Take a study trip through Poland, a country in Central Europe. Poland has a rich offer for its tourists. Whether the Baltic Sea coast, which is scoured by numerous spits, inland waters and dunes, the lowlands with the Masurian, Kashubian, Pomeranian and Wielkopolska Lake District or in the south of the country the Świętokrzyskie Mountains, the Beskids, the Forest Carpathians and the Sudetes. Visit the birthplace of Pope John Paul II, Krakow, with the Old City Castle, St. Mary’s Church in the Market Square, the Main Market-Rynek, the National Museum, the Museum of City History, the universities and a variety of Renaissance, Baroque and buildings the Gothic. The highlight is of course the capital, Warsaw, the country’s cultural center. Here you will find the old town with universities, theaters, Museums and monuments such as the royal palace from the east, the palace under the tin roof, the St. John’s Cathedral; and the Neustadt with the Neustadt market square with the Sacraments Church; the Royal Route, which starts from the Warsaw Royal Castle; the Karakau suburb with the St. Anna Church; Nowy Swiat, which starts at Stadzic Palace and extends to Three Crosses Square, as well as other attractions such as Ujazdowski avenues or the Palace on the Water. Take a tour of Poland! which starts at Stadzic Palace and extends to Three Crosses Square, as well as other attractions such as Ujazdowski avenues or the Palace on the Water. Take a tour of Poland! which starts at Stadzic Palace and extends to Three Crosses Square, as well as other attractions such as Ujazdowski avenues or the Palace on the Water. Take a tour of Poland!
Wieliczka Salt Mine
The Wieliczka Salt Mine, southeast of Krakow, has existed since the beginning of the 13th century and is one of the most famous salt mines in the world. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978. For a long time, Wieliczka salt was the source of wealth in Poland. Rock salt was mined here until the 1990s, but today only evaporated salt is extracted.
According to legend, the salt mine was part of the dowry of the Hungarian Princess Kinga.
A total of nine underground levels were created over the centuries. Of the approx. 300 km long tunnels and chambers, an area approx. 2.5 km long at a depth of around 135 meters is accessible to visitors via a staircase. On this so-called tourist route, an impressive underground world awaits visitors with magnificent halls and chapels with reliefs and salt sculptures.
Chapel of St. Kinga
The chapel of St. Kinga, built in 1896, is one of the jewels of the salt mine. The walls are decorated with reliefs carved out of salt, in the center of the altar there is a salt sculpture of the saint and the magnificent chandelier is also made of salt.
Popular venue
Some of the halls of the Wieliczka Salt Mine can now be rented for events such as weddings or conferences. Underground exhibitions and concerts take place regularly.
The Wieliczka Salt Mine is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Poland. Around 1 million tourists visit the mine every year.
Chopin’s birthplace
Zelazowa Wola is a very small village in the Polish province. It is located near Sochaczew (Mazovia administrative district), about 50 km west of Warsaw. Music lovers from all over the world make a pilgrimage to this village, as one of the most famous composers of the 19th century was born here: Frédéric Chopin (1810 – 1849). Chopin’s birthplace was turned into a museum. Anyone who takes a city trip to Warsaw and has perhaps also visited the Warsaw Chopin Museum should plan a day out to Zelazowa Wola. There are buses to Sochaczew and Zelazowa Wola from the SAWA shopping center in Warsaw.
The museum
Frédéric Chopin was born in the Skarbek family manor; his father was a tutor for the Skarbeks. However, the Chopin family moved to Warsaw only a few months after Frédéric was born, so that he himself could not have any memories of his place of birth. In the manor house, visitors can travel back in time to the 19th century and look at old furniture and memorabilia from the Chopin family in the rooms. There is a grand piano in the birthing room. Original sheet music and letters from Chopin will particularly delight music lovers. Some volumes from Chopin’s father’s private library have also been preserved.
The park
Behind the manor house there is a beautiful park that invites you to take a walk. Visitors like to take souvenir photos of the two Chopin monuments and the memorial stone that are set up in the park.
The two pavilions
In the summer concerts are sometimes held in Chopin’s birthplace. One of the two modern pavilions at the manor house then serves as the concert hall. The museum’s souvenir shop and a café are located in the second pavilion. Anyone who sits in the café and looks out through the glass wall of the pavilion into the romantic park is sure to dream…
Opening hours
In the summer half-year (April 1 to September 30) the museum and park are open daily from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., in the winter half-year (October 1 to March 31) only from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The museum is closed on Mondays, but the park is accessible. The entire area is only closed on a few public holidays each year (Christmas, New Year, Easter, All Saints’ Day).
