Unesco in Poland
UNESCO World Heritage List
Unesco is the United Nations Organization established on November 16, 1945 and coordinating activities for the development of international cultural, educational and scientific cooperation. Unesco has created aprestigious World Heritage List, which includes extremely valuable architectural monuments and significant natural peculiarities from around the world. So far, more than 1,000 properties from all continents have been listed! There are 16 UNESCO World Geoparksand 2 UNESCO World Geoparks in Poland, and have you seen these attractions yet?
Polish objects on the UNESCO List
At present, the UNESCO List includes 16 Polish objects (complexes of monuments) and 1 UNESCO World Geopark. These are valuable monuments that are definitely worth planning on your tourist route. Explore Polish UNESCO sites!
1. Old Town in Krakow
The Old Town of Krakow was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1978, as one of the first 12 objects in the world. Unesco in Krakow includes the Old Town within the former walls - the Market Square, Wawel Hill and the Kazimierz district with Stradom. It is difficult to find a second city in Poland that is so atmospheric and loved by tourists.
2. Królewskie: Wieliczka Salt Mine and Bochnia Salt Mine
The Salt Mine in Wieliczka was entered on the UNESCO List in 1978, and in 2013 the entry was extended to include the Salt Mine in Bochnia and the Salt Castle in Wieliczka. The deposits of rock salt in Wieliczka and Bochnia have been exploited since the 13th century, not only underground shafts are valuable here, but also underground chapels - places of religious worship.
3. Auschwitz-Birkenau
The German Nazi concentration and extermination camp in Auschwitz from 1940-45 was entered on the List in 1979, it represents all other extermination camps in the world. A visit to this place evokes reverie and becomes a warning. Places for people with strong nerves.
4. Białowieża Forest
A fragment of this original forest lying on the territory of Poland and Belarus, with a large bison population, was entered on the UNESCO List in 1979. The Białowieża National Park was created here - a fantastic place for nature lovers, I also recommend the Royal Oak Trail in Białowieża, an interesting footbridge leading through the heart of the forest.
5. Old Town in Warsaw
In August 1944, during the Warsaw Uprising, over 85% of the buildings of the Old Town were destroyed by the Nazis. After the war, the entire Old Town of Warsaw was carefully rebuilt, along with churches, palaces and the Old Town Square. The Royal Castle was also reconstructed. The beautifully rebuilt Old Town in Warsaw was inscribed on the UNESCO List in 1980.
6. Old Town in Zamość
The Renaissance city of Zamość, inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1992, was founded in the 16th century by Chancellor Jan Zamoyski, modeled on the Italian model of an ideal city, and built by the architect Bernardo Morandi. Today, it enchants tourists, headed by the wonderful Town Hall and the Fortress.
7.Medieval Toruń city complex
Toruń - a valuable and beautiful resort with unique Teutonic monuments was inscribed on the UNESCO List in 1997, the city appreciated and liked by tourists, with a very beautiful old town and gingerbread as a symbol! There are many valuable, historic churches here, but the Market Square with the Town Hall deserves special attention.
8. Teutonic Castle in Malbork
The castle in Malbork, inscribed on the UNESCO list in 1997, is a 13th-century, fortified monastery of the Teutonic Order - the then headquarters of the Grand Master. Malbork Castle is the largest castle in Poland and the largest brick castle in the world. At the same time, it is the most popular castle in the whole country. Very eagerly visited by tourists, because it impresses not only with its architecture, authenticity, but also with its enormity. It is available to tourists all year round. The tour takes about 3 hours, but they pass unnoticed when you stroll through the mysterious recesses of the fortress delighted.
9. Kalwaria Zebrzydowska
Kalwaria Zebrzydowska is a mannerist architectural and landscape complex, along with a pilgrimage park, it was entered on the UNESCO List in 1999. The sanctuary as a complex dates back to the 17th century and has remained almost unchanged since then, with Calvary paths and symbolic places referring to the Passion of the Lord and the life of Our Lady. This place was created by Mikołaj Zebrzydowski - the voivode of Kraków, after the model of Jerusalem, which the Zebrzydów hills reminded him of. Even the names of the hills and chapels were taken from there.
10. The Church of Peace in Jawor and the Church of Peace in Świdnica
Churches of Peace in Lower Silesia as interesting and unique monuments have been on the UNESCO List since 2001. They are the largest skeletal religious buildings in Europe, and were erected in the middle of the 17th century, following the Peace of Westphalia, regulating religious issues. An interesting fact is that there were several conditions in the resolutions, including that the temples were to be made of impermanent building materials, such as straw, clay or wood, in addition without a bell tower and away from the city center. Nevertheless, they have survived to this day (two of the three created) and are the largest wooden temples on our continent.
11. Wooden churches of southern Lesser Poland
The churches have been on the UNESCO List since 2003, in the following towns: Binarowa, Blizne, Dębno, Haczów, Lipnica Murowana, Sękowa. They are a unique example of various aspects of the construction tradition of medieval churches in Roman Catholic culture. They are built in a log structure. This church in Dębno is a real uniqueness, which no nail was used to build.
12. Mużakowski Park
The Polish-German cross-border facility, inscribed on the UNESCO List in 2004, is a huge landscape park stretching on both sides of the Lusatian Neisse, created by Prince Hermann von Pückler-Muskau in 1815-44, with the wonderful Bad Muskau Castle on the German side, but it is also easily accessible to Polish tourists.
13. Centennial Hall in Wrocław
The People's Hall was entered on the UNESCO List in 2006, under its original name as the Centennial Hall in Wrocław. It is a breakthrough building in the history of architecture, using reinforced concrete, and was erected in 1911-13 on the grounds of the Centennial Exhibition.
14. Wooden Orthodox churches in the Polish and Ukrainian Carpathian regions
This cross-border Polish-Ukrainian entry on the UNESCO List took place in 2013. It includes as many as 16 churches, including 8 in Poland and 8 in Ukraine. In Poland, these are: the Orthodox Church of St. Paraskev in Radruż, the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God in Chotyniec, the Orthodox Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Smolnik, the Orthodox Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Turzańsk, the Orthodox Church of St. James the Younger Apostle in Powroźnik, the Orthodox Church of the Protection of the Mother of God in Owczary, the Orthodox Church of St. Paraskev in Kwiatoń, the Orthodox Church of St. Michael the Archangel in Brunary Wyżne. These are Orthodox churches of log construction, erected from the 16th to the 19th centuries as Orthodox and Greek-Catholic temples. In addition to the churches themselves, the entry also includes wooden bell towers, cemeteries and gates, and inside the church valuable iconostases and polychromes.
15. Silver Mine in Tarnowskie Góry
The underground complex of the former silver, zinc and lead mine, entered on the UNESCO List on July 9, 2017. The entire system is up to 300 km long. The corridors stretch here under the whole city to nearby villages, at different heights, and the shared Mine allows you to get to know a fragment of these undergrounds, where you can explore on foot, and some of them go by boat through the underground adit. The Open-Air Museum of Steam Machines was also created at the Mine, and in addition to the Mine, it is also possible to visit the Black Trout Adit.
16. Silicas - the region of prehistoric striped flint mining
The so-called silicas were entered on the UNESCO List in 2019. They are located at the north-eastern end of the Świętokrzyskie Mountains, on the Kamienna River, near Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski. The complex of prehistoric striped flint mines dates here from the period of 3900 -1600 BC. It consists of: Krzemionki Opatowskie, smaller mining fields - Borownia and Korycizna and the prehistoric mining settlement of Gawroniec. It is one of the largest objects of this type in the world, and the large mine chambers discovered here, excavated at various depths, do not occur anywhere else in the world. A unique and beautiful mineral was extracted here - striped flint with gray shades and, as the name suggests, striped. It is interesting that it was distributed within a radius of at least 650 km from the mine, which was confirmed by finds in neighboring countries.
World Geopark Mużakowa Arch
The Mużakowa Arc Geoparknear Łęknica has been a UNESCO World Geopark since 2015. It is a Polish-German cross-border facility protecting the frontal moraine of the Central Polish glaciation, with numerous colorful lakes of anthropogenic origin. It is a wonderful corner, a fragment of which can be admired on the Geo Path of the Old Babina Mine. It is an extremely charming place and so far the only UNESCO geopark in the world in Poland.
Świętokrzyski World Geopark
The Świętokrzyski Geopark covers the area of 5 communes: Kielce, Chęcin, Morawica, Nowin and Piekoszów. In this area there are unique reserves of inanimate nature: Kadzielnia, Cave of Paradise, Wietrznia. It received the prestigious Geopark certificate in April 2021.
Objects aspiring to the UNESCO List
Efforts to be included on the prestigious UNESCO List are ongoing both in Poland and worldwide. The closest places to appear on this List are currently the following in Poland:
Gdańsk – a city of freedom and Solidarity
Gdynia - modernist Downtown
Pieniny - Dunajec Gorge
Augustów Canal
The facilities under the patronage of Unesco are so unique that they are certainly worth seeing, and I can confirm this from my own experience, because apart from some churches, all of them are known to me, and we have visited several complexes several times. Therefore, I can recommend them to you with a clear conscience and I strongly encourage you to see them! And if you visited any of the listed attractions, share your impressions in the comments 🙂
Accommodation
Here you will find a wide selection of accommodations. By booking your stay on Booking.com through our link, you support the development of our blog — and we thank you in advance! It helps us reach many interesting places that we later love to show you and share our experiences and information with you.
Rent a car
Exploring becomes much easier when you have your own means of transport. You don’t have to worry about buses or taxis, and you can plan each day your way. The search box below will help you find the right car – right where your journey begins.
What's worth seeing in the area?
You don't have to travel far to find more interesting places. Within a radius of 100 kilometers, there are many attractions waiting for you that will certainly enrich your stay Your trip with additional memories.
- Kazimierz in Kraków, distance: 0.8 km
- Ojców National Park, distance: 17.7 km
- Krakowskie valleys, distance: 19.2 km
- Błędowska Desert, distance: 42.5 km
- Gródek Park in Jaworzno, distance: 48.1 km
- Eagle's Nest Trail, distance: 52.1 km
- Bobolice Castle, distance: 69.7 km
- Kapias Gardens in Goczałkowice Zdrój, distance: 71.4 km
- Silver Mine in Tarnowskie Góry, distance: 87.6 km
- Paradise Cave, distance: 94.5 km
