Fabulous Poland

Posted by Jennie (NZ) on 10/11/25 03:30 PM

Kia ora koutou.
We're 5 weeks into a 6 week Europe trip and I wanted to post lavish praise on the Polish part! It exceeds our expectations in every way: wonderful people, great food, amazing sights and particularly its presentation of its history. We went to Wroclaw- gorgeously walkable, lovely botanic garden and the Battle of Raclawicka painting was a standout. We were fortunate to be with a family in Pawlowice for 3 nights and were taken to tour a coal mine. More interesting than I expected and new respect for those who work underground in any type of occupation. We went to Katowice for the afternoon- gorgeous music academy. So nice to see how much classical music is affirmed, as it isn't in my home country. Gdansk by train was next and it was fantastic. Picturesque, walkable, fabulous outdoor dining. The Solidarity Museum and WW2 Museums are beautifully curated and presented. Went to an excellent coffee speciality cafe in the shipyard area-Plenum Cafe. Very groovy. Sopot was moodily misty but very scenic for a morning trip. A big shout out to Qubus, a fab hotel with sumptuous breakfast included. Warsaw was very interesting, part modern and part old (but rebuilt) city- quite remarkable to know that it was reconstructed using paintings. Lots of great monuments and I was very moved by the pavement markings of where the ghetto walls were. The Ktyn Memorial is possibly less well known but tells the story of the 22,000 Polish military massacre in 1940 and secretly buried. Another lesser known monument is to Pilecki, who got sent to Auschwitz to document it, escaped and his revelations were critical for exposing the camps etc. Sadly he was executed by the occupying Soviets as an agitator.
There are lots of mini concerts on and we went to an excellent Chopin recital at the Chopin Recital hall.
Krakow was every bit as lovely, busy and interesting as anticipated. The old town is bustling and photogenic. St Mary's cathedral is as lovely as any church I've been to, with gorgeous stain glass work. Leonardo's famous "Lady with Ermine' is in the Czartoryski Art museum which is free on Tues. This meant it was full of school trips but there's something heartening about watching kids in a fine art museum-just as long as I'm not their teacher!.
We went on the Discover Krakow tour to Auschwitz- Birkenau- so much has been written about it and as a former history teacher, it was unmissable. Suffice to say, it is totally worth it.
On our last day in Krakow we went to Nowa Hutta, to see the Arka Parna and what a treat it is! A remarkable building, with a remarkable back story and I can understand why Pope John Paul is so revered in Poland. Denied building permits and built by volunteers, featuring over 2 million river pebbles on the exterior and modernist stained glass. ( Similar to le Corbusier's Ronchamp Chapel) This single building is such a testament to Polish resilience and determination.