Lublin Voivodeship is located close to the border with both Belarus and Ukraine. The capital of this region is Lublin, a city that is over 800 years old. It is known for Lublin Castle, one of the oldest castles in Poland open to the public, and the Crown Tribunal building, where the final say in judicial matters were heard when Lublin was part of the Crown Kingdom of Poland. The town of Zamosc is located 55 miles to the southeast of Lublin. It is one of the best-preserved examples of a Renaissance town in Europe, and one of the few outside modern-day Italy to survive to the present day. Lublin Voivodeship once had a very large Jewish community, which was nearly completely wiped out with the Holocaust. The Old Town of Lublin, once a national hub of Jewish life, is a national historic district, and the Old Town of Zamosc, where the Zamosc Old Synagogue is located, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In recent decades, more and more American Jews have visited Lublin Voivodeship each year attempting to connect with their ancestral roots.
Poland`s capital is a metropolis of three million people, a far cry from the small village settled around the market square 700 years ago. Warsaw has survived indignity and strife; three partitions of Poland; a carpet-bombing during World War II; and later the Communist regime. Today Warsaw is one of Europe`s hubs of art, culture, entertainment and gastronomy.
Silesia, in south-central Poland, is one of the richest areas of the country and the most densely-populated. Cities include the capital, Katowice, one of the richest cities in the country; Bielsko-Biala, known for its Art Nouveau architecture; and Czestochowa, a popular Catholic pilgrimage site known for the monastery of Jasna Gora and the Black Madonna painting.
The southwesternmost voivodeship in Poland is a popular tourist destination. It is sandwiched between the Sudeten mountains and the Silesian Lowlands. In the Lowlands, which is the warmest region of Poland, you will find the region`s largest city, Wroclaw. Closer to the Sudetes you will find Jelenia Gora, boasting the oldest spa district in Poland and multiple ski resorts.
Greater Poland (west-central Poland) is known as the country`s `cradle`, as it was the area of the country that saw the rise of the very first Polish royal house. Poznan, the region`s capital, is one of the oldest major cities in Poland. The very first Roman Catholic cathedral in Poland was built here in 968 CE, located on Cathedral Island in the middle of the Warta River.
Lesser Poland, corresponding roughly to southeast Poland, sits in the Vistula river valley and the Tatra Mountains. The `winter capital of Poland`, Zakopane, is the Tatras` largest town and is a great place for skiing and hiking. The capital of Lesser Poland is Krakow, whose Old Town was designated one of the very first UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the 1970s.
West Pomerania is the northwesternmost voivoideship in Poland. It is one of the most popular tourist regions due to its position on the Baltic Sea coast and for other attractions like the Wkrzanska Forest, Drawa National Park, and Wolin National Park. The capital of the region is historic Szczecin, settled in the ninth century and located on the Oder River.
Polish Pomerania covers much of the northwestern portion of the country, including a large portion of the country`s Baltic Sea coastline. Pomerania has a few large cities, but for the most part it is rural, with lakes, farms, valleys, fields, forests, and small villages and towns. Many of Poland`s oldest cities and towns, such as Gdansk, are located here.
Kuyavia-Pomerania consists of Kuyavia to the west, with Bydgoszcz as its capital; and Royal Prussia, with Torun as its capital. Bydgoszcz is well-known as `Little Berlin` due to its eclectic architectural styles. Torun is one of the oldest cities in Poland, 1,200 years old, and its Old Town area, unscathed after World War II, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.