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Most Popular Museums in Poland

In the whole world there are plenty of fascinating and interesting museums. Everybody knows Luvr in Paris, MoMa in New York or National Gallery in London. But did you know that Poland has also some amazing ones? Thanks to the difficult history, talented artists and powerful kings, after many decades and centuries, you can now admire their work and legacy.

  1. The Museum of the Palace of King Jan III in Wilanów – if you are visiting Warsaw it is a great opportunity to visit this museum. It is not only a magnificent building with lots of sculptures and painting. It has a wonderful and big garden, which is an ideal spot for a long walk during the summer season. Every year almost 3 million people visit this museum!
  2. The Royal Łazienki Museum – its mesmerizing gardens have appeared in many books and novels. Thanks to its location in the Warsaw city center, locals come here often to relax after a long day in work. Museum is combined here with a lot of attractions, there are organized many concerts, exhibitions and meeting. You can also sail a real gondola on the pond in front of the Palace on the Island. For sport amateurs there is a stable where you can have a horse ride. Definitely a magical place!
  3. Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum in Oświęcim. This museum is well-known also abroad. It is a reminder of the horrible war experiences. To visit this museum you have to prepare yourself.It is not easy to be here but is worth it. It is a place which warns you, that people are capable of the worst in the name of an ideology.
  4. Wawel Royal Castle in Cracow – while visiting Cracow, this is ‘a must”. You won’t find here giant gardens (like in Wilanów), but a chapel, courtyard and a cathedral which will take your breath away. The Cathedral is a very important place, because it is filled with priceless works of art, including tombstones of kings. An absolute masterpiece of Renaissance art is also the Sigismund Chapel. Entering the walled castle complex is a journey in time – you can feel the spirit of a really ancient age.
  5. The Cracow Saltworks Museum in Wieliczka is something you have probably never experienced. The Wieliczka Salt Mine was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1978 as one of the first 12 objects in the world. The deepest corridor of the Wieliczka mine is located 327 meters underground, and the total length of all underground pavements reaches 300 kilometers. Visiting the Wieliczka mine, you can see not only pits but also real works of art, like salt sculptures or chapels. Fun fact – in the Chapel of Saint Kinga you can even get married.

As you can see, museum don’t have to be boring and visited only in rainy days. They are fun, beautiful and perfect for families. You can enjoy yourself in their gardens or just stop by to slow down a bit and focus on the moment.

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The Royal Castle and its beautiful garden

The Royal Castle has always been an important symbol of Poland. Today, the former residence of rulers and kings of Poland is one of the most recognizable monuments of the city.

The culmination of his many years of reconstruction is the opening of the castle gardens. The restoration project for the lower gardens started in 2017. Archaeological, construction and gardening works were carried out thanks to co-financing from the EU and the Ministry of Culture. The garden is now more beautiful than ever.

            The arrangement of the Lower Garden lasted 482 days. It started on September 6, 2017, ended December 28, 2018. In this short time, the unused 1,9-hectare space in the foreground of the Royal Castle, between Arkady Kubicki and busy Wisłostrada, has changed beyond recognition. A modernist garden was created here with a lawn deep in the ground, a granite terrace with fountains, a system of paths, decorative vases, flowerbeds, rows of trimmed bushes and trees, and a complex technical infrastructure hidden in the ground.

For the first time in its history, the Royal Castle in Warsaw has fully decorated gardens. Their finished lower level was waiting for it over 200 years, from the time of Stanisław August Poniatowski. The grand opening has taken place last Saturday – 11thMay.

You can Visit Poland to see the garden or just click the link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-rg4uMD2ZM

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XVII Rally of Historic Vehicles in the SIMP Castle in Rydzyna

Just before May started in a beautiful castle located about 80 km from Poznań and Wrocław (village called Rydzyna) took place an unusual event – a rally of antique vehicles. The location is very important, because this castle is the home for The Association of Polish Engineers and Mechanics.

The rally is an annual event carried out jointly with the Leszno Automobile Club. Both collectors associated in various automobile clubs and private collectors take part in it. As part of the Rally program, participants have to overcome a route of around 60km, on which there are checkpoints. There they have to solve a task, answer questions or perform complicated maneuvers with a vehicle. Everything is scored separately. Vehicles are classified in the following criteria:

  • 1,2,3 place in the Car classification
  • 1,2,3 place in the Motorcycle Classification
  • 1,2,3 place in the Classification Military vehicle
  • The best-kept car
  • The best-kept motorcycle

The second day is all about the fans. At the Market Square in Leszno audience choose the most beautiful vehicle and there is an official award ceremony.  This year the favorites were: motorcycles: D-RAD R04 from 1927 and D-RAD R06 from 1929, and cars: MB TA from 1936, Chevrolet Impala from 1958 and Plymooth Valiant from 1960.

The Caste SIMP in Rydzyna is well-known for various of interesting events like elegant balls that will take you back in time. It has been built at the end of XVII century by Italian artist who lived in Poland. Together with the park and all the areas, it was the most magnificent magnate residence in Wielkopolska. The castle collections consist of, among others, sets of furniture, antique engravings, souvenirs of the Sułkowski family and natural collections (including a collection of tropical butterflies, hunting trophies). It is daily open for visitors and it also exists as a hotel containing 47 luxurious rooms. Feel free to contact our office, if you are interested in experiencing a true royal holiday with a lot of activities.

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Top 5 Most Stunning Polish Castles

In Poland there are almost 420 castles, and although most of them are ruined, there are several dozen which look like in an old fairy tale. Maybe Walt Disney was inspired by the German Neuschwanstein castle, but we can promise you that the polish ones are as adorable as the ones abroad, or even more!

They show us an amazing architecture variety, you can find among them medieval fortresses, elegant residences, but also fancy buildings from a fairy tale or legend. Throughout centuries, they have inspired artists and played a big role in cinematography. Their beauty and history still fascinates thousands of people all around the world. The historical castles and rich cultural heritage of our country are today reminiscent of fortified castles and representative palaces.

  1. Malbork Castle

Sightseeing of this monumental building will keep you busy for at least few hours. The whole area is over 20 ha, there are actually three castles (High, Medium and Low), and over 4.5 million bricks were used to build them.  From 1309, the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order resided there and as it can be seen he could enjoy a lot of luxury as for his times. He had, among others underfloor heating or a secluded toilet.  You can go back in time, thanks to their numerous of historical reconstructions.

  1. Castle in Moszna

It looks totally like from a Disney fairytale! Combination of 3 architecture styles, 99 towers, a beautiful large pond and rooms for every day of the year (365!). It is located only 35 kilometers from Opole and it has used to be the residence of the Silesian family Tiele-Winckler. Not only the building is worth visiting, but also the enormous park – about 200 hectare(!). The castle has been extended with an additional wing just before the World War I. For many years it has been used by the Center for Neurotic Therapy. It doesn’t sound unusual, because there is no better place to relax and get in great mood.

  1. Czocha Castle

This castle is known from many films, series and even music videos. This place looks like it has been created specially for spectacular shots – with a moat, thick walls, a photogenic courtyard and a huge tower. It has also very mysterious history.  It was created in the mid-13th century by the order of the Czech King Wenceslaus I and for the next centuries he witnessed numerous sieges, bloody counts and macabre crimes. But through the World War II it had also been a very difficult period at the castle. Nazi created there a laboratory where they have carried out various experiments with new types of weapons.

  1. Książ Castle

It is the third largest – and, according to many people, the most beautiful castle complex in Poland. Built at the end of the 13th century by the Silesian Piasts and repeatedly rebuilt in subsequent centuries, the place is stunning with stylistic diversity. During the last war, one of the secret quarters of Adolf Hitler was located here, and priceless treasures were stored in underground labyrinths, including collections of the Berlin State Library. It is famous for the unearthly beauty of the duchess Maria Teresa Hochberg von Pless, who is affectionately called Daisy. She was the wife of the last owner of the Duke’s estates. She hosted many famous guests, such as: Winston Churchill (privately her nephew), Emperor Franz Joseph, and even Indian Maharaja.

  1. Dunajec Castle in Niedzica

The history of this place is full of mystery. After World War II in the castle has been found a suspicious document written in the ancient script called “kipu”.  It was supposed to be a kind of leading map to a hidden place with treasure left here by the descendants of the Inca ruler, Tupac Amaru II. Why did the Indians from Machu Picchu decide to go all the way here? Well, Tupac’s nephew – and the only rightful heir to the Andean empire – married the daughter of a Hungarian aristocrat, whose family was then owned by the Niedzica fortress. The treasures were found to this day, so maybe you will be the lucky one?

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