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BALTIC SEA The Polish sea coast is a natural gem, with dunes, cliffs, dwarf coastal trees or desert landscapes of the Słowiński National Park. Thanks to a welldeveloped network of cycle paths winding along the kilometres of beautiful scenery, you can enjoy the nature from your bike. We especially recommend the route on the Hel Peninsula, where you can also try kitesurfing. The Baltic Sea is a habitat for grey seals, which can be seen in several seal sanctuaries. However, if you are lucky enough, maybe you will encounter them lying and resting on the Sobieszewo Island.
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GDAŃSK Gdańsk used to be one of the most important ports of the Baltic Sea and the Amber Road. It was also a place where World War II began (the Museum of the Second World War is definitely worth a visit) and a cradle of “Solidarność” (Solidarity), a social movement that prompted the decline of the communist regime in Europe (visit the European Solidarity Centre to learn more about it). Gdańsk and its neighbours, modernistic Gdynia and Sopot, form Trójmiasto (Tricity). Mark Tricity on your NOTaMAP.
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MASURIA The region is called the Land of a Thousand Lakes, although in fact there are over 2,500 lakes here! Enthusiasts of water sports will surely enjoy sailing or kayaking through the network of rivers and canals, and nature lovers can watch many interesting species of birds. Masuria offers great views from above – try sightseeing from a plane or a powered hang glider. Look at NOTaMAP and find a bird which is depicted in the national emblem of Poland.
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POZNAŃ The best time to visit the Old Market Square in Poznań, full of vividly painted town houses, is at high noon, when two tin billy goats on the Town Hall tower butt their heads together. The goats are the symbol of the city, and it is best to watch them while eating a local delicacy – St Martin’s croissant. Take a walk to the Malta Lake or to the Citadel – a town park with incredible sculptures by Magdalena Abakanowicz. If you prefer a longer trip, visit Gniezno, the first capital of Poland, and nearby Biskupin with a reconstructed prehistoric settlement.
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BIAŁOWIEŻA FOREST It is the most primeval and natural forest in Europe. It is also a National Park with a natural habitat for European lowland bison, also known as wisent – one of the largest mammals on our continent! Visit those majestic animals in their Show Reserve near Białowieża, where you will also meet wild boars, deer, moose (elks), or even see a wolf or a lynx. A bison on the picture says ‘hello’ to you, please write your name in.
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WARSAW It is the place where the past and modern times intertwine in an exceptional way. Glass-walled skyscrapers share the stage with the historic New Town and Old Town. You can enjoy a bird’s-eye view of the city from the roof garden of the University of Warsaw Library or from the highest floor of the Palace of Culture and Science. The emblem and the symbol of the city is the Mermaid of Warsaw – you will see her statue during a walk along the Vistula Boulevards, or when visiting spectacular interactive exhibitions at the Copernicus Science Centre.
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THE SUDETES This green mountains full of forests, rocks, caves and waterfalls are a beautiful scenery for hiking and filmmaking (some scenes from “The Chronicles of Narnia” were filmed here). In wintertime, it is also a great skiing area. In Lower Silesia, you can visit numerous historic palaces and castles, but also former coal, gold, uranium and precious stones mines, which are open to tourists. Here and there you can see an image or sculpture of a bearded magus – it is an archetype of Gandalf, the Mountain Spirit called Karkonosz.
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Look around carefully, as the city is full of little dwarfs! Start your tour from the Old Town, with the gothic Hall in the Market Square and beautifully decorated buildings in the streets around it. Take a boat trip to marvel at the beauty of the islands on the Oder river, and if you are into street art, search for amazing murals across the city or see the unique walls of the yard at 5 Roosevelta street. Draw a dwarf on your NOTaMAP, if you find one!
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CRACOW Cracow used to be the capital of Poland for a couple of centuries. When you visit the Wawel Royal Castle, do not skip the cave of the Dragon, the villain of the local legend. A tour around the enchanting Old Town or the old Jewish district Kazimierz will take a whole day of walking or cycling. For a great time for the whole family, visit the nearby Wieliczka salt mine and marvel at its breath-taking underground wonders.
WELCOME TO POLAND Discover the beauty of Poland as you visit splendid cities, quaint little towns and green lands and forests that will delight you with diverse wildlife. Make sure you taste the unique local delicacies and talk to the Polish people you meet on the way (maybe you will even learn how to say “cześć”?!). See our recommendations for ten trips to the most charming spots in Poland, but that is not all! When you go to Toruń, savour the traditional gingerbread and see the house in which Nicolaus Copernicus used to live. Then, feel like a medieval knight when you drop in the Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork. Let yourself become enchanted with the red-brick industrial buildings and art nouveau houses of Łódź. The cities of Upper Silesia – such as Katowice – invite you to visit their characteristic architecture and old mines. The charm of eastern Poland will delight you in Lublin and other towns of the region. If you are a hiker who loves going into the wild, Bieszczady Mountains await you. Let yourself become enchanted by Poland and find something for yourself here!
WROCŁAW
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THE TATRA MOUNTAINS The beloved mountains of Polish people. The granite peaks among the green valleys invite hikers to walk on clearly signposted trails. For short trips, choose the paths in the valleys, for example a walk to the Morskie Oko (Eye of the Sea) lake. The most experienced mountaineers will surely enjoy the climb up to Rysy, the highest summit in Poland (make sure you note down its height in the picture). Zakopane is a truly picturesque town and a great starting point to explore the nearby hiking trails and skiing slopes. It is also famous for traditional local cheese called “oscypek”.
POLISH TRADITIONS AND DELICACIES 1
On Christmas Eve, families gather in their homes around the Christmas tree, at the table with twelve meatless dishes. They sing Christmas carols, and then wait for Santa Claus to bring them presents.
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Easter is the time of resurrection and renascence. Traditionally, everyone decorates eggs (Easter eggs), and on Easter Monday (Śmigus-Dyngus, also known as Wet Monday) people throw water at each other.
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On All Saints’ Day, i.e. on 1 November, people visit cemeteries and leave candles, lanterns and flowers on the graves of their relatives.
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The last Thursday of carnival (known as Fat Thursday) is the day to eat Polish doughnuts – traditional sweet, deep-fried dough balls filled with rose petal jam.
the POLISH language KRÓWKI AND PTASIE MLECZKO
PIEROGI dumplings filled with various stuffings
cream fudges and “birds’ milk” (soft, chocolateglazed marshmallows)
The Polish language is not easy, even for Polish people. Ask your friends if they can pronounce: “Chrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie w Szczebrzeszynie”. It is a tonguetwister similar to “She sells seashells on the seashore”.
CZEŚĆ! HELLO!
[cheshch!]
PIERNIKI TORUŃSKIE: traditional Toruń gingerbread cookies baked with honey and spices
GOŁĄBKI stuffed cabbage rolls
DZIEŃ DOBRY [jen dobree] GOOD MORNING
KISZONE OGÓRKI AND KISZONA KAPUSTA fermented cucumber pickles and sour cabbage (sauerkraut
OBWARZANKI
DZIĘKUJĘ [jenkooyeh] THANK YOU
ring-shaped breads similar to bagels
BARSZCZ CZERWONY red borscht, soup made of sour/pickled beetroots
FAMOUS POLISH WOMEN AND MEN
POland
I was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize. One was not enough for me, so I won two of them! Girl power!
Official language:
THE REPUBLIC OF POLAND
POLISH
Capital city:
Number of inhabitants:
WARSAW
38 MILLION
The world of sounds holds no secrets from me, my polonaises will move your hearts (and feet).
National flag and National emblem:
MARIA SKŁODOWSKA-CURIE 7 November 1867- 4 July 1934 Physicist and chemist, she discovered two elements: polonium and radium
GREETINGS FROM POLAND This is not an ordinary map, but NOTaMAP of Poland – it will take you on an incredible tour of exceptional and inspiring spots in this country. Explore them with family and friends! NOTaMAP Poland was created by the Mamy Projekt, Studio Ładne Halo and illustrator Przemek Liput, at the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.
NICOLAUS COPERNICUS 19 February 1473 – 21 May 1543 Astronomer, the author of the heliocentric theory
FRYDERYK CHOPIN 1 March 1810 – 17 October 1849 Composer, pianist
ISBN: 978-83-954671-8-9
2021
www.NIEMAPA.pl
9 788395 467189
Every country has its legends, spooky tales and stories… Listen to one of our favourite legends, about the fire-breathing dragon. In Kraków, at the foot of the Wawel Hill, under the Royal Castle, there is a den where a long, long time ago a monstrous dragon dwelled. The beast forced the town’s inhabitants to give him the most beautiful young maidens, so that he could devour them as a part of his daily diet. The bravest and strongest knights from all over Europe came and attempted to fight the dragon, but in vain. When the last knight fell in the battle with the monstrous reptile, people abandoned all hope. And then a young shoemaker – Dratewka the Cobbler – appeared before the King and claimed that he would defeat the dragon. All the courtiers gave him a roar of laughter. However, it was not with the strength that the smart boy planned to kill the beast, but with artifice and wit. Dratewka took a lambskin, stuffed it with sulphur, sewed it up and dropped off as a bait near the dragon’s cave. The ravenous monster gulped down the sheep, and then the sulphur began to burn his bowels with unquenchable thirst. The dragon ran to the Vistula river and drank so much water that he swelled and burst like a balloon. Great was the joy of the people and great was the reward for the cobbler. Today, at the entrance to the Dragon’s Den, the statue of the Wawel Dragon breathes fire (but fear not – he is just a decent legendary figure now, and knows how to behave like one).
It was me who discovered that the Earth revolves around the Sun and not the other way round! It is good to think outside the box.
Official name:
THE LEGEND OF THE WAWEL DRAGON