You won't get bored in Poland's cities. Social, cultural, and, above, all, night life is thriving, particularly in the big commercial, scientific and cultural centres - the coastal Triple City (Gdańsk, Gdynia, Sopot), Warsaw, Łódź, Poznań, Toruń, Wrocław and Cracow. Tourists also have the opportunity to take part in events of European repute.
Museums and concert halls
For connoisseurs of art, apart from the monuments, churches and castles, there are the museums. Cracow is top of the national table for museum resources. In 2000 Cracow was one of the European Cities of Culture.
The most interesting exhibitions are the historical, archaeological, ethnographical and natural history displays, which enable visitors to learn more about the culture and natural resources of the various regions. Art lovers won't be disappointed, since they'll be able to see works by painters already appreciated at the beginning of the 20th century, Jan Matejko, Stanisław Wyspiański, Józef Mehoffer, and Jacek Malczewski. Within the network of National Museums, there are fascinating temporary exhibitions as well, with works by the world's masters - Chagall, for example, or Salvador Dali, Picasso, or Andy Warhol. There's no lack of original sites worth visiting either: the great oceanarium and floating museum ships in Gdynia, the Museum of Musical Instruments in Poznań's beautiful market-place, or the splendid collection in the Geological and Mineralogical Museum in Wrocław. For classical music fans, there are concert halls, opera and ballet houses, all of which possess rich traditions and are working with some of the world's best conductors and musicians.
Some museums you must see
The Czartoryski Museum, Cracow - ancient art, unusual gold ornaments, 13th -18th c. European painting, incl. 2 masterpieces: Leonardo da Vinci's Lady with an Ermine and Rembrandt's Landscape with the Good Samaritan.
The Treasury and Arsenal of the Jasna Góra Monastery, Częstochowa- a huge collection of jewels and spoils of war offered by Polish kings and potentates as a votives. The jewel of the collection is the golden Baroque monstrance, inlaid with 2366 diamonds and 2200 rubies .
Łódź Art Museum - The richest and most representative collection of Polish contemporary art: including works by S.I. Witkiewicz, Katarzyna Kobro, Władysław Strzemiński, Zdzisław Beksiński, Jan Cybis, Józef Pankiewicz, Tadeusz Kantor, Jerzy Nowosielski, and Roman Opałka, and also sculptures by Alina Szapocznikow and Magdalena Abakanowicz's famous tapestries.
Chopin's House, Żelazowa Wola - the great composer's birthplace . The picturesque vine-covered house where he was born, and in a reconstructed interior, Chopin's belongings and the piano on which, in summer, his music is played.
The National Museum, Gdańsk - Gdańsk art (incl. famous furniture), Polish, Flemish, and Dutch art, as well as a world-class masterpiece- Hans Memling's Last Judgement.
Gardens
You're guaranteed respite from the urban hubbub in the botanical and zoological gardens. They have one essential virtue - they're usually beautifully situated in green and picturesque surroundings, often in natural landscape parks. It's definitely worth seeing the zoos located on the outskirts of Cracow and Gdańsk. Poznań has two zoos: you must take a look around the New Zoo, where animals live in almost natural habitats. The complex is situated near the recreation centre by Lake Maltańskie, a famous water sports and skiing centre. Among other things, it's here that you can find one of Europe's most modern regatta courses and an all-year slope for skiers and snowboarders.
The most famous and beautiful zoo in Poland is in Wrocław, well-known in specialist circles all over the world. Over 4,000 animals live here; it's one of the biggest European collections. There's one more attraction in Wrocław and that is a real Japanese garden - unique in this part of the world - the work of Japanese horticulturalists.
The cinema
After an excitement-filled day, you could go to the cinema. Here's a piece of good news - films are usually subtitled, not dubbed. There are any number of cinemas: from small, cosy buildings, often set up in historic townhouses, to huge cinecentres with over ten halls. In the small cinemas, there are stylish cafés, and old masterpieces of the film-maker's art are often screened. In the vast cinecentres, besides the current box office hits, you can also watch three-dimensional films.
The large cinemas are next to or part of big entertainment centres. You can play pool or go ten-pin bowling here, you can dance in a disco or whisk down the slides at an aquapark, or go shopping in elegant boutiques. Warsaw has the largest network of such centres, but actually every large city offers this kind of recreation, which is particularly popular with teenagers and families with young children.
Nightlife
Polish cities offer enthusiasts of nightlife a number of attractions. There are lots of pubs and clubs, where the fun goes on all week from dusk till dawn. Polish bars are generally called "pubs", but they have little in common with the traditional English pub. They are often styled on Irish or Scottish taverns and they serve the best brands of beer, including British and Irish, but every one of them has its own particular décor and atmosphere. They close only when the last customer has left, and sometimes that means morning. The discos are diverse - above all, people come here to dance to disco, hip-hop and techno music, but you can also find hard rock and even jazz "discos".
Cracow has the best pubs - there are over a hundred places in the vicinity of the Market Square alone, sited in the cellars of historic buildings, each of which has its inimitable character and atmosphere. Students, business people and pensioners have fun here, and the pubs are often full to bursting. It's a similar story in Cracow's Kazimierz, the historic Jewish quarter. People often come from all over Poland to visit Cracow for the weekend. Weekends near Wawel Hill are fashionable among Warsaw people, for example, even though the cities are 300 km apart (the express train takes just 2 and a half hours).
This doesn't mean that Cracow has no competition for the number of pubs; other student cities - Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot, Poznań, and Wrocław - are hot on its heels. Entertainment-seekers should also visit Łódź, on the famous ulica Piotrkowska , the longest shopping street in Europe (4 km), there are a record number of pubs, night clubs and restaurants. This place is jokingly called the "Bermuda Triangle" because you can disappear here, not forever, it's true, but certainly for a good few hours.
Souvenirs of Poland
The most beautiful souvenirs can be bought in the Cloth Hall in Cracow and also the famous St. Dominic's Fair, which takes place in Gdańsk every August. Big marquees and small stalls are set up in the centre of the city, pavement stalls are improvised, where, in amongst the bric-a-brac, you can occasionally find a real treasure. You can buy anything at St. Dominic's Fair: from handicrafts - silver, gold, amber or coral jewellery, pictures and sculptures, ceramics, original cloths and clothes - through old books and records, original souvenirs and sometimes priceless antiques, to something brand new. The Fair is accompanied by performances by music groups and street entertainers.
However, apart from buying souvenirs or folk art, it's also worth coming to Poland for quite "serious" purchases. And that's just what many collectors do. A number of the smaller and larger galleries either offer works by recognised contemporary Polish artists or can contact them. You must have permission to take any works of art or books dating from before 1945 out of the country: requests relating to artistic works should be directed to the Voivodeship Conservation Officer for Historic Monuments (Wojewódzki konserwator zabytków) for the voivodeship where the item was bought, and to the National Library in Warsaw for applications for the export of books. There aren't too many formalities to go through and usually permission is granted.
Festivals
When in Poland, you might see a goodly part of the rest of the world: the numerous festivals, often with long traditions and high renown, offer contacts with different cultures. Artists from diverse disciplines, from classical music virtuosi through jazzmen, street performers, experimental theatre artists, to representatives of exotic folklore, are very keen on coming to Poland, and are in complete agreement when it comes to the exceptionally warm welcome and the spontaneity of audience response.
Every June, the streets, squares and buildings of Cracow's Kazimierz are filled with tens of thousands of visitors, who've come to take part in the Jewish Cultural Festival. It's been going on since 1990, and in this relatively short time it's become one of the most fascinating festivals of its type in the world. There's music, dance, film, theatre, the visual arts, literature, and workshops - from singing through paper-cutting and Jewish cuisine to calligraphy. This unusually intense week, packed with appearances by world-famous artists, is a celebration of life, and at the same time, like Kaddish, an expression of remembrance. The final evening's concert on ulica Szeroka has become a symbol of the co-existence of preserved tradition and avant-garde currents in contemporary art.
Also in Cracow, since 1988 the International Street Theatre Festival has been taking place in the Market Square during the first two weeks of July. It's a gathering of the world's leading companies, ensembles, and troupes who bring a touch of poetry into everyday life, or give impressive displays of acrobatics. These shows, free of linguistic barriers, overcome the obstacles of cultural differences.
Next, in late August, you should definitely go to Zakopane to see the International Highland Folklore Festival (so far, it has taken place 33 times). Folk dance and music ensembles from all over the world come to the capital of the Polish Tatras. Highlanders from the Caucasus to the Balkans, from Africa and all the Americas are united in their love of tradition, spontaneity, individuality and ancient tradition.
One of the oldest and biggest folk culture festivals in Europe is the Beskid Culture Week, which carries on the tradition of the inter-war Mountains Festival (Święto Gór). In nine days at the end of July, dozens of concerts and get-togethers take place in many places, mainly in Wisła, Szczyrk, Żywiec, Maków Podhalański and Oświęcim. Thousands of spectators enjoy themselves with the folk ensembles from all over Poland and every continent. And again, in Ciechocinek, a famous spa town, you can take part in the Festival of Romany Culture and Song, a colourful, party which has been on in July since 1997. It's the biggest Romany cultural festival in Europe.
In Frédéric Chopin's homeland, you can't fail to miss an opportunity to listen to his works. From May to September, there are concerts in Warsaw's Łazienki Park every Sunday, and in July and August famous pianists may be heard during the Chopin Festival in Duszniki Zdrój, a spa town in the Sudetan Mountains.
Festivals of organ music also enjoy a great following. The quality of the performance depends, to a great extent, on the quality of the instrument and the acoustic properties of its setting. There are many churches in Poland equipped with historic organs which give a beautiful sound. The most popular recitals are those in the Oliwa Cathedral (Gdańsk), performed on a late18th-century Rococo instrument, one of the most valuable in the world. Virtuosi worthy of the instrument have been taking part in the summer International Organ Festival here for over 30 years. Only slightly less famous is the organ in the enormous Romanesque-Gothic Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Kamień Pomorski. The sound of this 18th-century instrument may be admired during the International Organ Music Festival that lasts all summer and has been held since 1965. You can listen not only pieces from the classical repertoire, but also contemporary works.
Another famous festival is Wratislavia Cantans in Wrocław. This International Festival expanded in 2002 to a yearlong cycle of concerts, ballet, films and exhibitions. There's the chance to attend a wide variety of performances, from Gregorian chant to Gospel and Negro Spirituals, from classical to avant-garde, all performed by world-class orchestras, choirs, chamber groups and soloists.
Jazz, Blues, Country, and Shanties
Jazz Jamboree - Warsaw, October - Europe's oldest jazz festival has been held since 1958. It's difficult to name a star or a figure instrumental in the development of jazz that hasn't appeared at JJ.
Gdynia Summer Jazz Days - Gdynia, July - organised since 1993.
Jazz na Starówce - every Saturday in July and August - alfresco concerts in the Rynek Starego Miasta, Warsaw. 2002 is the 8th festival.
Rawa Blues Festival - in the Spodek, a huge exhibition hall in Katowice - has been held since 1981; this international festival has confirmed Silesia as the hub of Polish blues music, and appearances by blues legends draws fans from all over Europe.
International Shanty Festival - Cracow, February - 2002 was the 21st appearance of this jolly event. It brings together shanty lovers and shanty performers from all around the world.
Piknik Country - Mrągowo, July or August - since 1983, in the heart of Masuria. In an amphitheatre right on the lake, you can hear all styles of classic and contemporary country music.
Castle Party - has been taking place in exceptional scenery in Grodziec Castle (near Bolesławiec in Lower Silesia) since 1994, usually in July. This is the festival for fans of the dark current in rock.
