The decision was made during the meeting of the Committee in Istanbul. Approximately a thousand candidates from 190 countries will participate in the debate at the ICE Kraków Congress Centre. The session is planned from 2nd till 12th July 2017.
Poland has always fascinated visitors with its cultural cities. Cracow is absolutely the place filed with magic. Touching the venerable walls of the city you are touching the history that lurks here from almost every angle.
The trip is enriched by the fact that its program contains cities, monuments and spots which are included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. The capital is a destination to start with.
Walking tour of Cracow
For the Polish people, Cracow is a special city: the capital of kings, the place where kings were crowned and laid to rest. The tour starts at the Old Town area within the Planty greenbelt - an excellently preserved medieval city. The vast Old Town Market Square is considered to be one of the largest town squares in Europe. The surroundings of the square have remained unchanged for almost 700 years and contain buildings of historic value such as St. Mary’s Church with the famous wooden altar, the Town Hall Tower, the Cloth Hall, the ”Wierzynek” restaurant and the burgher houses. Every hour, you can hear the bugle call to the four corners of the world from the tower of St. Mary’s Church.
Another highlight of the tour is the Wawel Castle. In its 71 magnificent rooms with 7.040 sq. meters of floor space, several thousand works of art of greatest value are on display. Through a tall vaulted gate we enter the Renaissance arcades of the castle courtyard. The most valuable of all the works of art in the Wawel collection are the Arras tapestries. Wawel Cathedral used to be the scene of coronations and is the eternal resting place of the kings of Poland. In the Sigismund Tower hangs the largest bell in Poland, called “Zygmunt”. The Renaissance Sigismund Chapel by the Cathedral, roofed with pure gold, is an absolutely unique architectural monument.
After lunch visit to Kazimierz-Jewish heritage The district is located at the foot of the Wawel Hill. Every corner of Kazimierz is the witness of the history of Polish Jews who lived here from early Middle Ages. Nowadays it is one of the most popular districts of the city thanks to its rich tradition and the atmosphere enabling us to feel the “spirit” of its former inhabitants.
Half day visit to Wieliczka Salt Mine
The salt mine is one of the UNESCO sites in Poland – a world class tourist attraction. Over 700 years of its existence many generations of Polish miners created the underground world, exceptional in its beauty, with the rich interior decoration of the chapels – including the most beautiful of Blessed Kinga, the original linings of the galleries and workings, and the undergound salt lakes. We can see up to 20 excavated chambers on 3 levels - of those the main one is located 130 meters below the ground level. The chambers are decorated with beautiful statues sculpted in salt. Back to Cracow.
Afternoon suggestions:
Option 1: full day excursion to Auschwitz
The biggest concentration camp in Poland formed by Nazis in 1940. The place was known as the “death factory” where about 3 million prisoners were exterminated. In 1979 the concentration camp was listed a UNESCO World Culture and National Heritage Site.
Option 2: full day excursion to Zakopane
One of the best known and most visited town in the Tatras - Poland`s only Alpine mountains. Every year the World Cup in Ski Jumping takes place on the “Wielka Krokiew” Ski Jump. Zakopane is also an excellent staging area for trekking in the Tatra mountains along the numerous trails which lead to mountain lakes, valleys, waterfalls and caves. The most beautiful panorama of the Tatras is seen from the Gubalowka hill, easily accessible by cable car. On the way we suggest two stops; Wadowice - the small town 55 km out of Cracow, known as the birthplace of the Pope John Paul II. Rafting on the Dunajec River - one of the most beautiful routes down the Dunajec river passes through the fantastic mountain gorges in the Pieniny National Park.
