5 Most Interesting Places in Poland That No One Knows About
There is no doubt that Poland is a beautiful country, but many places are still undiscovered or little is said about them. We can’t find much information about them on Polish websites. Tourists prefer to choose the more frequently visited parts of the country, where there are well-known monuments.
However, there are places that have not gained such popularity, and can easily compete with foreign tourist attractions. They are not known to a wide range of Polish people – they are most often associated mainly by those who live in the region, who ended up there on a school trip or by accident.
In this article we will introduce you to places that you can vainly look for in the most popular guidebooks, but which may delight, surprise and sometimes even… scare you. More important, however, is the fact that you will not meet crowds there and you will certainly not return disappointed.
Provence in Poland
In Poland we can also find a piece of France. In Warmia near Olsztyn there are lavender fields called little Provence. Over time, the Jacek Oledzki Lavender Living Museum was also established here in a wooden hut. On the first floor there is an exhibition dedicated to lavender, while in the attic the finished bouquets are drying.
The Magic Forest
There is an amazing and only one of its kind crooked forest in the West Pomeranian province in Poland. About 100 pine trees were planted before the war, with their trunks growing straight, and then towards the ground they curve at a 90-degree angle. No one so far knows how it is possible for trees to grow in such an amazing way. There are many theories about the damage and its incredible deformation, however, none of it is 100 percent confirmed. “Crooked Forest” is officially a natural monument.
You can read more about the West Pomeranian region and its treasures on the Poland Travel website.
Colorful Lakes
Following the further trail of nature, we invite you to visit the Colorful Lakes. They are located in Lower Silesia and are instagram-like amazing natural wonders. The four lakes, actually four reservoirs, were created at the site of the workings of former German mines. When the mines disappeared, nature came to the fore. Water flooded the former workings, creating artificial lakes. The coloration of the water in the lakes varies depending on the chemical composition of the substrate. At the site, you can see Green Lake (also called Emerald Lake), Blue Lake, Purple Lake and Yellow Lake.
If you want to read more about Colorful Lakes, I invite you to read the Born Globals blog.
In addition to amazing natural monuments, astonishing forests, lakes or views, Poland also has a great amount of architecture to boast about. There are many villages in Poland still from the war era that have retained their traditional cottage designs (colorful doors or shutters).
Amazing Cottages
Poland is also home to unremarkable cottages and villages that cultivate various traditions. One of them is house painting. In the village of Zalipie, in Lesser Poland Voivodeship (Małopolska), there are hand-painted houses. This is a tradition that is further cultivated. Not only the houses are painted, but also the interiors, wells or in the interiors we can find various embroideries in patterns traditional for this region. Zalipie is an open-air museum, so the village is treated more as a museum.
If you want to see photos and learn more, I invite you to visit the Discover Cracow website.
City of Angels
Continuing along the route of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship (Małopolska) region, it is worth driving to a village 30 km. south of Krakow, Lanckorona. It is a village otherwise known as the City of Angels. It was founded during the reign of Casimir III the Great in the 14th century. Driving into Lanckorona’s market square, you may have the impression that you have moved back in time a bit, or at least visited an open-air museum, only one a bit different from the others, as it is full of inhabitants, bustling, colorful. Simply exceptionally interesting. Lanckorona has retained its medieval appearance – a large cobbled market square, a fairly dense network of streets and old houses – stylized.
Useful Polish Phrases
Poland still has many natural treasures about which much can be written. To express our admiration for the sights or architecture, we can use some polish phrases to describe the picture. These phrases will definitely come in handy when you travel to Poland:
- Ale tu pięknie! (Eng. It’s beautiful here!)
- Te widoki są wspaniałe! Bardzo mi się tu podoba. (Eng. These views are wonderful! I like it here very much.)
- Na pewno tu wrócę! (Eng. I will definitely come back here!)
- Jak dojdę/ dojadę do … ? (Eng. How do I get to … ?)
- Po prawej stronie znajduje się … (Eng. On the right side is …)
- Po lewej stronie znajduje się … (Eng. On the left side is …)
- Gdzie kupię bilet? (Eng. Where can I buy a ticket?)
- Gdzie mogę zaparkować samochód? ( Eng. Where can I park my car?)
- Gdzie znajdę parking? (Eng. Where can I find parking?)
If you want to further discover the beauty of Poland and its amazing corners, I invite you to take courses at the Polka Dot School, where we hold conversations about, among other things, Polish culture.
