Foto: The Long Market the central square of Gdask (bron: Ronald van der Veer)
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, orange juice, and salmon on bread. A great start to the day. Through the ‘Swan Tower’, part of the old city wall, and the ‘St. Mary’s Gate’, we reach the old wooden ‘Crane’. The original of this characteristic crane dates back to the Middle Ages and was used to unload ships. Inside the tower, cargo could be hoisted by walking inside a large wooden wheel. The two adjacent towers house a maritime museum. From the top floor of the crane, we have a beautiful view over the Motlawa River. In the nearby St. John’s Church, a baptism is taking place. The church is beautifully decorated with Gothic elements. We continue walking along the quay. At the Green Gate, we return to the central square. The gate was originally built for royal visits, but in practice, it was only used for this purpose once. Today, the building houses the Lech Wałęsa Foundation. The Long Market looks much more colorful in daylight. The pastel-colored houses give the square a special charm. The façades of the ‘Golden House’ and the adjacent ‘Artus Court’ are clearly visible now. Both houses display the wealth of the past with decorations and golden statues on the façade. At the Town Hall and the ‘Neptune Fountain’, the ‘Long Street’ begins. During WWII, this street was heavily damaged. Only two houses survived unscathed. However, the entire street has been restored in the original style. We stop for a coffee in one of the buildings. At the end, the street is closed off by the ‘Golden Gate’. The golden statues reflect beautifully in the sunlight. Through the Arsenal and St. Jacob’s Church, we reach the ‘Targowa Market Halls’. The halls are closed on Sundays. Just to the north are St. Nicholas Church and St. Catherine’s Church. This marks the end of the city walk from the guidebook. On our own, we walk to the Lenin Shipyard. It was here that dockworker Lech Wałęsa led the 1980 uprising against communism. This was the beginning of the Solidarity movement. On the site of the shipyard now stands a large museum presenting Polish history and the fall of communism. We walk through the museum with an audio tour. Impressive! At the end of the afternoon, we finish the day with a beer in one of the old town cafés.
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 ...
Malbork Castle
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 ...
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 ...