Polish capital. The highlight is a magnificent pair of Romanesque bronzed doors depicting the martyrdom of St. Wojciech. For more information, click here .
Gregory Wrona/Apa Publications


Editor’s Choice



Best cathedrals and churches

Kraków Cathedral . Kraków Cathedral is a Gothic masterpiece, worthy of as much time as you can afford it. Do not miss the Sigismund Chapel or the labyrinthine crypt. For more information, click here .
St. Mary’s Church, Kraków. The lush interior decoration of this 14th-century building was added over the course of the centuries by great artists of the day. Look out for frescoes by Veit Stoss and Jan Matejko. For more information, click here .
Tyniec Abbey. Sitting imposingly on the banks of the Vistula, the Benedictine Abbey at Tyniec plays host to a series of summer organ concerts. For more information, click here .
Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Starogard Szczeciński. This 13th-century pearl of Gothic architecture boasts a splendid rib-vaulted nave. For more information, click here .
Sękowa Church, near Gorlice. This Unesco Heritage Site is one of the finest examples of wooden architecture in Poland. For more information, click here .
Church of St Mary Magdalene, Wrocław. Famed for its Romanesque sandstone portal, which dates from the 12th century, St Mary’s is a triple-naved red-brick church with flying buttresses. For more information, click here .



The sumptuous carved altarpiece by master craftsman Veit Stoss at St Mary’s Church, Kraków.
Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications


Jewish history and culture

Museum of the History of Polish Jews , Warsaw. Housed in a magnificent building, this state-of-the-art museum tells the fascinating story of the Jewish presence in Poland. For more information, click here .
Festival of Jewish Culture, Kraków. Get a taste of Jewish culture, music, history and cuisine during the immensely popular festival held in Kazimierz, Kraków’s historic Jewish district. For more information, click here .
Jewish quarter, Tarnów. Take a stroll along Żydowska and Wekslarska streets to admire fabulous 17th- and 18th-century Jewish tenement houses. For more information, click here .
Old Synagogue, Kraków. Dating from the early 15th century and extended in the 16th, the synagogue’s façade is a mix of Gothic and Renaissance styles; inside is the Museum of the History and Culture of Jews in Kraków. For more information, click here .
Auschwitz. Now a place of pilgrimage and remembrance for Jews, Roma and any number of nationalities who suffered here, modern-day Auschwitz is a solemn yet compelling place that should be visited by all. For more information, click here .



The infamous Nazi death camp, Auschwitz, is now a Unesco World Heritage Site and museum.
Corrie Winga