ATTRACTIONS OF OPOLE CITY AMPHITHEATRE / NATIONAL CENTRE FOR POLISH SONGS Amongst the more appealing landmarks in the city is the amphitheatre. Since June 1963 (with the exception of 1982 and 2010), a renowned Polish festival, the National Festival of Polish Song, has been staged here. This witnesses the gathering of the best-known stars of the Polish music scene, as well as newcomers. The amphitheatre also is the venue for concerts, comedies and various other mass events. http://www.ncpp.opole.pl/ PIAST TOWER Piast Tower represents what is left of Piast Castle – this was situated on an island in the Odra (Oder) River, Pasieka, in the part referred to as Ostrówek. It ranks amongst the oldest monuments of defensive architecture in Poland and is symbolic of Opole and Opole Voivodship. In 2013-2014, the tower was renovated, the most thorough undertaking since the 1930s. The main goal of this was not just repair itself, but also conversion of the structure for touristic purposes. http://www.wiezapiastowska.pl/the-piast-tower CASTLE POND WITH FOUNTAIN The Castle Pond, on Barlickiego Street, with its large fountain was built in the nineteenth century, at the site of the ancient moat. Next to the pond you will find Ice House, constructed in 1909 - an initiative of the Society of Figure Skating. After the war, the house became a PTTK shelter. Nowadays, it is a restaurant. In 2013, a multimedia musical fountain was launched here. Multimedia Fountain presentations can be viewed daily from May 1, at noon, 6.30 pm and 9.30 pm. THE OPOLE OPEN-AIR MUSEUM OF RURAL ARCHITECTURE This is the sole open-air museum of Opole Voivodship, and one of merely four of such museums located within the historical boundaries of Silesia. During 50-year existence this museum has amassed a rich collection of historic wooden architecture from the Opole Silesia region, which – in connection with the museum’s wide array of attractions, such as outdoor events, exhibitions, competitions and shows – makes it one of the region’s most unique attractions. http://www.muzeumwsiopolskiej.pl/en FOUNTAIN – OPOLE’S CERES Fountain – Opole’s Ceres can be found in Daszyńskiego Square which was built between 1904 and 1907. Previously, it was named Frederic Square. Until the nineteenth century, there were suburban gardens and fields. On top of the fountain is Ceres, the goddess of fertility. At her feet, figures can be seen that symbolize the Opole cement industry (a man with a pickaxe), fishing (nets) and agriculture (two women with sheaves and fruits). BRIDGE OF CENT The Bridge of Cent, also known as “Green”, was constructed in 1906. Originally, it was a simple bridge; it was the site of an earlier crossing. The name of the bridge refers to the cent of toll charged for passage. A steel structure, in Art Nouveau style (floral ornaments), characterizes most of the bridge. OPOLE’S VENICE Opole’s Venice is part of Młynówka - a natural branch of the Odra (Oder) River which extends from the Cathedral Bridge to the Castle Bridge. In fact, it constitutes an ancient river bed of the Odra. The name “Młynówka” is linked to the mills that used to stand along the river. This part of Opole is the most beautiful in the evenings, when houses lit by electric light are reflected in the waters of Młynówka. OGRÓD ZOOLOGICZNY W OPOLU OPOLE ZOO Opening hours: from May 1: 10 am-6 pm http://www.zoo.opole.pl/strona/1/aktualnosci.html ATTRACTIONS AT WROCŁAW Access: By train: 1 hour ride By car: 1 hour drive; motorway A4 THE MARKET SQUARE The historical centre of the city is the favourite meeting place of Wrocław inhabitants and visitors alike. The Wroclaw Market Square covers almost 3.8 hectares and ranks amongst the largest old market sites in Poland (even larger ones can be found at Kraków and Olecko). The late Gothic City Hall with its 66-m tall tower is the grandest building of its type in the country. Underground is Piwnica Świdnicka, one of the oldest restaurants in Europe. http://www.wroclaw.pl/en/the-market-square CENTENNIAL HALL The Centennial Hall (Hala Stulecia) is an exceptional place on the map of Poland, considered to be one of the more important works in world architecture of the twentieth century. For many years, this has been a place for sports events and concerts and until the 1990s the cinema Gigant used to be here. The Lower Silesian Opera (Opera Dolnośląska) regularly stages performances here. In 1997, the Eucharistic Congress, with the participation of Pope John Paul II, took place in the Centennial Hall, and in the summer of 2012, the International Cultural Congress was organised in a thoroughly renovated building. Since 2006, the Centennial Hall has been on the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage list. http://www.wroclaw.pl/en/centennial-hall-hala-stulecia ZOO — ZOOLOGICAL GARDEN AT WROCŁAW The city’s zoo was set up in 1865 and at the start occupied around a dozen hectares. It was only in the 1950s that it more than doubled its areal extent. Today it hosts five thousand animals, on 33 hectares – Wrocław Zoo is the oldest and largest of its type in Poland where you can see animals from all continents and environments, with pavilions representing Madagascar, the Sahara Desert, Europe and others. http://www.wroclaw.pl/en/zoo-zoological-garden-in-wroclaw WROCŁAW’S FOUNTAIN This is situated in the picturesque Szczytnicki Park (park Szczytnicki), surrounded by a pergola and in close proximity to the Centennial Hall (Hala Stulecia); the multi-media Wrocław Fountain is the largest of its type in Poland and one of the larger ones in Europe. Shows with classical music (among others: Bizet, Beethoven, Wagner), as well as contemporary music (Jean-Michel Jarre, Apocalyptica, Faith No More) are staged every hour and last between 3.5 and 18 minutes; on particular occasions, special shows are organised. http://www.wroclaw.pl/en/wroclaws-fountain PANORAMA OF THE BATTLE OF RACŁAWICE The Panorama of the Battle of Racławice is a ‘must’ on your sightseeing tour around Wroclaw, almost comparable to Waweł at Kraków. The painting shows the battle at Racławice where members of the Insurrection, led by Tadeusz Kościuszko, defeated the Russians. The enormous painting, 114 metres in length and 15 metres in height, was created in commemoration of on the 100th anniversary of the victory. http://www.wroclaw.pl/en/panorama-of-the-battle-of-raclawice-panorama-raclawicka SZCZYTNICKI PARK WITH JAPANESE GARDEN The park is situated in the eastern part of the city; it is located between the old Odra (Oder) River and ul. Wróblewskiego, Kopernika, Mickiewicza, Paderewskiego and Różyckiego. Being one of the larger ones in Wrocław, this landscape park of wide-ranging composition and with lots of dendrological appeal, occupies a space of approximately 100 hectares. The main attraction is the Japanese Garden, established in 1913 and subsequently refurbished on many occasions. http://www.wroclaw.pl/en/szczytnicki-park-park-szczytnicki-with-the-japanese-garden-ogrod-japonski THE BOTANICAL GARDEN OF THE UNIVERSITY OF WROCŁAW The Botanical Garden at Wrocław is the second (following the one at Kraków) oldest institution of this type in Poland. It was created at the same time as the University of Wrocław, which was established in 1811 as a result of the merger of Frankfurt’s Viadrina and Jesuits Leopoldinum Academy. A green arcadia in the city centre, for enthusiasts of gardening, scientists and newly weds. http://www.wroclaw.pl/en/the-botanical-garden-ogrod-botaniczny-of-the-university-of-wroclawuniwersytet-wroclawski OSTRÓW TUMSKI Ostrów Tumski is the oldest part of Wrocław. This ancient town, from which Wrocław sprang, is surrounded by the River Odra (Oder) on both sides and includes marvellous architectural monuments. The most splendid ones include those that were rebuilt after the war, namely the Gothic St John the Baptist Cathedral and St Cross Church. http://www.wroclaw.pl/en/ostrow-tumski ATTRACTIONS OF KRAKÓW Access: By train: 3 to 4 hours ride By car: 2 hours drive, motorway A4 BARBICAN The pearl of the Kraków system of fortifications, the Gothic Barbican, also referred to as the “Rondel” (“Saucepan”), was built to counter the Turkish threat that increased towards the end of the 15th century. Kraków’s Rondel is one of three Gothic barbicans that have survived to this day. The other two are in Carcassonne (France) and Görlitz (Germany). The Polish one is beyond any doubt the largest of the three and the best-preserved at that. http://cracow.travel/guide-to-krakow/let-s-visit/old-town/action,get,id,2412,t,Barbican.html COLLEGIUM MAIUS AND JAGIELLONIAN UNIVERSITY The Jagiellonian University, established by King Casimir the Great (Kazimierz Wielki) in 1364 as the Kraków Academy, is Poland’s oldest university, and one of the most ancient houses of learning in this part of Europe (second only to Prague, dating from 1348). Today, the Collegium Maius houses the Museum of the Jagiellonian University. Crowds are attracted to its quadrangle to see the clock, whose attractions are not only the carillons but also a procession of moving figures that represent people of importance to the history of the university. This procession is set in motion every day at 9 am, 11 am, 1 pm, 3 pm and 5 pm. The list of eminent graduates of the Jagiellonian University includes the author of the heliocentric theory, the astronomer Nicolas Copernicus, and Karol Wojtyła, later Pope John Paul II. http://cracow.travel/guide-to-krakow/let-s-visit/old-town/action,get,id,2888,t,Collegium-Maius-andJagiellonian-University.html MAIN SQUARE The huge, main square of the city was laid out in accordance with the City Charter, which awarded its rights under the Law of Magdeburg in 1257. It was situated at the crossing of former trade routes forming in plan a square with each side slightly exceeding 200 m (665 ft). From its earliest days, the Main Square has played a role as the centre of social and political life, the significance of which frequently surpassed far beyond the city limits. Cherished for decades, and in some cases for centuries, the annual observation of local traditions endows Kraków’s Main Square with a special atmosphere. Their number includes the Lajkonik procession – the Kraków Pony, with its accompanying band of the revelling noise-makers, the competition for the most beautiful Kraków Nativity Scene organised on the steps of the monument to Adam Mickiewicz since 1937, and the Enthronement of the Fowler King. http://cracow.travel/guide-to-krakow/let-s-visit/old-town/action,get,id,3501,t,Main-Square.html PLANTY GARDEN RING The demolition of the city walls, which took place at the start of the 19th century at the initiative of the Austrian government, was primarily aimed at the “beautification” and opening up of the impoverished, and at that time provincial, city of Kraków. A decision was made to replace the space previously taken by the belt of fortifications with a city garden, called Planty (1822-1830). Only a short stretch of the fortifications near the Barbican and St Florian’s Gate was preserved. Today, the Planty is divided into eight “gardens” that extend over a length of 4 km (2.5 miles) and cover 21 hectares (52 acres). Here one can admire 40 species of trees and shrubs, including natural heritage features, such as e.g. the 130year-old plane tree by ul. Wiślna. http://cracow.travel/guide-to-krakow/let-s-visit/old-town/action,get,id,2909,t,Planty-Garden-Ring.html WAWEL CASTLE AND HILL The steep and lofty limestone hill rises 25 m (over 80 ft) above the level of the Vistula (Wisła) River. It was formerly surrounded by riverine bogs and marshes and has always been a settlement site with very favourable defence conditions. As demonstrated by archaeological research carried out here, the oldest traces of human presence on the hill date back 100,000 years. Countless subsequent finds are without doubt connected to permanent settlements. In the ninth century, the bailey standing on Wawel Hill must have been the seat of the Ruler-Prince, and the main hub of the tribal state of the Vistulanians. Initially, the castle stronghold was not of impressive size, and – as excavations prove – was situated on the northern side of the hill, under one of the wings of the current castle. The structure was extended only to the south and east when Kraków became the main seat of the Polish monarchs, at the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries. Today, the castle houses a number of different exhibitions, including the State Rooms, Royal Private Apartments and Crown Treasury and Armoury. http://cracow.travel/guide-to-krakow/let-s-visit/wawel/action,get,id,2163,t,Wawel-Castle-and-Hill-abrief-history.html WAWEL CATHEDRAL Soon after Kraków became the seat of a bisho psubordinate to the metropolis in Gniezno (AD 1000), the construction of the Cathedral Church was initiated on top of Wawel Hill. Its initiator and founder was most probably King Boleslaus the Brave (Bolesław Chrobry). Unfortunately, we know little about the first cathedral, as archaeological research has uncovered solely the bottom parts of the walls of the crypt and transept, column bases with remnants of the column shafts (with one covered in pleated ornamentation), and the bottom section of the altar table. http://cracow.travel/guide-to-krakow/let-s-visit/wawel/action,get,id,2925,t,Wawel-Cathedral.html ROYAL CHAMBERS The reconstruction of the former Gothic Wawel Castle was carried out around 1502-1540. King Sigismund the Old (Zygmunt Stary) paid for his brainchild which turned the somewhat austere castle into a Renaissance palace residence of high artistic taste. Today, Waweł Castle is one of Poland’s largest and greatest museums. The entrance to the exhibitions seen during a visit to the chambers is situated in the eastern wing of the castle. http://cracow.travel/guide-to-krakow/let-s-visit/wawel/action,get,id,3435,t,Royal-Chambers.html DRAGON’S DEN According to legend, the caves under Wawel Hill – whose corridors extend 270 m (885 ft) and reach a height of 10 m (33 ft) – used to be the dwelling place of the Wawel Dragon. The lair of the foul beast was opened to visitors in 1918 after the former Austrian water well was adapted for use as a staircase. The entrance to the Dragon’s Den is situated on Wawel Hill, behind the Thieves’ Tower in a small turret covered with an onion-shaped dome. http://cracow.travel/guide-to-krakow/let-s-visit/wawel/action,get,id,2935,t,Dragon-s-Den.html
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