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Poland is a part of the global tourism market with constantly increasing number of visitors. Tourism in Poland contributes to the country's overall economy. The most popular cities are Kraków, Wrocław, Gdańsk, Warsaw, Poznań, Lublin, Toruń and the historic site of Auschwitz - German nazi concentration camp in Oświęcim. The best recreational destinations include Poland's Masurian Lake District, Baltic Sea coast, Tatra Mountains (the highest mountain range of Carpathians), Sudetes and Białowieża Forest. Poland's main tourist offers consist of sightseeing within cities and out-of-town historical monuments, business trips, qualified tourism, agrotourism, mountain hiking (trekking) and climbing among others. Poland is the 17th most visited country in the world by foreign tourists, as ranked by World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in 2012.

History

The first Polish tourists were pilgrims traveling to shrines both within Poland and abroad. The development of commercial tourism began in the 19th century. The most popular regions were mountains, especially the Tatra Mountains, explored for example by Tytus Chałubiński. In 1873 the Polish Tatra Society and in 1909 the Polish Sightseeing Society were established to organize and develop tourism. The 19th century was also the time of the rapid appearance of spa resorts, mostly in Sudetes, Beskids and along the Baltic Sea coast, with some of them associated, since 1910, with the Polish Balneology Association. After Poland regained independence in 1918, Polish tourism boomed, and was encouraged by the government. The first professional Polish tour operator, Orbis, was founded in Lwów in 1923, followed in 1937 by Gromada tourist organization and tour operator.

After World War II all tourist organizations were nationalized by the new communist government. The Polish Tatra Society and Polish Sightseeing Society were combined into Polish Tourism-Sightseeing Society (PTTK) and most of the tourist infrastructure was handed over to the newly created Workers Vacations Fund (FWP). Tourism was limited to the Comecon countries. This was the era of governmentally-founded tourism, characterised by mass but low-standard tourism. A typical sight was a holiday campground with small bungalows managed by one of the state-owned companies. Holidays for children and teenagers were organized by Juventur. After the fall of communism much of the infrastructure was privatized, although many company-owned resorts were downgraded because of their unprofitability. The early 1990s saw the foundation of many new tour operators. Some of them prevailed and strengthened their position on the market, being able to compete with multinational tour operators like TUI, or Neckermann und Reisen with branches in Poland.

Tourist attractions of Poland

Poland, especially after 1989 and joining of the European Union in 2004, became a place frequently visited by tourists. Most tourist attractions in Poland are connected with natural environment, historic sites and cultural events. They draw millions of tourists every year from all around the world. According to Tourist Institute's data, Poland was visited by 15.7 million tourists in 2006, and by 15 million tourists in 2007, out of the total number of 66.2 million foreign visitors. In 2012, Poland was visited by 13.5 million foreign tourists (those who came during Euro 2012, but did not stay overnight, were not included in official statistics).

Natural environment

Poland has a diversified natural environment, which is relatively unaffected by human development. Visitors are attracted by mountains, sea-coast, forests and the lake reserves. Among the most popular destinations are: Tatra Mountains, in which is the highest peak of Polish (Rysy) and the famous Orla Perć; Karkonosze, Table Mountains, Białowieża Forest, Lower Silesian Wilderness, Bieszczady, Dunajec River Gorge in Pieniny, Pojezierze Mazurskie, Kampinos National Park and many others.

Tourist destinations by city

• Atrakcje turystyczne w Warszawie
• The Royal Road of Kraków
• The Royal-Imperial Route in Poznań
• Jewish Heritage Trail in Bialystok

Historic buildings and places

• Wrocław Centennial Hall and Multimedia Fountain, Ostrów Tumski, Market Square
• Mount Ślęża in the Sudetes
• Wooden Churches of Peace in Jawor and Świdnica
• Kłodzko Fortress
• Project Riese
• Lubiąż Abbey
• Grüssau Abbey
• Vang stave church
• Gniezno Cathedral
• Kraków (Cracow) Old Town
• Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum
• 13th century Salt mine in Wieliczka
• Wooden Churches of Southern Little Poland
• Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa
• Sanctuary in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska
• Medieval Town of Toruń in Toruń
• Gdańsk Old Town in Gdańsk
• Zamość Old Town in Zamość
• Augustów Canal
• Muskau Park

Castles

• Wawel Royal Castle
• Malbork Castle
• Książ Castle
• Chojnik
• Czocha Castle
• Grodno Castle pl:Zamek Grodno
• Grodziec castle
• Niesytno Castle
• Gorzanów Castle
• Gola Dzierżoniowska Castle
• Kliczków Castle
• Krzyżtopór
• Ogrodzieniec
• Dunajec river castles

Popular villages

• Chochołów, Lesser Poland Voivodeship
• Bączal (near Biecz known as little Kraków)
• Srebrna Góra, Lower Silesian Voivodeship
• Henryków, Lower Silesian Voivodeship
• Oleśnica Mała
• Legnickie Pole, site of the Battle of Legnica
• Gogołów (near Świdnica, World Heritage Churches of Peace)
• Wambierzyce, pilgrimage site to statue of Our Lady

Cultural events

• Festival of good beer in Wrocław
• New Horizons Film Festival
• Wratislavia Cantans
• International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition
• Warsaw Autumn Music Festival
• Jazz Jamboree
• Sopot International Song Festival
• Transatlantyk – Poznań International Film and Music Festival
• Events in Kraków (arranged by month)
• Belarusian Song and Poetry Festival in Białystok
• Open'er Festival in Gdynia
• Camerimage Film Festival in Bydgoszcz
• National Festival of Polish Song in Opole

Tourist resorts

There are dozens of sea resorts on the coast of Baltic Sea like Wolin Island, located close to the German border and the coast of Pomerania. In southern Poland there are resorts for skiing and hiking in the Karkonosze mountains, which is part of the Sudetes mountain range. Karkonosze includes the touristical centres of Karpacz and Szklarska Poręba. Other famous resorts for skiing and hiking include in Carpathian Mountains: Zakopane in the Tatra mountains; Szczyrk, Krynica-Zdrój, Ustroń, Wisła in Beskides or Szczawnica and Krościenko in Pieniny mountains.

Transportation in Poland

Since the fall of communism transportation in Poland has been improving. There is acceptable tourist infrastructure, especially in larger cities and in major tourist resorts. Most major Polish cities have airports with connecting services with the Frédéric Chopin International Airport in Warsaw. Intercity travel includes the PKP's Intercity train, Przewozy Regionalne, local trains (Koleje Dolnośląskie, Szybka Kolej Miejska (Tricity), Koleje Mazowieckie, and other) and PKS's overland bus. There are also coach connections to other countries provided by various companies.

See also

• Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society (Template:Lang-pl)
• Mountain Volunteer Search and Rescue (Template:Lang-pl)
• Tatra Volunteer Search and Rescue (Template:Lang-pl)
• List of spa towns in Poland
• Tourism

References

1. Information about tourism in Poland (in Polish). Source: Instytut Turystyki, 2008.
2. GUS (2008). "Przyjazdy do Polski (Foreign visits to Poland)". Statistics (in Polish). Instytut Turystyki. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
3. Katarzyna Sobierajska, Ministry of Tourism (2012). "Pierwsze efekty Euro 2012. Resort turystyki przewiduje wzrost liczby turystów w 2013 r. nawet o pół miliona". Live interview (in Polish). Agencja Informacyjna Newseria. Retrieved December 31, 2012. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)

• Poland national tourism office
• Useful information site about Poland
• Poland's Official Travel Website

Further reading

• Kaszynski, Tadeusz, Through Europe to Poland by Car, 1st and rev. ed., New York, 1968

• Tourism in Poland