5 Best Sights in Poland

Behind the Fontanna Neptuna on Długi Targ, one of the more significant of the grand houses was constructed over a period from the 15th through the 17th centuries and is now a museum. The mansion was named for mythical English King Arthur, who otherwise has no affiliation with the place. This and the other stately mansions on the Długi Targ are reminders of the traders and aristocrats who once resided in this posh district. The court's elegant interior houses a huge, 40-foot-high Renaissance tiled stove, possibly the world's largest, a mid-16th-century masterpiece by George Stelzener. The mansion's collection also includes Renaissance furnishings, paintings, and holy figures as well as hunting trophies and models of tall ships suspended from the ceiling. The building was the meeting place of the Gdańsk city nobles.

The 19th-century painter Jan Matejko was born and died in this house, which now serves as a museum for his work. Even if you don't warm to his painting, Matejko was a prodigious collector of everything from Renaissance art to medieval weaponry, and this 16th-century building is in wonderful condition.

The Loitz family was a mighty banking family, who traditionally sympathized with Polish kings, sometimes with unfortunate results. They never recovered the borrowed sums for a Royal Navy project of King Zygmunt August, due to his sudden death. Nowadays, an art school occupies their town house, which was built in the style of the late Gothic.

A mecca for all Fryderyk Chopin lovers, the composer's birthplace is a small 19th-century manor house, still with its original furnishings and now a museum dedicated to telling the story of the composer's life. When Chopin was born here on February 22 (or March 1), 1810, his father was a live-in tutor for the children of the wealthy Skarbek family. Although the family soon moved to Warsaw, Fryderyk used to return many times for holidays, and the house—not to mention the sounds and sights of the Mazovian countryside—is said to have influenced him in his early years.

The manor is surrounded by a beautifully landscaped park that was planted in 1930s and designed by Franciszek Krzywda Polkowski. In summer, from May through September, concerts are held on the house's terrace every Sunday at noon and 3 pm. On weekdays, at noon, there are presentations of young artists and talented students playing Chopin.

If you are driving, take Route 2 (E30) west out of Warsaw, and at Sochaczew, turn north on Route 580. The house is also reachable by PKS bus and by private minibuses running from Warsaw's main bus station, but several companies also offer guided tours that include both Żelazowa Wola and Nieborów, the estate of the Radziwiłł family (and sometimes Arkadia Park as well).

The stunning country estate of the Radziwiłł family includes an impressive baroque palace designed by Tilman van Gameren in the late 17th century. In 1945, the estate was taken over by the National Museum of Warsaw, and it still contains the home's original furnishings. When you walk around the museum, you can admire wooden panels, cobalt tiles, imposing stoves and fireplaces, and numerous paintings and sculptures—notably the ancient head of Niobe. The palace outbuilding houses temporary exhibitions of modern art. The regular, symmetrical baroque park, designed in the 16th century, is truly magnificent. The palace's hunting pavilion contains a number of limited-access guest rooms, where you can stay if you apply far in advance and have a valid reference from an associated artistic, scientific, or political organization. (Book far ahead; no children allowed.)

To get here from Żelazowa Wola, return to the 2 (E30) and drive west to Łowicz; then take Route 70 southeast about 10 km (6 miles). PKS buses run from Warsaw's main bus station in the direction of Łowicz, with stops at both Nieborów and Arkadia. Several guided tours starting in Warsaw include both Chopin's birthplace in Żelazowa Wola and Nieborów (and sometimes Arkadia Park as well).