Poland is a multifaceted country where the capital and medieval old
towns are toddled by contemporary city slickers and where horse-drawn
carts negotiate country lanes in areas where the new millennium appears
to have got lost somewhere down the road.
Situated in the heartland of Europe, it has been both a bridge and a
front line between eastern and western Europe. Today it's the place
to go if you're interested in seeing how a nation picks itself up off
the floor and tries to reinvent itself.
The tourist season runs roughly from May to September, peaking in July
and August. At this time the Baltic beaches are taken over by swarms
of humanity, resorts and spas are invaded by tourists, Masurian lakes
are crowded with thousands of sailboats, and mountains can hardly be
seen for walkers. Perhaps the best time to come is either late spring
(mid-May to June) or the turn of summer and autumn (September to mid-October).
These are pleasantly warm periods and there are plenty of cultural activities
going on. During winter it's cold and dark (as you'd expect) and many
camp sites and hostels are closed, but its still a good time for visiting
Poland's cities.
With a strongly Roman Catholic population, Christian celebrations are
of huge importance. This is particularly evident at Christmas and Easter,
but any Sunday is a good Sunday for getting a taste of Polish devoutness
and religious fervour. All the churches (and they are truly in good
supply) fill up beyond their capacity during the Sunday masses.
Among the musical highlights, Kraków hosts the Music in Old Kraków
Festival every August, and Wroclaw follows in September with the Wratislavia
Cantans, replete with oratorios and cantatas. Warsaw is a thriving cultural
centre, with contemporary music showcases in autumn, including jazz
in late October. The Warsaw Theatre Meetings in January review the achievements
of the best Polish theatres over the past year. The Polish Film Festival
in Gdynia in November is the foremost presentation of Poland on celluloid.
Small local feasts, fairs and contests, often dependent upon local folklore,
occur throughout Poland, with a pleasing glut in early summer and early
autumn.
Emerging like a phoenix from the ashes of WWII, Warsaw is essentially
a postwar city. Its handful of historic precincts have been meticulously
reconstructed, but most of its urban landscape is modern, including
everything from dull products of the Stalin era to more creative efforts
of recent years.
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