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Belvedere Palace
A stately home with a history, this 18th-century palace at the southern limit of al Ujazdowskie served as the official residence of Marshal Józef Piłsudski (from 1926 to 1935) and Polish presidents from 1945 to 1952 and 1989 to 1994. Its not open to the public, but can be admired f
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Chapel on the Water
About 100m north of Ojców Castle is the frequently photographed Chapel on the Water, which was fashioned in 1901 from the bathhouse that originally stood in its place. In keeping with its exterior simplicity, the three altars inside are shaped as peasants’ cottages. You may sneak a
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Fotoplastikon
Photo and film buffs will be intrigued by this late-19th-century forerunner of the cinema. It’s reputedly the last working example of its kind in Europe, and consists of a large rotating drum set with individual eyepieces displaying stereoscopic 3D photos, some of them in colour. E
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High Synagogue
This place of worship was built around 1560, and is the third-oldest synagogue after the Old and Remuh Synagogues. The High Synagogue takes its name from the fact that the prayer hall was situated on the 1st floor, while the ground floor was given over to shops. These days, the gro
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Museum of the John Paul II Collection
Housed in the Bank of Poland building, this amazing art collection was donated to the Catholic Church by the Carrol-Porczyński family. It’s quite a surprise to find the likes of Dalí, Van Gogh, Constable, Rubens, Goya and Renoir gracing the walls of a fairly nondescript museum, and
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Church of St John the Baptist
At the western end of pedestrian Plac Piastowski is this 18th-century church, which contains an altarpiece painted by famed Baroque artist Michael Willmann. Should you wish to sample the local waters, the statue-topped automatic pump in a small square near St John’s dispenses free
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Archdiocesan Museum
Contains a collection of sacral art from the late 14th century, including some beautiful Gothic altarpieces.
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Papal Window
When visiting Kraków, Pope John Paul II used to address his followers from this window of the Bishops Palace, overlooking ul Franciszkańska. The area is filled with candles on important anniversaries, such as the former popes birthday or anniversary of his death. These days, theres
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Watchtower
The watchtower, 100m uphill from the castle, dates from the end of the 13th century and is one of the oldest defensive structures of its kind in the country. The buildings primary purpose was as a watchtower to protect an important river crossing in this area. These days, you can c
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Warsaw University
The central campus of Warsaw University was founded in 1816, although its oldest building, the Kazimierz Palace (Pałac Kazimierzowski), dates from 1634. With its leafy avenues and smiling students, it appears a peaceful place, but like any good university it has been a breeding gro
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St Benedict Fort
Not far from the Church of St Benedict, this fortress was built by the Austrians in the 1850s to defend the citys strategic bridge over the Vistula. The interior was closed to visitors at the time of research and it was not certain when it would open. You can still admire the two-s
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Archaeological Museum
Located off the southeastern corner of the Rynek, inside the 16th-century Górka Palace . Before going in, stop and have a look at the fine Renaissance doorway on the building’s eastern facade. The museum presents the prehistory of the region, from the Stone Age to the early medieva
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Church of SS Erasmus and Pancras
This place of worship, northeast of the Rynek, was erected in the 15th century; note the Gothic doorway in the southern entrance portraying Mary and St John at the foot of the cross. The interior, with its theatrical 22m-high Rococo main altar crafted from brick-red marble, boasts
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Jewish Memorial
A small landmark near the Stary Rynek marks the deportation zone, the Umschlagplatz, from where tens of thousands of Jews were transported to their deaths at Treblinka in 1942. The memorial includes a copy of a hauntingly precise train timetable showing trains departing Częstochowa
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Kielce Cathedral
Kielces cathedral looks nothing like the Romanesque church first erected here in 1171; it was rebuilt in the 17th century and dressed in Baroque decorations. The cathedrals underground crypts are the final resting place for many bishops. Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass here in 19
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Church of St Adalbert
The highlight of the single-nave Gothic Church of St Adalbert is the 18th-century Baroque chapel adjoining the southern transept, with its Rococo alabaster sarcophagus of the Blessed Czesław, founder of the original monastery here. Wrocłavians are devoted to this chapel as it remai
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Gothic House
The 15th-century Gothic building houses the district museum. The museum is dedicated to religious art, with naive religious paintings and folk-art woodcarvings collected from rural churches and roadside chapels throughout the region. The collection of Ruthenian Orthodox icons, whic
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Mill
The building opposite the castle gate is the 14th-century mill, an annex to the museum . Its three floors focus on the folk customs of Pomerania with colourful costumes and chunky kitchenware galore. Theres also an exhibition looking at the 1.7 million Poles who arrived in the area
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Academy
The academy was founded in 1595 by Jan Zamoyski as the third Polish centre of higher education at the time – after universities in Kraków and Vilnius. For a time it attracted students from around Europe, but it fell into decline and was closed by the end of the 18th century. Its al
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Witches’ Tower
Only three remnants of the 15th-century fortified walls that once encircled the town survive: one of these is the Witches’ Tower which had a sensational career as a 17th-century jail for women suspected of witchcraft; in total, 18 women were executed here up to 1714. Nowadays the t
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