ROMANIA & POLAND 15 DAYS

Today we proceed with our exploration of Bucharest. Unfortunately, the former “Paris of the East” has lost some of its former glory. Though neither the multiple occupation nor many other revolutions in the history of the city could really destroy its beauty, the building mania of Ceausescu, who demolished large parts of the city center, took its toll. During the city tour you will see the Patriarchal Church – the residence of the orthodox head of the country, the old prince   courtyard, Union Square and Hanul lui Manuc, where peace treaty between Turkey and Russia was concluded in 1812. In the late afternoon you have plenty of time to explore the Romanian capital on your own. Depending on your interests, we recommend you two museums in the Romanian capital. If you still can’t get enough of the rural motifs, visit the Museul Satului, the village open-air museum – a summary of rural life in various regions of Romania. The Jewish Museum in Bucharest is located in the former synagogue “United Sacred Temple” (Templul Unirea Sfântă), which has survived undamaged both the Second World War and the Nicolae-Ceauşescu regime. The museum houses an enormous collection of books written, published, illustrated or translated by Romanian Jews and a wide range of Jewish ritual objects.

Immediately  after breakfast  we start our trip  through Transylvania.  The name is self-explanatory  and is translated as “country beyond the forests”. The region is also known by its German name “Siebenbürgen”, which goes back to the first German settlers. They settled here in the 12th century to erect here a bulwark with seven fortified  towns against the Ottomans. Along the way you will admire beautiful mountain landscapes, covered with ancient forests with abundant wildlife; legendary castles, allegedly full of werewolves and vampires; ancient Roman, Dacian and Scythian settlements, as well as modern villages with incredibly well-preserved traditions. For the traveler, it is a unique opportunity to make a time jump in the bygone epoch and to experience the ancient customs so closely. We head for Brasov / Kronstadt. Our route leads through Prahova Valley to Sinaia – “Pearl of the Carpathians”. In Sinaia, we visit the Peles Castle with a mixture of elements in Gothic and Renaissance styles, probably the most beautiful castle in Romania. Until 1914 it was the favorite summer residence of King Carol the First. Its timbered walls and bay windows remind both the imperial style as well as the Hohenzollern, the birthplace of the King.  Then,  we will  visit the  world-renowned  Bran Castle. In  the massive castle,  commonly known as “Dracula’s Castle”, the head of the Vampire is said to have gone on his wild rampage. It is still a controversial question, whether the prototype for Bram Stoker’s main character in the novel “Dracula”, Prince Vlad Tepes, has ever visited the castle in reality. Anyway, perched on a rocky cliff above a peaceful valley, the castle presents a rather creepy, but somehow also a beautiful spectacle. In the evening we reach Brasov and enjoy together our dinner.

In the morning we explore Brasov that is considered to be a city on the rise. Owing to its eventful history, the largest city in Transylvania has a lot to offer. Kronstadt was founded as a bastion of the south-eastern Transylvania.  The well preserved historic center is surrounded by hills and displays an integral medieval townscape. The Baroque Town Hall, rebuilt after the fire in 1698, is situated on the triangular square. Quite close there is the Black Church from the 14-15th century. The largest gothic religious building of Eastern Europe is the symbol of Brasov. Also, you will see the church of St. Nicholas with the elements of Gothic and Byzantine style. After the sightseeing tour in Brasov we drive to Sighisoara to admire there a charming medieval castle, which belongs now to the UNESCO World Heritage. Particularly well-known is the clock tower of the castle. The house is supposed to be the birth place of the Wallachian prince Vlad Dracula. From the chapel of the Gothic church we enjoy a  breathtaking view over the city. In Sighisoara, the only remaining absolutely intact and inhabited medieval fortress of Eastern Europe, we stay for dinner and spend the night there.

On  the way  to Cluj Napoca  we will go through  the valley Tarnava Mare,  a wine region with the charming village Biertan. The impressive church castle with three defensive walls, three gates and six towers justifies our short stay in the village. Biertan is the annual venue of the so-called “Saxony meeting”, the meeting of still remaining Transylvanian Saxons. In the afternoon we reach Cluj Napoca (Cluj). You will feel strongly both western and eastern influences here. One can rarely experience such a cultural and language diversity. The mixture of cultures contributed a lot to the special atmosphere of the country. After check-in at the hotel, we still have some time to explore this extremely interesting city. In Cluj you can see ruins of the ancient Romanian town Napoca. You will visit the main landmark of the town – Catholic Cathedral of St. Michael, built in the Gothic style in the 14th century. The Municipal Theatre and the neo-Byzantine Orthodox Cathedral will leave you with a vivid impression of the city.

Right after breakfast we leave Cluj Napoca and head to Sibiu. On our way we visit winery in Alba Iulia with one of the oldest Transylvanian vineyards. Romania is one of the world’s largest wine producers that preserves one of the oldest wine making traditions. We will discover the soul of the wine cellar and the secrets of local wine making. The sublime décor of the cellar gives you the pleasure of a journey back in time. The short excursion is followed by wine tasting. In the afternoon we reach / Hermannstadt – founded by German settlers, the city is still the center of the “Transylvanian  Saxons”. In architecture Sibiu reminds old German cities. Even now the signposts and tourist information are labeled both in Romanian and German, though most of the German inhabitants have left the city for Germany. While walking through the city center you get the impression of the European Capital of Culture in 2007. During a city tour you can see the large and the small city ring, the Liar ’s Bridge and the Protestant cathedral.

In the early morning we set off to Bucharest. We make one obvious stop on the way back to Bucharest to see an architectural jewel – the monastery Curtea de Argeş with its with perfect views and extraordinary architecture. It’s worth spending an hour visiting the monastery and resting for a while on a bench in the park that surrounds it. Not less impressing is the legend, connected with its construction. The architect Manole was not progressing with finishing the walls as they were crushed and destroyed the following night. The answer to his prayers and questions was the ancient custom: they had to sacrifice the first woman who would approach the site and build her alive in the wall. He didn’t manage to warn his wife, so he had to sacrifice her to succeed in building the church. Thus, the cathedral was built. To prevent construction of any other building like this or an even greater one, the prince forced him and his masons to jump off the roof to their death by taking away the ladder from the roof. After lunch we make our way to the Bucharest International Airport and have an evening flight to Krakow. After check-in at the hotel you will enjoy together late dinner.

After breakfast, we have a sightseeing tour in the city. For Polish people Krakow is the most beautiful city in their homeland and the most important cultural metropolis. Every stone can share its history here. Historical background, its colorfulness and rousing music immerse tourists into the unbelievable atmosphere. The whole old city belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage List. We  look  around  the biggest  medieval market  square in Europe,  Cloth Hall, the building  of Jagiellonian University and Royal Castle with a cathedral on Wawel Hill wherefrom Polish kings had been ruling the country for five centuries. We also visit marvelous St. Mary’s Basilica with famous Krakow High Altar, carved from lime-wood and two uneven towers which symbolize this church.  Every hour you can hear trumpet melodies, which stop abruptly to commemorate the guards, who were shot by arrows in attempt to warn the city of tartars’ attack. The afternoon is free to explore this delightful city independently at leisure.

We have prepared for you two options for the first half of the day: another site which belongs to UNESCO World Heritage List – notorious Auschwitz concentration camp, one of the largest Nazi concentration camps that existed from the end of May 1940 to January 1945. During this period there were killed nearly 1.5 million people, many of whom were Jews. Auschwitz is a tragic page in the history of the world. This is the place of sorrow and memory and also the site which makes people reconsider their attitude towards their life.

Wieliczka – well-known salt mine which is also included on the UNESCO World Heritage List,where you can marvel the famous St. Kinga’s Chapel at the depth of 101m. Built in the 13th c., Wieliczka salt mine was one of the oldest salt mines still in operation. There you will get acquainted with the history of famous mine, travel along the labyrinth and see dozens of historic statues, mythical figures as well as four chapels carved out of the rock salt. Then we come back to Krakow and visit the former Jewish quarter Kazimierz on the left bank of the Vistula with its nice cafes, galleries and antique shops, as well as the former Enamel factory by Oscar Schindler. Kazimierz was the location of the famous movie “Schindler’s List”. Among other things, we see the former Kazimierz Town Hall, the Corpus Christi Church and the Synagogue. In the evening you are invited to a Jewish restaurant for traditional dinner.

Today  we leave  Krakow and  our first stop  is Tarnow, a city  with charming Galician  atmosphere, located at the  foot of the Carpathian Mountains. During the sightseeing tour you will  visit the historical city center with renaissance Town Hall, Half-Bastion, the semi-circle-shaped tower as well as the Cathedral and Bimah, which is the only preserved part of the oldest Tarnow synagogue erected in the 17th century. After lunch we have a sightseeing tour around Rzeszow Old Town including the Market Square with typical for this region underground cellars and corridors. Just like other cities in this region, Rzeszow experienced its heyday in the end of the 16th and early 17th century. The town hall and the fortification were built at this time, as well as the St. Bernardine monastery and the castle. We also visit the St. Stanislaus and Adalbert Church, the new and the old synagogue. Overnight in Rzeszow.

Today we leave Rzeszow and head to Sanok. On the way we visit some of the many wooden churches – outstanding examples of a typical sacred architecture. Of course, in such an area, wood is the most important building material. And the churches are often real masterpieces of wooden architecture, with its shingled, slender towering, wooden steeples, built without metal nails. This are the most architecturally valuable buildings in their original condition, its wide-style range reaches from the Gothic, through Renaissance to Baroque. The oldest of them date from the 14th century. In 2003, 6 wooden churches in Małopolska were included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage. On our way to Sanok we visit some
of them, for example in the villages Blizne and Haczow. Both churches especially impress with paintings inside. With the priest we are talking about their history and the current role of religion in Polish society. Then we reach Sanok – a pretty town in front of the beautiful mountain scenery. Here we see the main sights and visit the local open-air museum. Particularly valuable is that here are four main ethnic groups who lived in the region until 1947. There are here over 100 buildings, houses, homesteads and churches of Lemkos, Boykos, Pogórzanie and Dolinianie. Here are also represented Roman Catholic and Greek Catholic churches from the 17th and 18th centuries. Overnight in Rzeszow.

After breakfast we drive to Lancut, where is situated one of the country’s most important magnate residences. The palace in Lancut was built in the early 17th century. It is surrounded by a system of fortifications with bastions and a landscape park. In the old stable and coach-house building there is one of Europe’s largest museums of carriages. The next stop is Zamosc – a jewel of Polish Renaissance. The Old Town complex has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. The city’s urban layout was designed to copy the plans of an ideal Italian urban pattern. It is Poland’s best-preserved Renaissance town and has retained its attic-topped burgher houses, magnificent town hall, churches and fortifications. Then we drive to Lublin – the capital of the Lublin Voivodeship and the largest city in Eastern Poland – and stay here for the night.

After breakfast we enjoy a sightseeing tour around Lublin, the capital of the Lublin Region and the biggest town in Eastern Poland. Lublin was not by chance the candidate for European Capital of Culture 2016. Established in the Middle Ages, the Old Town is one of the finest urban complexes of its kind in Poland. Worth visiting is also the Old Town Hall, so-called Crown Tribunal, the Gothic Dominican Church and monastery complex, Grodzka and Cracow Gates, the Neo-Gothic castle and the Trinitarian Tower which is one of the most characteristic city landmarks. After lunch we are leaving for Kazimierz Dolny, the city of artists. It combines splendid architecture with picturesque landscape, which can be admired during a boat cruise on the Vistula River. In the Old Town there are a lot of 500-year-old tenement houses. In the evening we reach Warsaw.

After breakfast we begin our acquaintance with the capital of Poland. The rebuilding of the Old Town after World War II was one of the biggest reconstruction projects in Europe. Now, the Old Town and the Royal
Castle are on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. The Market Square is lined with burgher houses, exclusive restaurants and shops. Also worth seeing are the gothic St. John’s Cathedral and the Barbican. Along
the Royal Route, visitors will find many old churches and palaces.
Right afterwards we will visit the new Fryderyk Chopin Museum. The mission of the museum is to cultivate the memory of the great composer and to make information about his life and work available to the wide audience. Modern technology, interactivity, original drafts, notes, instruments, even a curl of hair and the Chopin’s death mask will make the excursion much more interesting. In the evening we will gather for farewell dinner and discuss the most vivid impressions from the trip to Romania
and Poland. Overnight in Warsaw.

Well, our program comes to its end. You take with you unforgettable impressions and a great feeling of having experienced something special. You have spent your time in Romania and Poland very intensively and
eventfully and we hope we have managed to convince you to come here once more in the future. Here you are always welcome!