Lubań is a small (23,000 residents) town in Lower Silesia. Before 1945 it was part of Germany and was called Lauban. The city was destroyed towards the end of WW2.
Town square
Not all facades have been renovated
We visited during a minerals festival - Crystal Days
The town square was full of vendor stalls
The regional museum had a precious stone exposition
Gryfów Śląski is a small (7,000 people) town in Lower Silesia. Before 1945 it was part of Germany and was called Greifenberg.
Town Hall
This dark green car must be one of the last Fiat 126p in use in Poland. I had an orange one a long time ago and Tom Hanks has a white one. Mine was 8 years old when I bought it from some farmer and it was so bad, that the longest period it ran without anything breaking was 2 weeks. Apart from the typical - "would not start", I had the rear wheel suspension brake when I was on a bridge, another time the engine support broke and the whole engine was hanging on one screw, the gearbox got stuck in 2nd gear, the fuel tank started leaking and I had to replace it...I had this car for one long year.
Town square
Town square - another side
Yet another side
A cheap Żabka (little frog) store in a building that desperately needs renovation.
The view from the tower towards the entrance to the castle grounds
Interiors
Rooms with secret entrances - this one through a bookshelf
This bed originally had a trap
Stables?
This is an interesting piece of post war history. This a report from 5 Feb 1946 by Polish Army unit protecting the border. It notes 3 cases of people disappearing/escaping: the mayor of Leśna with his wife, Leśna city office worker with his female lover, and the chief of Milicja in Leśna with his deputy. Most likely all escaped to Germany and then further West.
A short stop in the biggest town of south-east Poland: Lublin. I drove through Lublin many times before, but this was the first time I actually stopped to look around. There was not enough time to properly explore the city. I will be back...
The Castle Hill. This neo-gothic building is from 1820s and was meant to be a prison.
Old town
Old town
Facade detail
Old town
I like the humour (I assume it is humour) of the white and red shop sign: Real kebab, at a real Pole's.
Now, this is definitely a humorous sign, right? right?
Zamość is a small town in south-east Poland. It is the hometown of Marek Grechuta. It is on the UNESCO heritage list:
Zamość is a unique example of a Renaissance town in Central Europe, consistently designed and built in accordance with the Italian theories of the "ideal town," on the basis of a plan which was the result of perfect cooperation between the open-minded founder, Jan Zamoyski, and the outstanding architect, Bernardo Morando. Zamość is an outstanding example of an innovative approach to town planning, combining the functions of an urban ensemble, a residence, and a fortress in accordance with a consistently implemented Renaissance concept.
Armenian houses
Town hall
When I visited, there was a beach volleyball competition on the main market square:
This Armenian house is now a museum
An interesting practice of "splitting" another painting and adding some features. The small one on the bottom left is the original from 1866 by Jan Matejko. It is called "Rejtan - The Fall of Poland". The extended version on top is from 1896 and is displayed in the Zamość Museum.
Polish was spelled differently in the past: U was V. J was either not written (NASWIĘTSZEY instead of NAJŚWIĘTSZEJ) or written as Y or I. KATEDRA is spelt with an H here: KATHEDRA. KS is spelled with X.
This looks like an Australian or American Wild West tavern. I can easily imagine horses waiting outside.
Synagogue from 1600s. It is still used for religious services, but it also hosts a museum.
A model of the Armenian church - destroyed after WW2 to build an ugly hotel. Armenian merchants helped build the city, but later, according to my guide, lost the competition to Jews and left.
Catholic Church - there is a view of the town from the tower
This view
The original Zamoyski palace, later barracks, and now social housing in desperate need of repair
