13 Exciting and Unusual Things to Do in Poland
Have you ever been to Poland? Perhaps there are many places which you did not know that exist. Read below about unusual things what you can do in Poland. Enjoy!
1.Kaplica Czaszek: The Chapel of Skulls
KUDOWA-ZDRÓJ, POLAND
The Chapel is constructed out of thousands of human bones! Skulls line the walls and shin bones decorate the ceiling, and other additional 21,000 skeletons can be revealed by opening the trapdoor to the crypt just below.
These are the bones of victims of wars and plagues. Between 1776 and 1804, the local priest, Vaclav Tomasek, carefully gathered, cleaned and arranged the skeletons that were recovered from many, shallow mass graves left by the Thirty Years’ War, Silesian Wars, and cholera outbreaks.
Impressive!
2.Upside-Down House
SZYMBARK, POLAND
The topsy-turvy effect of communism on Poland has been brought to life in this wacky tourist attraction. This trippy home is located at the foot of a mountain and highlights the symbolic communist rule inversions by literally turning an entire house upside down. Whether you’re interested in the political message behind it or just want to have fun making yourself dizzy by walking through an upside down house, it’s worth the visit!
3.Książ Castle
WALBRZYCH, POLAND
Książ Castle is a complete fairytale Gothic castle that’s immersed in Nazi treasure conspiracy theories. It’s sitting majestuous within the Owl Mountains of southwestern Poland, shrouded in secrets and many Nazi conspiracy theories.
4.Crooked Forest
GRYFINO, POLAND
80 years ago may some abusive farmers kept from growing trees, since a group of about 400 trees in Poland’s Krzywy Las is mysteriously bent. It’s strange and amazing seeing the trees hovering just inches above the ground and then taking a sharp turn toward the sky, forming into little J shapes. It’s both a little dramatic and extraordinary.
5.Wieliczka Salt Mine
WIELICZKA, POLAND
Wieliczka Salt Mine is an underground city of salt. The mine was one of the biggest business ventures in Europe during the Renaissance. Only in recent years, royal tourists began to visit the mine, lured by the developing Renaissance taste for culture and humanism.
Also, the mine has been praised for its health benefits. The atmosphere inside is great for people suffering from different types of respiratory illnesses, and there’s an opportunity for guests to stay at special health resort/ centre there.
6.Wawel Dragon’s Den
KRAKOW, POLAND
This spectacular limestone formation of Wawel Hill has been formed about 25 million years ago. It’s not the solid piece of rock it seems to be, it’s rather filled with strange caves and frightening crawl spaces. As legend says, the rocky chambers underneath were once home to the Wawel Dragon (Smok Wawelski). There are various legends about the cave and about how the city of Krakow got its name. Luckily, all of the versions involve a dragon.
7.Błędne Skały
KŁODZKI, POLAND
Situated in south-western Poland, Błędne Skały, known as Errant Rocks in English, is naturally formed rock city. It’s a set of blocks of rock reaching a height of 853 m above sea level, creating a picturesque labyrinth. For years it’s been an important passage in Central Europe due to being on the border between Poland and the Czech Republic.
Today the rock city has perfectly chiselled paths that lead visitors on exciting hikes, allowing imaginations run wild among the natural forms of the rocks.
8.Rynek Underground
KRAKOW, POLAND
Just beneath Kraków Old Town’s main square, you can find a hologram-filled medieval market vampire graveyard wonderland! It’s bizarre to think while standing on the cobblestones of Kraków’s market square that there’s a 4,000-square-meter archaeological site/high-tech multimedia extravaganza just about four meters below your feet!
9.The Wolf’s Lair
KETRZYN, POLAND
These remains of the Nazi stronghold where Hitler was nearly blown up by a suitcase bomb are hidden deep in a Polish forest. The ruins are slowly being reclaimed by nature, but can still be easily visited by anyone with the will to go on a hunt in the forest for Nazi relics.
10.Holy Mountain of Grabarka
GRABARKA, POLAND
A small cross-covered hill with crosses of all sizes, shapes, and colours. Thousands of pilgrims come for a visit every year to pray and to be healed. The Holy Mountain of Grabarka is the holiest Orthodox location in Poland.
11.The Ostwall Fortification
PNIEWO, POLAND
In the mid-1930s it was built by Nazi as a defence against invading Russian forces, but today the underground Nazi city is the largest bat reserve in Europe. The tunnel-complex is holding approximately 37,000 bats during winters. Though tourists are not allowed in the tunnels at this time, many parts of the tunnels are open to visitors at other times of the year.
12.Keret House
WARSAW, POLAND
The Keret House is the world’s narrowest house! It makes for an awkward, four-foot-wide living space. The project was first imagined as an apparently impossible vision of the Polish architect Jakub Szczesny of Centrala. During the WolaArt festival in 2009, he first presented the idea as an artistic concept.
But guess what? A few years later, the vision has become a reality and is drawing a remarkable amount of international attention to the city of Warsaw!
13.Moving Sand Dunes
NORTHWESTERN POLAND
This natural phenomenon is inspiring with awe. The massive moving sand dunes have already swallowed an entire village and apparently are still running.
Located in northwestern Poland, these sand dunes have been on the move for thousands of years. They’re moved by the winds coming off the Baltic Sea at an average rate of 10 meters per year, swallowing tall trees and completely changing the biosphere of the area each year.
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