The Heart of Poland
It is here, where the boundary between eastern and western continental block is located. A huge, plain area of Middle-Polish Plain hosts the greatest voivodeship in the country in terms of occupied area and population density. Masovian – the most important industrial, business, cultural and scientific center of Poland. The central spot of the country. This is where our capital is located, while the oldest traces of settlement reach back as far as to Palaeolithic period and Bronze Age.
Wars and Sawa, so a bit about history
Undoubtedly Warsaw is the tourist centre. The largest city of Poland and the second most important after Cracow in terms of Polish symbolism or even equal to it. Warsaw became the place of general seyms and elections in XVIth century. Since 1596 it has been the capital of the country, after Sigismund III moved there his royal residence from Cracow. Throughout the centuries Warsaw was a witness of the most prominent but also the most tragic events in Poland’s history. It was here, where in dramatic circumstances the decree of the final partition of Poland, weakened by neighboring powers, was approved. It was here, where the center of liberation movement was located. It was also here, where the first president was elected within the hopeful but short period of independence after 1918, only to lose it for another several dozen years. Nazi-occupied Warsaw suffered particularly severe losses during the Second World War. Despite heroic demeanor of resistance the city was destroyed in nearly ninety per cent in the course of warfare. Razed to the ground was cultural and architectonic legacy of the capital. Despite enormous damages after the war the city was rebuilt with a great accuracy and generally with the use of salvage elements.
Warsaw today
The capital nowadays is a vastly managing city, vibrant with life, compared to other European capitals. Humongous and well-organized tourist accommodation makes it easier for the tourists to comfortably reach numerous monumental objects. The rebuilt, beautiful old town together with a well-kept fragment of city’s fortification, the Royal Castle and the Royal Route, the Royal Baths Park, the Royal Palace in Wilanów not only feed your eyes but let you go back in time to the ancient times and learn an important part of Polish history. Numerous monuments, museums, memorials and necropoles provoke thoughts.
Chopin
You should also set out for a trip outside Warsaw to visie Żelazowa Wola – where Fryderyk Chopin spent his childhood and where up to this day Chopin concerts take place in the Old Polish manor. Believers and those fond of spiritual values will certainly be attracted by Niepokalanów – destination of pilgrimages of international notoriety, where the cult of Saint Maximilian Kolbe is cultivated.
Elks
Tourists tired with the noise of the city have a number of options other than visiting museums and historical places. Those, who look for rest or open-air entertainment, will certainly be satisfied. Despite being located most of all on a lowland terrain, Masovian offers diverse landscapes. Although strongly industrialized you can still find there large rural areas, orchards and large forests. The most well-known is Kampinos National Park, located close to Warsaw. It is the greatest forest in Masovian province, comprising areas of rich and diverse flora and fauna. Some species can be found nowhere else in Poland, elks being an example. Kampinos forest is cut with trails for hikers and cyclists as well as didactic paths.
The whole Masovian region comprises over one hundred sanctuaries and several landscape parks, including the largest in Poland – Bug Landscape Park. It is here, where you can see numerous nature monuments: white poplar in Leszno near Kampinos. Water sports and active rest as well as relaxing sunbathing or restful fishing enthusiasts are recommended to go to the lakes. Gostynin Lake and Zegrze Reservoir, water basins notorious for pure water and well-managed recreational area, are waiting for you.
Health
Health resort visitors will find it ideal to choose one of Masovian health resorts spots for the place of their therapy or recovery, for example Konstancin-Jeziorna, where one can undergo therapeutic bathes in mineral waters, brines or peloid.
Masovian has also something to offer to those in love. One of interesting places is Arkadia – a romantic landscape park set up in XVIII-XIXth century, located at the periphery of the region. Families with children should visit Łowicz, one of the most prominent Polish centers of well-kept folk culture traditions. Łowicz’s folklore is among the most recognizable in Poland and in Europe. Its characteristic elements are folk handicrafts, cut-outs and spiders made from a colored paper. You cannot forget the music, dance and the original hunting outfit. Łowicz community organizes yearly festivals of folk art, hosting regional domestic as well as foreign bands.
The most prominent health resorts include:
Konstancin-Jeziorna
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