Foto: Malbork Castle Marienburg (bron: Ronald van der Veer)
Poland - Outside it's cloudy as we open the curtains. It rained last night. When we load the luggage into the car, it's still lightly drizzling. We drive out of Gdansk on our way to Warsaw. About fifty kilometers southeast of Gdansk lies Malbork Castle. This medieval castle is the largest brick castle in Europe. Despite the hazy weather, we can already see the castle as we cross the Nogat River. We park the car near the castle. There is exactly one other car in the parking lot. Before visiting the castle, we walk into the town of Malbork for some breakfast. At a local bakery, we order small meat rolls and coffee. Back at the castle, the rain has nearly stopped. We decide to leave the umbrellas in the car. Since it’s Monday, only the inner courtyard of the castle is open. The exhibition rooms are closed. As a result, we get a discounted entrance ticket, which includes an audio tour. With the headphones on, we follow the route through the castle. Malbork Castle consists of three lines of defense. From the outer ring, we have a beautiful view of the lower fortress and the elevated castle. We enter the lower castle via a drawbridge. It’s a large courtyard surrounded by brick buildings and castle walls. A second drawbridge leads us to the higher, central part of the castle. The audio tour provides clear explanations about the castle and precise directions. Even if we pause for a while, the last instruction is repeated. At the chapel, at the end of the tour, we can’t open the door. Could the church also be closed on Mondays? Just as we’re about to walk away, the door on the other side opens. A guard explains that we didn’t push the handle down far enough. The chapel is a true highlight of the castle. The walls clearly show what has been restored after the destruction of World War II. Fortunately, everything has been returned to its former state.
Auschwitz Concentration Camp
Poland - The city of Kraków is closely connected to World War II history. About sixty kilometers from Kraków was the largest Nazi extermination camp: Auschwitz. At nine o'clock, we drive out of Kraków and head toward Oświęcim, the current Polish name for ...
Kraków City Center
Poland - Today we explore the old center of the city. We begin our walking tour in the old Jewish quarter, as our hotel is located here. Right on the corner of the street stands the first Jewish temple. Already in the 19th century, the Jewish population concentrated ...
Old town of Gdask
Poland - We start the day slowly. After having coffee in the hotel room, we walk to the Motlawa River quay for breakfast. The weather is beautiful. The sun is shining and it’s about five degrees outside. In a small café, we order breakfast with cappuccino, ...
The beautiful churches of Pozna
Poland - Upon entering Poznan, the streets are busy. The evening rush hour starts early here. The hotel is located right next to the old town, but unfortunately, the road leading there is closed due to construction. We take a right turn at random. The navigation ...
The old town of Warsaw
Poland - Today we explore the city of Warsaw. Right next to the hotel stands the Staszic Palace, with the statue of Copernicus on the square in front of it. We cross over to Piłsudski Square, the largest square in the city. At the edge of the square, next to ...
The Wieliczka Salt Mines
Poland - Before heading to Kraków, we first visit the Wieliczka salt mines. The salt mine complex is located just past Kraków. Since we had already booked tickets in advance for the English-language tour, we don’t have to queue at the ticket counter. We are ...