Gorges, spas and beautiful towns
The landscape of the Land of Loess Gorges (Lubelskie Voivodeship) near the historic spa resort Naleczow and the beautiful renaissance town Kazimierz Dolny is fascinating. Kazimierz Dolny is one of the most picturesque little towns in Poland, located on the Vistula River. Many artists settled down here. In almost every street you will find art galleries where you can admire and buy sculptures, stained-glass, folk art, and fine art. Near Naleczow you can stay in the tree hotel w Drzewach to enjoy the beautiful panorama of gorges and marvellous forests. The next day you should visit the renaissance, UNESCO listed city Zamosc, called the Padua of the North, and the capital of the Voivodeship Lublinwith its castle, synagogues and other beautiful monuments. Here you can also visit the former concentration camp Majdanek and the open air museum.
Wild animals, starry nights and glass
North-eastern Poland is an area with large forest complexes, it is the green lung of Poland. Near the city of Bialystokthe World Heritage site Bialowieza Primeval Forest is the last natural woodland of the old continent, where you can spot the European Bison, wolves, lynx and red deer. The Biebrza marshes and Narew Valley, both covered by the Ramsar Convention consist of wetlands, peat bogs and bog forests where you can spot elks, beavers, otters, eagles, butterflies (in summer), rare warblers (in July) as well as large flocks of storks and cranes (in August).
The most south-eastern part of Poland on the border with Slovakia and the Ukraine the Bieszczady National Park is situated with peaceful nature, beautiful mountains, charming wooden farms and churches. This Natura 2000 area is home to the European Bison, Red Deer, Brown Bear, Wolf, Lynx, Wild Cat as well as rare species of birds. For everyone who loves astronomy the Park Gwiezdnego Nieba ("Starry Sky Park") in Lutowiska, one of the darkest places in Europe and free from artificial light pollution, is an amazing place to observe the sky through one of the many available telescopes. Take a stop at Krosno to learn about the glassmaking industry in the Glass Heritage Centre.
