141 Best Sights in Poland

On the left-hand side of the entrance to the Cathedral of St. John you'll find the early 17th-century Jesuit Church, founded by King Jan III Sobieski. Highlights include the crypt and the tower, which offers a lovely view of the Warsaw's Old Town. Throughout the postwar years, a visit to this church at Eastertime was considered a must by Varsovians and its Gethsemane decorations always contained a hidden political message. (In 1985 the risen Christ had the face of Father Jerzy Popiełuszko, the Warsaw priest murdered the previous year by the Polish secret police.)

Dominating the northeast corner of Rynek Główny is the twin-towered Church of Our Lady, which is also known as St. Mary's Church. The first church was built on this site before the town plan of 1257, which is why it stands slightly askew from the main square; the present church, completed in 1397, was built on the foundations of its predecessor. You'll note that the two towers, added in the early 15th century, are of different heights. Legend has it that they were built by two brothers, one of whom grew jealous of the other's work and slew him with a sword. You can still see the supposed murder weapon, hanging in the gate of the Sukiennice.

From the higher tower, a strange bugle call—known as the "Hejnał Mariacki"—rings out to mark each hour, breaking off on an abrupt sobbing note to commemorate an unknown bugler struck in the throat by a Tartar arrow as he was playing his call to warn the city of imminent attack. The legend, which seems to have originated with Polish immigrants in the U.S., was captured in print by American author Eric Philbrook Kelly in his novel The Trumpeter of Krakow (1928).

The church's main showpiece is the magnificent wooden altarpiece with more than 200 carved figures, the work of the 15th-century artist Wit Stwosz (Veit Stoss). The panels depict medieval life in detail; the figure in the bottom right-hand corner of the Crucifixion panel is believed to represent Stwosz himself. A late 19th-century renovation added even more murals by artist Jan Matejko, who was aided by his disciples, Józef Mehoffer and Stanisław Wyspiański.

Standing on the Vistula embankment to the south of Wawel Hill, this church is the center of the cult of Saint Stanisław. The bishop and martyr was beheaded and dismembered by order of the king in the church that stood on this spot in 1079—a tale of rivalry similar to that of Henry II and Thomas à Becket. The story goes that the saint's body was miraculously reassembled, as a symbol of the restoration of Poland's unity after its years of fragmentation. Beginning in the 19th century, the church also became the last resting place for well-known Polish writers and artists; among those buried here are the composer Karol Szymanowski, the painter and playwright Stanisław Wyspiański, and poet Czesław Miłosz.

A picturesqure redbrick Gothic church—the oldest in the New Town—St. Mary's was built as a parish church by the princes of Mazovia in the early 15th century. It has been destroyed and rebuilt many times throughout its history. In 1944, it was burned by the Germans; it was reconstructed after the war, between 1947 and 1966. In 2011 it celebrated its 600th anniversary.

Built as a thanksgiving offering by King Jan III Sobieski's queen, Marysieńka, after his victory against the Turks at Vienna in 1683, this cool, white church stands on the east side of Rynek Nowego Miasta (New Town Square). During the war, it initially escaped bombardment but became a target of enemy fire when it started serving as a hospital in 1944. It was destroyed in September that year, and 1,000 people were buried under the rubble. Today, a memorial plaque commemorates the victims.

In front of this late-baroque church stands a statue of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, primate of Poland from 1948 to 1981. Wyszyński was imprisoned during the 1950s but lived to see a Polish pope and the birth of Solidarity. The fresh flowers always lying at the foot of the statue are evidence of the warmth with which he is remembered.

In October 1984 Polish secret police officers murdered the popular parish priest Jerzy Popiełuszko because of his sermons, which the Communist regime considered gravely threatening. Thereafter the martyred Popiełuszko's church became the site of huge and very moving Solidarity meetings. It is now a kind of pilgrimage site, and the church museum holds a collection of the priest's memorabilia. You can visit his grave on the grounds of this church north of the New Town. Take a taxi or Bus 116 or 122 from ulica Bonifraterska to plac Wilsona; then walk two blocks west along ulica Zygmunta Krasińskiego.

This baroque Dominican church in the New Town was badly damaged in the aftermath of the 1943 uprising, when the adjoining monastery served as a field hospital for wounded insurrectionists. It was reconstructed in the 1950s.

This 19th-century Gothic church hides remains of one from the 15th century—including its beautiful wall frescos—and a beautiful 18th-century pipe organ. The church once belonged to the Franciscan order; when they lost their holdings as a result of the Reformation in 1527, their buildings were turned into a hospital and a shelter for the poor. They retained that function until 1957, when the buildings were returned to the Catholic church. They are now home to the Pallotine order.

The parish church of Szczecin was built between 1425 and 1440. Built of brick, with a simple white interior, it was remodeled at the end of the 17th century and turned into a late-baroque structure. On the ceiling, a fresco depicts the Holy Trinity. The church is situated next to a busy road, so it's filled with traffic noise and has, to be honest, seen better days. Outside, notice the Pomeranian tracery (brick ornamental decoration) and terra-cotta late-Gothic portraits of town burghers on the facade between the windows.

Built in the early 19th century as a replica of the Roman pantheon, St. Alexander's stands on an island in the middle of plac Trzech Krzyży, a name that is notoriously difficult for foreigners to pronounce and means "Three Crosses Square." One of the crosses is on the church itself.

The finest surviving example of Romanesque architecture in Kraków is this 11th-century fortified church. Local residents took refuge in St. Andrew during Tartar raids. The interior, remodeled during the 18th century, includes a fanciful pulpit resembling a boat.

The heart of Poland's most famous composer, Frédéric Chopin, is immured in a pillar inside this baroque church. Atop the church steps is a massive, sculpted crucifix. Across from the church is the statue of Nicolaus Copernicus, standing in front of the neoclassical Staszic Palace, the headquarters of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Like many other notable Warsaw monuments, this statue is the work of the 19th-century Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen.

The first baroque church in Kraków was commissioned for the Jesuit order. It's one of the most faithful and successful examples of transplanting the model of the famous del Gesu Church (the "prototype" Jesuit church in Rome) to foreign soil. At the fence are the figures of the 12 apostles. The parish hosts numerous classical music concerts in the church.

Built in 1454 by Anne, princess of Mazovia, the church stands on the south corner of Castle Square. It was rebuilt in high-baroque style after being destroyed during the Swedish invasions of the 17th century, and thanks to 1990s redecoration and regilding, it glows once again. A plaque on the wall outside marks the spot where Pope John Paul II celebrated mass in 1980, during his first visit to Poland after his election to the papacy. St. Anne's is the church of Warsaw's academic community.

This church, a few blocks north of the shipyards, is a prime example of the fundamental link in the Polish consciousness between Catholicism and political dissent. After the Communist government declared martial law in 1981 in an attempt to force Solidarity to disband, the union's members began meeting here secretly during celebrations of mass. A statue of Pope John Paul II can be seen in front of the church.

The former parish church in Gdańsk's Old Town is supposedly the oldest church in the city: its construction was begun in the 1220s; the tower was constructed in the 1480s; the carillon of 37 bells was added in 1634. The 17th-century astronomer Jan Hevelius is buried in the presbytery of the church, below which lies what's left of the town's oldest Christian cemetery (which dates from the 10th century). One of the most fascinating objects in the interior is an octagonal baptistery of 1585, the work of Mateusz Gletger of Braniewo—a wooden structure with a rich wood mosaic and sculpted decoration. Since 2011, the church has also hosted the world's oldest pulsar clock, calculating the time from a signal source outside the Earth. Throughout history, the church survived many calamities, including a fire in 2006, after which the roof had to be replaced; luckily, the interior survived.

In 1230, the Teutonic Knights arrived on the banks of the Vistula River and settled here, aiming to establish their own state on these conquered Prussian lands. The castle passed into Polish hands after the second Toruń Treaty in 1466 concluded the 13-year war between the Poles and the Order of Teutonic Knights. For the next three centuries, Malbork served as the royal residence for Polish kings during their annual visit to Pomerania. The castle was half-destroyed during World War II, after which the building underwent a major renovation. Two-hour guided tours offer the best way to see the castle; tours are available in English, and there's an English-language guidebook in the gift shop. You can easily see the castle on a day-trip from Gdańsk (several local companies offer organized tours), but there is a hotel on the castle grounds if you want to spend the night.

The "Manggha" Center for Japanese Art and Technology houses a magnificent collection of woodblock prints, pottery, Samurai armor, netsuke (small sculptures worn on the sash of a kimono), and more. The collection was the gift of an eccentric bohemian named Feliks Jasieński, who became caught up in the fashion of collection Japanese artifacts in fin de siècle Paris. Jasieński's admiration and obsession with all things Japanese earned him the nickname "Manggha." Manggha are picture books containing famous prints of old Japan (not exactly the same as today's manga, which are popular graphic novels). Jasieński actually donated the collection to the Kraków National Museum in 1920, but there was no space to properly display it. The present museum opened in late 1994, in a building designed by the renowned Japanese architect, Arata Isozaki.

Just off the Warta River is this small memorial, a monument to the 40,000 Jews who, beginning in September 1942, were transported from this spot (a former train station) to Treblinka concentration camp. The monument, which was unveiled in 2009, was commissioned by Holocaust survivor Sigmund Rolat and designed by survivor and sculptor Samuel Willenberg. Rolat’s father and Willenberg, who now lives in Israel, both participated in a revolt at Treblinka; as of this writing, Willenberg is the uprising's only remaining survivor. The memorial is composed of a brick wall broken in two; on one piece are railroad tracks and on the other a Star of David made from tracks. Willenberg has been quoted as saying that the rails are for those sent to Treblinka and the Star of David for those who are alive.

A numismatist's dream come true, this museum has a collection of 1,500 coins bearing the image of Pope John Paul II. The oldest is from 1932 and the newest from 2011; the largest is 140 mm (5½ inches) in diameter and weighs a kilo and the smallest weighs just half a gram. Rare coins include one made in 1987 entirely of gold, which is just one of five ever minted—it's worth zł 200,000 (approximately US$52,700)—and another from Tahiti, minted in 1983. The museum has a small café as well as a gift shop where you can by replica coins.

Guided tours are offered every hour on the hour.

Gdańsk's small archaeological museum displays Slavic tribal artifacts, including jewelry, pottery, boats, and bones.

The Chapter House is now the Muzeum Archidiecezjalne, displaying 13th-century paintings and other art belonging to the archdiocese, not to mention Pope John Paul II's former room.

On display here you'll find an interesting collection of Polish folk art, crafts, and costumes from all parts of the country as well as ethnographic collections from the world over. The museum organizes an impressive program of temporary, thematic exhibitions (for example, football culture or modern religious folklore) as well as events, concerts, movies, and educational programs for children.

Connected to the Modern Art Museum, administratively and physically, is the Muzeum Etnograficzne, in the former Abbots' Granary. The museum display has fine examples of local crafts from the 19th century and also has an interesting display of amber folk jewelry. It has a separate entrance from the Modern Art Museum and a separate admission fee, but the hours and other contact information are the same for both museums, and they are both under the management of Gdańsk National Museum.

Kazimierz's 15th-century Ratusz (Town Hall) stands in the middle of plac Wolnica. It's now the Ethnographic Museum, displaying a well-mounted collection of regional folk art, and much more. The main goal is to preserve and help visitors understand the various cultures that have helped to mold and shape Kraków through the ages. This is both a permanent exhibition and a variety of temporary ones.

The Pałac Poznańskiego, another grand home of another of Łódź's major industrialist families, is now the city's main museum. The opulent neo-baroque residence itself is magnificent. It is said that when the architect asked his client what style he would like for his residence, the latter replied: "Why, dear sir, all of them, of course! I can afford all!" There is nothing minimalist about the structure. Among the exhibits are memorabilia of famous Łódź citizens, including English-language writer Jerzy Kosiński (born in Łódź in 1933, died in New York in 1991) and Arthur Rubinstein, a great Polish-American classical pianist (1887–1982).

The house in which Marie Curie Skłodowska was born has a small museum inside dedicated to the great physicist, chemist, winner of two Nobel Prizes, and discoverer of radium.

In a functional 1930s building, the National Museum has an impressive collection of contemporary Polish and European paintings, Gothic icons, and works from antiquity.