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Poland is a less known and less popular tourist destination but it’s rapidly changing. It is obvious that you must be better educated to be willing to explore the wealth of things Poland has to offer. The average public generally goes to warm/hot areas of the world but those who require more stimulating and new, unexplored places and those who with more demanding tastes will certainly choose Poland and all her features.Poland, because of her geographic position and history, is extremely rich culturally, her architecture, art, music, folklore, cuisines, literature etc are very diverse and complex and one would need long time to experience them all. Then we have our majestic Polish nature that looks different during every season and is your eyes’ delight. It is fresh, refreshing, burning, freezing, white, golden, deeply green, blue or hazy, you can chose. You have the last remaining primeval European forests with all its wildlife, lakes, rivers, waterfalls and sea, you have the sand dunes and even desert. It can be cold, and hot and warm and freezing, again, it depends what season you choose. We, of course, don’t have Mediterranean climate but I think 35 deg. C in a Summer is more than enough unless, of course, you love extremes, then Sahara would be better.Poland offers great range of tourist attractions and possibilities. You can do all yourself and be your own guide or hire a professional tourist guide, a traveller type guide, an academic guide, a private guide, you can go on a organise tour (sometimes that might be the only option due to safety reasons). You can often find volunteer tour guides who are students of Tourism and Hospitality or History of Art faculties from various universities.. It can be fun, enjoyable and interesting.Now with the reference to the comment of Micheal Ler.Ha, you see, We have a long tradition of tourism and tourist itineraries in Poland that date back the XVI c. but you OBVIOUSLY have never been to Poland (as there are a few funny give aways that this is the case).. Why writing pseudo-informed comments.. you just made a f o ol out of yourself. And BTW all things “flashy” are for “fla shers” and if that’s what you require/need, try the n.u. d. i. s.t. beach.And here some tips10 Reasons You Should Travel to Poland At Least Once In Your Life!And here something for the intellectuals and more cultured travellersStacja ‘Kultura’ [‘Culture’ Station] in RumiaThe proverb ‘never judge a book by its cover’ perfectly suits the railway station in Rumia. This modernized yet unassuming building erected in 1958 houses a real marvel – an innovative cultural centre. This elegant and cosy space is divided into zones and includes a library, a suite of photographic, artistic, and sculpture studios, a children’s corner (full of books for children and educational toys), computer work stations on the mezzanine, conference halls, and NGO offices. Anyone who feels like setting off for a journey through different periods of literature may enter the former waiting room transformed into a reading room, choose a book, and sink into one of the couches arranged to resemble train compartments. This is not the only railway connotation: black and red elements of the interior design make associations with an old locomotive, the book racks are stylized to resemble railway tracks, and the passing of time is measured by a railway clock.Information Centre and Academic LibraryAcademic Library in Katowice, photo: Jakub Certowicz / CINiBAJorge Luis Borges described the universe as a phantasmagorical library composed of an infinite number of hexagonal galleries, an infinite number of floors and spiral stairways containing all the books of the world. A little bit of that unrealistic and fantastic vision has actually been realised by the HS99 architectural studio, designers of the libraries of Katowice’s two universities– the University of Silesia and the University of Economics. It is not easy to assess the number of floors or the number of bibliographic items displayed on its nearly 60 kilometres of shelves. The interior, arranged with geometrical precision, gives a feeling of harmony and calm. The windows help create an exceptional atmosphere: daylight penetrates through 4,000 glass apertures, and after dusk, artificial lighting draws patterns on the building’s façade.The building, composed of two combined cubes of different height, ideally harmonises with the urban landscape of Katowice. The intense colour of the external sandstone walls (the inhabitants call the building ‘the redhead’) corresponds with the neighbouring industrial red-brick buildings and Silesian multi-family houses (familoks). The winner of many architectural awards, it was built in 2012.Warsaw University Library‘Hinc omnia’ (Latin for ‘Hence all’), reads the inscription on a huge, open book hanging over the entry to the university’s athenaeum. This book is guarded by the statues of four wise men mounted on columns: Kazimierz Twardowski, Jan Łukasiewicz, Alfred Tarski, and Stanisław Leśniewski. Inside the building, before we actually enter the library’s gate, we have to walk along a little paved lane – a passage covered with a glass roof – which connects the leisure and entertainment centre of the building with the library. This crescent-shaped part of the building houses commercial institutions; its façade is adorned with 8 boards which feature texts in various languages, mathematical notation, and a fragment of music notation (Etude in B minor by Karol Szymanowski. The design by Marek Budzyński and Zbigniew Badowski was intended to give visitors the impression that they have entered a temple from a market place, to overwhelm them with a huge open space, and to mingle tradition with modernity (the card catalogues stand next to computer work stations).Three years after the library was opened to the public in 1999, a garden was constructed on its roof. Designed by Irena Bajerska, it is one of the biggest and the most beautiful roof gardens in Europe. The total surface area of the garden exceeds 1 hectare, and the roof part of the garden is connected with the ground section by a cascading stream. On the roof one can walk through various colour zones: cochineal, golden, silver, and green (named after the colours of blossoms), and little bridges and a viewing terrace which offer a panorama of Warsaw, or one can peek through the glass roof at what is going on inside the building.On the 200th anniversary of the library and the university, Amazon presented the academic institution with 200 Kindle e-readers which can be borrowed by students. In this way BUW (Warsaw University Library) has become the biggest and the only university Kindle-lending library in Europe.The Jagiellonian LibraryThe Jagiellonian Library in Kraków, photo: courtesy of the architectThe list of the most famous university libraries in Poland would not be not complete without the popular Jagiellonka. The library of the oldest Polish university has changed its location a few times to finally find its place on Mickiewicza Avenue, which is the part of Trzech Wieszczów Avenue in Kraków, where it was installed before WWII. A massive, glorious T-shaped building was constructed based on a design by Wacław Krzyżanowski. The main reading room is surrounded by galleries, the staircase is of the kind seen in palaces, and light and luminous interiors harmonise with the façade which was to give the impression of rows of books sitting on shelves. After WWII this modernist building was extended twice: in the period 1961-63 the back part of the library was extended according to a design by Jerzy Wierzbicki, and in the period 1995-2001 a wing was added with an entrance from Oleandry Street, according to a concept elaborated by Romuald Loegler.The Jagiellonian Library is deemed the national athenaeum. It has been collecting bibliographic items since the 14th century, focusing on humanities publications. The library’s staff collects and archives printed materials published in Poland and abroad. The enormously vast collection of manuscripts, incunabula, books, and other printed materials exceeds 7.5 million items. Poland’s most precious antiquities are stored here, including the 15th-century record Bogurodzica, the Copernicus manuscripts on De Revolutionibus…, Chopin’s manuscript of Scherzo in E-major, and even the Liber Viginti Artium – The Book of Twenty Arts, which was once associated with the legendary Faustian sorcerer Twardowski (a stain on the parchment was deemed to have been the imprint of the Devil’s claw). It was surely such a place that Umberto Eco had in mind when he talked about a library ‘which becomes an adventure’, and about ‘discovering books whose existence we never suspected’.The Raczyński LibraryThe Raczyński Library, Poznań, design: JEMS Architekci, photo:. Juliusz SokołowskiThe history of the institution dates back to 1829, when Count Edward Raczyński opened a regional centre for Polish culture promotion on Polish terrain under the Prussian occupation. A classical palace, the design of which is deemed to be the work of French architects Charles Percier and Pierre-Francois Fontain and inspired by the Paris Louvre, was erected with the front facing Independence Square in Poznań. The books collected in the first public library in Poland originated from the private collection of its founder. Today, the library stores the archives of Józef Ignacy Kraszewski, Kazimiera Iłłakowiczówna, and Henryk Sienkiewicz.Expansion of Raczyński Library in Poznań – Image Gallery1 / 8The decision was made to return all the bibliographic items scattered in many branches of the library around Poznań to the main building in the city centre. The Warsaw architectural design studio JEMS Architekci was faced with a tough challenge. They had to design the library extension so that the building wouldn’t lose its historical context. The architects had a marvellous idea: they designed a seven-storey wing at the back of the historical building, and connected both of them with a glass-walled passage. The new façade was completed in 2013 and it is a contemporary interpretation of the colonnade which was the feature of the ancient façade of the library. The new building makes the area of the institution nearly three times bigger. Its most extraordinary solution was to locate book storage rooms on the upper levels, which do not have windows, so that sunlight does not damage invaluable volumes. The middle levels were intended for reading rooms and workshops, and the ground floor was arranged to include a tea-room, a children’s library, and an art gallery.The Library in OpoleMunicipal Public Library in Opole: design: Architop (Małgorzata Zatwarnicka, Andrzej Zatwarnicki), photo: press materials of Architop StudioIt’s not only Poznań that makes every effort to combine the past with the present. In the outskirts of the Old Town district of Opole, in the neighbourhood of a philharmonic hall, a Gothic and Baroque-style Franciscan monastery, and the Museum of Prisoners of War, is the ultramodern building of the Municipal Public Library. The simple architectural form is separated from a 19th-century tenement house by a glass crevice which opens the building onto the Planty walkway and the Młynówka canal. The interior footbridges and catwalks make it possible to move freely between the old and the new parts of the building.A spacious library building houses a librarian’s desk, a large media library, a ‘fairytale room’, a reading room with computer work stations, a photography gallery, conference hall, and a café. The eyes of passers-by are attracted by its awesome façade with engravings of Edward Stachura's lyrics. In 2011, the design by Andrzej Zatwarnicki received the SARP award for the best architectural development built with the support of public funds, and it also won the Polish Architecture XXL award.The Book Gallery in OświęcimBook Gallery in Oświęcim, design: S2 Susuł & Strama Architekci, photo: the studio’s press materialsFive thousand square metres, featuring an underground parking garage, two small cinema auditoriums, a café, a children’s play area, conference halls, and almost one and a half thousand guests each day: this is not a description of a shopping mall, but of the Oświęcim library premises which is to imitate a shopping gallery. And it does: ‘bookshops’ are laid out on several levels, as in a shopping centre, there are two entrances – one on each side of the premises, as in a shopping centre, and the interior is bathed in glittering reflections of rainbow light formed by the horizontal layout of the outside ceramics which causes refraction. The façade looks like blinds. However, instead of the various goods and commodities you’d find in a shopping mall, the shelves are full of books.The Book Gallery in Oświęcim – Image Gallery1 / 7The contest for the design of a municipal library building, the aim of which would be to attract the average citizen to borrow a book, was won by S2 Susuł & Strama Architekci design studio. The goal was achieved by combining educational and leisure functions within one building. The Book Gallery was opened to readers in 2011 and was listed as one of the best European libraries in a list published by World Architecture News service.SopotekaSopoteka, interior design: Jan Sikora, photo: designer’s press materialsDo you enjoying reading a favourite book while sitting or lying on a beach, regardless of the weather? This is possible thanks to a multimedia library in Sopot, which is located at a shopping mall next to the railway station. The interior design was entrusted to Jan Sikor, and judging by the reception to his design for Stacja Kultura Culture Station) in Rumia, success was inevitable. The venue, which was opened at the end of 2015, is inspired by Sopot’s beaches and nature, which is reflected in the original wood decorations and white and natural green colours. Apart from offering discrete working or meeting spaces, Sopoteka encourages the use of the Strandkorb Zone – enclosed individual work stations – or the Beach Zone, where you can read while lying on a comfortable beach chair-imitating chaise longue. The library offers a wide range of art: books, visual arts and music, in traditional as well as digital format. It’s also a place where you can attend a meeting with the author of your favourite book, a workshop, or one of the events held on regular basis, such as Literary Sopot. Here, the cultural peak season lasts all year round.The Czarny Bór LibraryMunicipal Public Library at Czarny Bór, design: ISBA Grupa Projektowa, investor: Municipal Public Library at Czarny Bór, 2011-2012, photo: http://isba.com.pSmall villages can also boast beautifully designed libraries. At Czarny Bór in Lower Silesia, a municipal cultural centre was opened in 2014. Its architects, from Wrocław design studio ISBA Grupa Projektowa, focused on functionality, elegance, and simplicity spiced up with a bit of extravagance. A glass plinth housing an exhibition space and a café is the support for a huge wooden loft. Under the loft’s roof is the library hall and a wide corridor. One wall of the building creates a sheltered courtyard for the neighbouring school and the line of the building harmonizes with the nearby hills.The reading room is quite ascetic in style featuring concrete floors, brick walls, and an uncovered reinforced concrete structure. The unadorned interior was laid out around two oval structures. The first is the librarian’s desk and a café, and the second houses a computer room surrounded with racks, and a reading room. As the building is a cultural centre, apart from the library there is a hall for performances and a place for artistic workshops. Thus, the library is not only meant for borrowing books. A lot of cultural events take place there, but first of all, it is a place where the local community can integrate and relax.The Grafit [Graphite] Library in WrocławGrafit Library in Wrocław, photo: Tomasz Szambelan / AGWrocław's 8 Namysłowska Street is the address of an ultramodern multimedia cultural centre. It’s been open since March 2015 in the place of once planned but never built business centre – Grafit [Graphite] Hall. It was established by merging 4 other public libraries. The place attracts with its bibliographic items (35 thousand books and magazines, 5 thousand films on DVD, 2 thousand music albums, audiobooks, computer games), various sorts of cultural entertainment, and a quite original interior. The floor features a red ribbon – the sign of Wrocław’s libraries – which divides the space into squares. Its colour contrasts with the dominating white. Apart from a library there is a meeting space, a playroom for children, and a leisure zone with a stand for speakers. The interior design was developed by the Synergia studio: Anna Bać, Krzysztof Cebrat, Piotr Michalski, and Sandra Piasek (as well as Małgorzata and Mateusz Sum, with whom they cooperated for the contest).The Grafit Libary in Wrocław – Image Gallery1 / 6The Grafit [Graphite] Library and the city of Wrocław are facing the challenge of organizing the International Librarian Congress in 2017, and the challenge must be met as the city’s title of UNESCO World Book Capital demands.Some music?Excellent concert hall in Warsaw! - Review of National Philharmonic, Warsaw, Poland - TripadvisorA beautiful concert hall with sensational acoustics... - Review of National Symphony Orchestra of the Polish Radio, Katowice, Poland - TripadvisorPhilharmonic Hall in SzczecinPoland’s concert halls in great shapeor some architecture?10 Polish Architects You Should KnowArchitecture from Poland | ArchDaily+48 – The Wooden Chunk House, SękocinWooden Chunk House, project by +48, photograph courtesy of the Łódź Centre of Architecture and DesignThe architects from +48 (Karol Szparkowski, Kamil Miklaszewski, Agata Filipek, Jacek Kamiński) have been active since 2006 and have experience from housing projects to the interior design of office buildings. They have authored award-winning projects including a modernisation project for Warsaw’s Three Crosses Square, the Jacmel primary school in Haiti and the ESK exhibit pavilion in Wroclaw. One of their acclaimed designs is the Wooden Chunk House, a private building located on the green outskirts of Warsaw with a characteristic surface, as it’s covered by pine chunks from cut trees. The project won the 20+10+X Architecture Awards 6th Cycle Award, organised by the World Architecture Community.137Kilo + WWAA – The Służew Cultural CentreThe Służew Cultural Centre, project by 137kilo and WWAA, photograph by Jakub Certowicz courtesy of the Łódź Centre of Architecture and Design137kilo is a Warsaw-based architecture practice opened in 2006. Its founders, Zofia Strumiłło-Sukiennik and Jan Sukiennik, are involved in the production of exhibitions, stage design and interiors – examples of previous work include the café-club Latawiec, NBP and the Łódź Design Festival. With WWAA, they co-authored the Służew Cultural Centre project, due to open at the end of 2013. This modern construction reminds the viewer of the location’s history: the dominant wooden structures, as well as the pet enclosure, vegetable garden and container for biodegradable waste all convey the idea of an old village settlement. Members of the executive team include Maciej Kleszczewski, Wojciech Piwowarczyk and Anna Zawadzka.Bridge – OperaLab, The Grand Theatre – Polish National Opera, WarsawThe OperaLab exhibition, project by Bridge, photograph by Mikołaj Molenda courtesy of the Łódź Centre of Architecture and DesignBridge is a practice specialising in Augmented Reality technology connecting the real world with the virtual one, and in personalised furniture. Founded by Hanna Kokczyńska, Jacek Majewski, Mikołaj Molenda, Jarosław Nowotka and Michał Piasecki, the studio combines technology and design. It is active mainly in graphic and interface design, new apps, parametric models and video mapping. For the recent OperaLab contest organised by the Polish National Opera (Designing identity / The identity of design, in cooperation with Bogdan Grygo and Krzysztof Mazanek) the team created an app enabling users to see the “finalised” mock-ups of those mobile pavilions, which made it to the final of the contest.BudCud – Come, We’ll Show You What We’re Doing, ms2, ŁódźBudCud – Come, We’ll Show You What We’re Doing, ms2, Łódź, photograph by Janek RateckiMateusz Adamczyk and Agata Woźniczka currently lead the BudCud practice, founded in 2007. They won the 9th European contest (2008) with their project to transform old industrial sites in Warsaw. Collaborating with WWAA, MOKO, KAPS and Centrala in their mission to create common public spaces, they designed the Seven Years Stadium and the Square for City Sports in Bemowo (under construction). BudCud are currently working on reviving the Millenium Park in Zielona Góra, and transforming a potable water container in Kraków to suit recreational needs. On their premises in Łódź (ms2), they recently created an interactive exhibition - Come, We’ll Show You What We’re Doing – which tested the relationship between the visitor and the exhibition space. Team members included Dominika Tomaszewska and Jakub Urbaniak.Marcin Kwietowicz – Edward Krasiński's Studio, WarsawMarcin Kwietowicz, The Avant-Garde Institute - Edward Krasiński's Studio, Warsaw, photograph by Jan SmagaMarcin Kwietowicz is an architect and designer whose creations include luxury stores in Warsaw (Galilu, with Grażyna Czarnota) as well as art spaces such as the entrance hall to the Centre for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle (with Wojciech Kotecki and Albert Salamon), the Avant-Garde Institute – Edward Krasiński's Studio (with BAR Architekten: Joost Glissenaare, Klaas van der Molen) and the Polish Pavilion at the Venice Biennale (2005, Artur Żmijewski’s exhibition). In 2013, a building he designed with Piotr Brzoza was recognised as the best single-family home in Poland (2000-2012) by the architecture magazine Murator.Then there’s Krasiński's glass-covered studio: constructed on top of an 11-floor apartment block from 1962, it adds an extra floor to what had been this legendary avant-garde artist’s actual studio. Currently, it houses a museum dedicated to Krasiński and his work.Michalewicz Tański – Hotel Baltic Palace, PobierowoHotel Baltic Palace in Pobierowo, designed by Michalewicz Tański, photograph by Piotr Krajewski, courtesy of the Łódź Centre of Architecture and DesignThis Warsaw practice, founded by Piotr Michalewicz and Michalewicz Tański, designs and constructs technologically advanced buildings. The architects polished their craft at the New York-based Asymptote and Valode et Pistre in Paris, both of which influenced their decision to create geometrically complex buildings, revealing the search for a new quality of space. Michalewicz Tański placed third at the Polish Pavilion contest for the EXPO 2010 in Shanghai, and received an honourable mention at the international contest for Poland’s largest concert hall, the coming home of Sinfonia Varsovia.mode:lina – CLAE Pop-Up Store, Poznańmode:lina, CLAE Pop-Up Store PoznańPaweł Garus and Jerzy Woźniak, founders of the Poznań-based studio mode:lina, like to play around with materials and conventions. Since 2009, they have been working on some unusual projects, which, apart from looking good, also have a particular mission. An example of such work includes installations (Audiocloud, built from tubes, showcased at the 2011 London Design Festival) and pop-up stores for commercial clients, where the young architects recycle cheap and easily accessible materials. The CLAE pop-up store was built using old EUR-pallets.MOOMOO – Yachting HouseYachting House, project by MOOMOO, photograph courtesy of the Łódź Centre of Architecture and DesignThe MOOMOO practice, founded by Łukasz Pastuszka and Jakub Majewski, was chosen as one of the world’s top 30 architecture studios in 2009 by Wallpaper magazine. Their projects are characterised by a sense of minimalism, and the structures relate to the ideas of neo-modernism. The Yachting House is the design for a house on a steep hill, which can be practically accessed by boat.NArchitekTURA (Bartosz Haduch) – CONTINUUM, Southern PolandNArchitekTURA, ContinuumThe Kraków-based NArchitekTURA was counted among the world’s top 30 "rising stars" of architecture in 2010 by Wallpaper magazine. It had been established three years prior by Bartosz Haduch as an interdisciplinary workshop, combining commercial design, publishing and art. The relationship between architecture and nature plays a particularly important role in NArchitekTURA’s projects.One of them involves a garden hut covered by a semi-transparent, external veil refracting light, shadow and the geometrical limits of architecture. The cover, made of Air Z material (usually used for isolation in roof construction), had been put together from a number of moving elements, which make it possible to open and close the whole structure depending on atmospheric conditions, time of day and seasons. The house was co-created by Zbigniew Haduch.Maciej Siuda + Rodrigo García González – DEVEBEREMaciej Siuda, Rodrigo García González, DEVEBEREMaciej Siuda earned his experience in design studios in Madrid, Tokyo and Alicante. He is the co-founder of the IWAU international architecture workshops and creator of the Balon experimental workshop. He designs and experiments with fellow Spanish architect and designer, Rodrigo García.Their DEVEBERE installation is an attempt to create architecture out of plastic bottles and pure air, or rather the lack thereof. As the air is sucked out of the plastic bag wrapped around the bottles, it produces a vacuum, which in turn increases the load-bearing and structural aspects of form – and the form could be a pavilion or a piece of furniture. The project received an award from the French Institute of Architecture (Cité de l’Architecture) and was picked for the 2012 Venice Biennale of Architecture from among 130 works.Jan Strumiłło – Klubokawiarnia Towarzyska (Towarzyska Café-Club), WarsawJan Strumiłło, Klubokawiarnia Towarzyska, photograph by Jakub CertowiczJan Strumiłło started out at the Centrala Design Group and the JEMS Architects workshop, but has been freelancing since 2010. He created the architectural model of Warsaw’s smallest gallery, Witryna, and interiors for the Towarzyska café-club in Warsaw and the Recto | verso bar in the National Library’s building. He is also the author of numerous installations.Jakub Szczęsny (Centrala) – Keret’s House, WarsawJakub Szczęsny (Centrala), Keret’s House, photograph by Krzysztof Wojciewski, Bartek WarzechaJakub Szczęsny’s work ethic is to combine architecture and art. Over a decade ago, he set up the Centrala Design Group with Krzysztof Banaszewski, Małgorzata Kuciewicz and Jan Strumiłło, whose architectural projects attempt to find new solutions for contemporary urban problems and protect the heritage of post-war modernism - but also to serve as purely artistic endeavours.Szczęsny has received awards for his designs of the Sports Hall in Bierun (2006, with Ryszard Szczęsny and Jan Strumiłło) and the Ohel temporary pavilion at the Museum of the History of Polish Jews (2006, with Małgorzata Kuciewicz and Krzysztof Banaszewski). He has edited books and co-created architectural projects such as the restoration of the Warsaw-Powiśle Station (2009), currently home to a prominent central club. Keret’s House (2012), reputedly one of the narrowest houses in the world, is a space to reside and create in. The installation’s patron is the Israeli writer Etgar Keret.Aleksandra Wasilkowska – Zachęta National Art Gallery, WarsawAleksandra Wasilkowska, Zachęta National Art Gallery, photograph by Maciej LandsbergAleksandra Wasilkowska’s work traces the very limits of architecture, art and science. Together with Agnieszka Kurant, she represented Poland at the 12th Venice Biennale of Architecture. In addition to being a book editor, she designs installations exhibited in galleries and contemporary art museums, as well as stage decorations for the theatre.Her projects include a house built as a passive, energy-saving construction, but her work has been recognised in a wide range of contests – for example the modernisation of Warsaw’s Grzybowski Square, or a garden in Pontivy, France. At the Zachęta National Art Gallery, she rebuilt the space occupied by the bookshop, entrance hall, locker room and library; the new, entirely white interior forms a neutral background for the gallery’s neoclassical building.WWAA – Rebel One, WarsawWWAA, Rebel One, WarsawWWAA is a Warsaw-based studio founded in 2006 by Natalia Paszkowska and Marcin Mostrafa. This duo has won several prestigious contests, including the Polish Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai Expo, and the Służew Cultural Centre with 137kilo (currently under construction). A significant part of their work consists of stage designs and installations.Since 2012, they have been collaborating with Slovak stage designer Boris Kudlička. The Rebel One apartment building in Soho was co-created with Iwona Borkowska, Andrzej Hunzvi, Michał Kielian and the Konkret Architects group. The cube alludes to the architectural motifs of the nearby industrial relics. The fact that the bricks are positioned in 26 different ways lends the building its unique, sculpted character.Maciej Jakub Zawadzki – Museum of Latin American Immigrants, MiamiMuseum of Latin American Immigrants in Miami, project: Maciej Jakub ZawadzkiMaciej Jakub Zawadzki is the author of the Miami Pier Museum of Latin American Immigrants project, recognised by Wallpaper magazine as one of the world’s best graduate projects (Graduate Directory 2011). Zawadzki’s sculpted surface proposal is for a site located near the South Beach coast and alludes to the hurricanes, which frequently torment the area. The design was also nominated as the best project at the World Architecture Festival in Barcelona. Zawadzki earned his experience in prestigious Warsaw-based studios, and then in some of the most renowned workshops in the world, such as the Bjarke Ingels Group and MVRDV in Rotterdam.Karol Żurawski – OperaLab, The Grand Theatre – Polish National OperaOperaLab, mobile pavilion project, Karol ŻurawskiKarol Żurawski polished his skills under the supervision of contemporary minimalists including Christian Kerez, designer of the unrealized project for the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, and Peter Zumthor, winner of the Pritzker prize. Żurawski’s projects are formally modest and make use of natural materials; many have won prizes in architecture and design contests. His idea for a mobile pavilion contoured by an anthracite curtain came in first place at the Designing identity/The identity of design OperaLab contest, organised by the Grand Theatre – Polish National Opera and BMW.The Tomorrow’s Avant-Garde? / Map (2013) project was produced by the Architecture and Design Centre at the Higher School of Art and Design in Łódź, and edited by Igor Gałązkiewicz. In addition to presenting relevant projects, the volume also contains interviews with the selected artists and articles by Professor Jerzy Derkowski and Igor Gałązkiewicz.And this Poland for .. surprise … wine loversPoland for wine loversMonika Bielka-Vescovi introduces wine enthusiasts to her homeland. See this guide to all the entries in our travel writing competition that have been published so far.Have you ever thought of travelling to Poland for wine? It is one of the most beautiful and geologically diverse countries with access to the sea, mountains, rivers, amazing National Parks and, what may come to you as a surprise, wine. Believe it or not Poland has 230 registered wineries, double that number if unregistered wineries are included.HistoryViticulture in Poland dates back to introduction of Christianity in 966. The first vineyards were located on Wawel Hill in Krakow. Polish viticulture was developed by monks and later became popular among Polish nobility. By the end of the sixteenth century due to climate change (cold waves) and war as well as the rise in popularity of imported goods, including wine from warmer climates, wine production started to diminish. Communism eventually destroyed all that remained of wine production.The modern era of winemaking started in the 1980s with Roman Myśliwiec who planted his first experimental vineyard, and later started a nursery, in Jasło in the Subcarpathian region. In the harsher climatic conditions then prevailing, hybrids proved to be the most successful varieties.It was not until late 1990s when vine growers started experimenting with Vitis vinifera varieties. Finding the right site, with enough warmth and sunshine as well as protection from winter freeze, is crucial for the success of Vitis vinifera in Poland. The first plantings of Pinot Noir in Silesia saw severe winter freeze damage and cast a shadow on the possibility of growing vinifera there. At the same time Agnieszka Wyrobek Rousseau, a flying winemaker, decided to settle back in her home country bringing a wealth of knowledge with her. She has planted 100% viniferas, choosing clones carefully, as well as the site for her biodynamic vineyard, the first in Poland, located on hills above Krakow, in Wieliczka (pictured above right). Soon Agnieszka became a consultant for many winemakers and thanks to her, as well UC Davis graduate Piotr Stopczyński, and many other brave producers, Polish winemaking started to flourish.KrakowWhere do you start? Fly to Krakow. Thirteenth century downtown, one of the most beautiful in Europe, or perhaps in the world, will take your breath away. Of course while you are here you do need to visit a few of the cult wine places.Start with a glass of wine at legendary Piwnica pod Baranami, home of the political cabaret that made a difference in the difficult 1960s and 1970s. Have your, perhaps first ever, glass of Polish wine from winnica Turanu while listening to the music of the well known Polish musician Grzegorz Turanu, the winery investor. All of them right there on the square at Main Square 27.Refreshed, move on to explore the wine bar scene to Stoccaggio at Krupnicza 9. You will find the largest selection of Polish wines in Krakow. Choose from well-known cool climate grape varieties grown here like Chardonnay, Riesling or Pinot Noir or venture to hybrids well adapted to harsher conditions and crossings such as Regent, Hibernal or Solaris.Many wines from all over the world are also available here by the glass or small taste. Right around the corner there is Słoneczny Kredens, yet another place for fine Polish wines with a selection of European wines, great cheese, deli and the most admired Polish water Kinga Pienińska. You may not know that Poland is also well known for great quality mineral water springs.If you venture further, visit the wine bars in Kazimierz (Jewish quarter). Go to Bar a Wino at Mostowa 1, a concept developed by famous Polish actor Marek Kondrat with a large international wine selection at reasonable prices, or walk to the newly-opened wine bar Lustra at Bocheńska street.Those of you who love natural, organic or biodynamic wines will fall in love with Krakó Slow Wines. Focused on central and eastern European selection, and located right next to Schindler’s Factory at Lipowa 6F, which you may want to see as well.A special night ahead of you? Go for a fine dining experience to Bottiglieria 1881 at Bocheńska 5, with one of the most amazing wine lists in town. All servers and sommeliers there are WSET-trained and the service is perfection, not to mention unbelievable food made with local ingredients.WieliczkaReady for your day two? Plan your trip to the Wieliczka salt mine. It is a mere 20-minute train ride away, but if you rent a car you will also be able to visit a winery. Outside of Wieliczka you will find the first and only Polish biodynamic winery Winnica Wieliczka, led by the most famous Polish winemaker Agnieszka Wyborek Rousseu and Piotr Jaskóła.Agnieszka is a Polish rock star. In a cool climate she managed to plant vitis viniferas, and they are doing extremely well. Obvious cool climate players like Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Riesling are planted here. Agnieszka was also brave enough to plant Merlot in her vineyard (we are still in zone A for cool climate growing). She based clone choices on her New Zealand experience and the quality of this wine was a great surprise, although she did start producing red blends like Regis to get the most out of her red grape varieties. When coming with a group, pre-order her famous prażonki, a pheasant dish cooked over the fire in a cast iron pot, and enjoy a late afternoon and the most beautiful sunset in the vineyards. If you would rather have a fine dining experience go to Dwór Sieraków, a magnificent mansion with a great wine focus, located few kilometres awayJust in case you wanted to stay in Krakow for day two, you can visit Winnica Srebrna Góra in Krakow, and take a walk to the Kościuszko mound after wards.Jura Krakowsko-CzęstochowskaDay three – rent a car and go for a short but stunning trip to Ojców National Park. Explore the Pieskowa Skała castle and the Hercules bat, a large stone formation that resembles a baseball bat. Take a slow walk through the serene valley to Pstrąg Ojcowski for a glass of Polish wine, and the best smoked trout you ever had, from the most prestigious fishing farm in Poland. Lie down, take a breath and enjoy nature.Whenever you are ready, you have few options of visiting wineries in the area. Winnica Słońce i Wiatr, Winnica Kreasy and Winnca Goja are all possible destinations. Słońce i Wiar (Sun and Wind) is an organic winery focused on hybrids and crossings. Jura Krakowsko-Częstochowska with its outcrops of limestone is much cooler then hills above Krakow, hence classic cool climate viniferas are not doing as well here. Wines from here tend to show minerality with a salty aftertaste and higher acidity. Refreshing rosés and zesty whites are great choices in all of those wineries.SilesiaIf you want to venture further visit Silesia where you will find the amazing Winnica Jakubów with Poland’s most innovative winemakers Michał Pajdosz. and Winnica Wzgórz Trzebnickich. This is the home of the best Polish Pinot Noir. If you are lucky to get it, his Riesling Pet Nat will send a chill down your spine. Stay at the magnificent Villa Elise led by a couple whose hospitality is famous throughout Poland, and taste one of the finest homemade breads you can get your hands on.Lubuskie and West PomeranianYou have a whole week? There are more vineyards for you to see around city of Zielona Góra, known for sparkling wine production. You may not be aware that one of the first German Sekts was made here in Grünberg(Zielona Góra) at the Grempler & Co winery dated 1826. Two wineries Gostchorze and Winnica Miłosz, produce traditional method sparkling wines that are definitely worth trying.Ready to rest? Stop at Pałac Mierzęcin for its wine spa, and be greeted by a skilled Polish winemaker Piotr Stopczyński with a glass of wine. Dining here is yet another amazing treat. About an hour away towards the Baltic Sea you could stop in Baniewice for the famous wines of Turnau. Try their late harvest and ice wines and you will be surprised. This is one of the most developed wineries in Poland by far with state-of-the-art winery equipment.Sandomierz and SubcarpathianGoing east from Krakow you may want to visit the medieval city of Sandomierz with a warmer mesoclimate allowing for winemaking. Stop at Winnica Płochockich or, even better, book your night there as the winery has five delightful guest rooms. Be sure to taste their qvevri wine as they are the first to bring qvevri from Georgia to Poland. At the end of your tasting ask for Rasins, sweet wine made by drying grapes, in this case in the shed, a real jewel among sweet Polish wines.Other great wineries to visit here are Winnica Nad Jarem, Modła and Nobilis, and Dom Bliskowice. You will also find wineries at the foothills of the Carpathian mountains in the Subcarpathian region known for harsher growing conditions. One of the best Polish reds comes from Rondo and Regent grown here. Try Winnica Spotkaniówka or Winnice Półtorak.As you see, there is a lot to discover in Poland. You simply must come and visit, although don’t forget to make your bookings in advance. As we say in Poland when we raise a glass: Na zdrowie! (to your health)And the alone would really take you a lot of time to explore and enjoy and expand your horizons even more and more and more…