Mountains and seaside offer great summer getaways
Are you planning a holiday in the mountains to admire magnificent monumental peaks and scenic panoramas? Or do you maybe prefer breathtaking golden beaches and endless sea? Come to Poland: it has both! And all these places are packed with extraordinary attractions.
Moving sand dunes
Probably the biggest attraction of Słowiński National Park, the moving sand dunes lie between Lake Łebsko and the Baltic Sea. They are an unusual natural phenomenon unique on a European scale. Sand deposited by the sea first settles on the beach and then, propelled by winds, shifts to the Łebska Spit, creating a stunning desert landscape with dunes 30-40 metres high. This is a place everyone should visit at least once in their lives!
Świnoujście: land of 44 isles
Closer to the German border, in the north-western corner of Poland, right on the Baltic Sea, lies Świnoujście. Here you will find the warmest water, the widest beaches, and the most islands. It is these islands that create the seaside resort’s unique character, as Świnoujście occupies 44 of them. It is one of very few places in Europe situated on such an archipelago. The city’s attractions include numerous fortifications whose construction began in the Middle Ages and continued practically without interruption to contemporary times. Famous people like Johann Strauss and Leo Tolstoy spent holidays here, too.
Rafting down the River Dunajec
Let’s move on to Poland’s beautiful highlands. The Pieniny Mountains offer one of southern Poland’s biggest attractions: rafting down the River Dunajec with local raftsmen. Unique in Europe, this is an opportunity to get close to wild nature unchanged for centuries from a river that has been cutting into the limestone for thousands of years. During the trip the raftsmen tell mountain stories, including the legend of Janosik the highland robber, and point out the route’s best sights. The Dunajec rafting trip tradition dates back to the 19th century.
Riese complex
Not far from Wałbrzych, under the austere and mysterious Owl Mountains, you will find the no less mysterious Riese complex, one of the most enigmatic sites in Poland and in Europe. A system of connecting tunnels, adits and chambers forms an underground city stretching under Książ Castle, Walim, Jugowice Górne, Włodarz, Głuszyca, Osówka, Soboń, Sokolec, Wielka Sowa, and probably Moszna. The complex is so huge that it has not been fully uncovered or explored to this day. The construction of the Riese complex probably began in 1943, on Hitler’s orders – it was intended to be his securest and most modern bunker.
