POLAND

The Tatra Mountains

2011-11-22T11:57:00.000-08:00

LAND IN POLAND

The Tatra Mountains are part of the Carpathian Range and run across the Polish-Slovakian border with about one quarter of the mountains in Poland. This beautiful area is geographically diverse and offers a wide range of recreational activities in all seasons. The granite peaks provide a wide variety of hikes as well as good skiing in the winter. Surrounded by picturesque valleys with the emerald Lake Morskie Oko nearby, many are content to enjoy the views of the alpine-like mountains as they cycle around the town or simply sit beside a pool in the summer. For those who are seeking a bit more of an adventure, the Tatras are full of accessible trails for all different levels of trekking, along with guided mountaineering tours and paragliding operations for the fearless.

Where to go and how to get there

The Polish side of the mountains can be reached most easily from the lively town of Zakopane, which is about two hours by car from Krakow, and provides a myriad of resources for exploring the area. There are minibuses that go from the town to the trails and valleys in the Tatras, as well as a range of accommodations and restaurants.

Zakopane is the most crowded during holiday periods and winter weekends. If you want to avoid the crowds, there are also lodging options in the surrounding villages. On the Slovakian side,Stary Smokovec is the place from which to base your adventure and also has hotels and campsites available. To get there, you can take the train via Poprad from Bratislava.

When to go

The time of year you decide to go to the Tatras depends on what activities you want to do there. From December to May is ski season and from May to September is the time to go hiking or just relax around the lakes.

Equipment

Most important for hiking is a pair of high-topped hiking boots. Most injuries that occur in the Tatras are reportedly a result of inadequate footwear. Protecting yourself against the cold is also a concern in the colder months so a hat, coat, and enough liquid and food are essential. In summer, you should also have a windbreaker or raincoat with you.

Things to see and do

Trekking

There is a wide range of hikes in the Tatras, for everyone from families to the expert trekker. The trails are generally well marked and often have metal bars, ladders and chains in areas that may be a bit more difficult to navigate. This allows even those who are not experienced hikers to enjoy many of the trails with scenic views. There is also a cable car that runs from Kuznice, which is two miles south of Zakopane, to the summit of Mt. Kaspowy Wierch for a spectacular view in the winter or summer. If you take the cable car up during the summer, you can explore the area at the top for most of the day which includes a lot of the great mountain ridges as well as the beautiful Orla Perc (Eagle's Path). Be warned though, that the summer months bring a hot sun and long lines for the cable car.

For those who want a relaxing, easy hike surrounded by scenic views and wildlife, try exploring the Chocholowska and Koscieliska Valleys or the Dolina Strazyska and the Regle dales. If hiking in the Dolina Strazyska, there is the waterfall Siklawa which rushes down rocks from the direction of the Giewont Peak, which can be used as a destination point. The Morskie Oko(Sea Eye) lake and the Czarny Staw Lake are also great areas for hiking, climbing and gorgeous views. If you want a greater challenge, you can tackle the Rysy Peak, the highest peak in Poland for a view of hundreds of peaks and twelve major lakes. This is a more serious climb and hikers should pay attention to equipment and weather conditions. The trek can be done in one day or you can stay at a mountain hut on the way. If you want to attempt the highest peak in the Tatras, which is in Slovakia, you have to be with a guide or be an "organized climber," which entails going to the mountain guides in Slovakia and registering as someone who is part of a mountaineering club and has experience. You also must have the correct gear.

Skiing

In the winter, there are four major ski operations in the Zakopane area that have an extended ski season which runs into early May. Mt. Kasprowy Wierch is the most famous ski area in Poland while Antalowka and Gubalowka are good for beginners. Mt. Nosal has a well known slalom slope for advanced skiers and there is a natural ski jump at Wielka Krokiew which has smaller jumps off to the side. Cross country skiing is also available and is usually done on theDroga pod Reglami trail or on the slopes of the Gubalowka and Cyrhla hills.

Wildlife

The logo of the Tatra National Park is a Tatra Mountain Chamois, a sub-species of the mountain antelope, sometimes called a "mountain goat." There are rarely seen in the winter but often spotted near trails in the summer months. There are also marmots, deer, boars, lynx,and birds of prey to look out for. More intimidating, are the brown bears that live in the Tatra region. They are generally not a threat to hikers but there is a small percentage that have become accustomed to feeding out of trash bins near mountain lodges causing them to lose their natural shyness, and becoming a threat to tourists. This is not a major problem although tourists may want to read up on these animals just in case they happen upon a rare sighting.

Other activities

If you want to do something active other than hiking, there are caves to explore in the Koscieliska Valley and paragliding and biking are also available in the region. Zakopane, besides being a source of accommodation, is also a Gorale cultural center.

This area is well known in Poland for the Polish highlander's unique culture which is seen in their traditional clothing, music, wood carvings, and ornately carved wooden houses. If wandering around town or taking a break from the cold, stop in a local haunt to sample some oscypek(cheese made from sheep's milk) and Goral tea (tea with spirits). In the winter, you can take sleigh rides on top of the mountain ridges.

Trekking tip

It is important to note that although you can physically cross from Poland into Slovakia through the mountains, it is officially illegal and you could cause yourself a lot of immigration problems if you are not a European Union citizen. Also, the national parks in both countries are very strict about their many rules, and only organized climbers on either side are allowed to go off the marked trails.

Lodz my city.

2011-10-31T20:10:00.000-07:00

INVEST IN LODZ - LAND FOR SALE

Manufaktura – the biggest leisure-trade

LODZ one of the Poland’s largest city – is an important commercial, trade, science, and cultural centre. By the late 19th century Łódź had been home to the Polish, German, Jewish, Russian, Czech, Silesian and many others nations – it was a true melting pot of cultures. In that time several hundred brick factories appeared and Łódź was labeled ,,the Polish Manchester” because of the rush development with the damp machine.

Today’s tourists take great delight in seeing beautifully refurbished tenements and residential structures of factory magnates – the real gems of Art Nouveau and eclecticism – as well as museum collections and unrivalled nineteenth-century industrial architecture.

Palace of Izrael Poznanski

You will have to visit Prince’s Mill, Herbst Palace, Museum of the City of Łódź established in the beautiful palace of Izrael Poznański, Central Museum of Textiles, Museum of the Factory and the best Museum of Modern Art in Poland – ms² in Manufaktura – the biggest leisure-trade revitalized area.

No trip to Łódź is complete without a stroll down Piotrkowska Street. Public institutions, banks and stores, restaurants, pubs, discos, antique shops, art galleries and cinemas are centered around this main promenade.

Chapels in Łódź-Łagiewniki

The best place for a long walk is Łagiewnicki Wood – city’s green lungs. This Europe’s largest area of woodland within a city environment is both a recreational area and place of interest. Some of the city’s oldest historic buildings are situated here: the Baroque Franciscan monastery and two wooden chapels dating back to 1676 and 1703.

Łódź is also well known for one of the most prestigious Film School in Europe. Many famous directors and camera men have graduated from it – Roman Polański, Andrzej Wajda, Sławomir Idziak. Fans of Polish cinema have to visit the Cinematography Museum. Museum – housed inside Karol Scheibler’s extraordinary 19th century palace – it is the only museum of its kind in Poland. The collection features over 12,000 film posters, a collections of awards received by Andrzej Wajda, art exhibits and projectors and camera equipment of every kind.

Film School in Lodz

Łódź is widely known for the word-famous events held here: the Dialogue of 4 Cultures Festival, the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography Plus Camerimage, the Explorer’s Festival, Fotofestival, Aleksander Tansman International Competition of Musical Personalities, the International Festival of Street Art, the International Festival of Comics and Outline Colour Festival.

Łódź is a fascinating place. Where else can you find cinemas, restaurants and pubs in old factory, museum down a sewer, theatre performances held in apartment blocks, rickshaws peddling in snow, a helicopter inside an internet café and a street featuring the largest piece of graffiti in the world?

Poland.

2011-10-29T21:41:00.000-07:00

LAND FOR SALE

Poland offers a huge amount for travellers of all stripes - from the wild scenery of its mountainous south, with its great skiing and hiking, to the stunning old towns of Krakow, Zamosc and Gdansk and the wilderness of the Bialowieza National Park and the Great Malsurian Lakes in the country's north.

Warsaw and Krakow
Modernising and changing fast, the Polish capital Warsaw was almost totally destroyed during WWII, when it was home to Europe's most notorious ghetto. Today the city is a combination of Soviet and contemporary, with a painstakingly recreated old town and an upbeat, progressive population. Yet most tourists head straight for the country's biggest draw, Krakow, the country's royal capital and a stunningly preserved architectural marvel that has somehow managed to survive the many wars that have used Poland as a battle ground.

Poland's heritagePoland is a nation with a proud cultural heritage, in all spheres. The former textile city of Lodz is proud of its film school, alma mater to directors Roman Polanski and Krzysztof Kieslowski. Toruń boasts of being the hometown of astronomer Nicholas Copernicus and Warsaw claims Marie Curie and Frederick Chopin as natives. The country's biggest port and northern boomtown, Gdansk is best known as the origin of Lech Walesa's Solidarity movement, which was founded in 1980 and eventually lead the country out of communism and into democracy in 1989.

Poland's wild landscapes
Poland's scenic beauty is as varied as it is extraordinary. The Baltic coast has some excellent sandy beaches, as well as the Slowinski National Park with its ethereal forests, bogs and sand dunes. In the country's northeast are the Great Malsurian Lakes, a playground for boat enthusiasts of all kinds with its hundreds of pristine lakes broken up by dense forest. The Krakow-Wielun Upland with its limestone areas, caves and medieval castles is another highlight, while perhaps most beautiful area of all is around the Carpathian Mountains in the far south.