Poland Guide
The Polish Carpathians
Rising in the Czech Republic, then running east along the Polish– Slovak border before arcing through Ukraine and Romania, the Carpathians form one of the European continent's major mountain chains. The highest range of the Polish Carpathians is the Tatras. Running east from the Tatras, Poland's remaining share of the Carpathians is relatively low in altitude and smooth in shape, but the deeply forested, sparsely populated valleys still exude a palpable sense of mystery. The main ranges – the Beskid Sądecki, the Beskid Niski and the Bieszczady – make ideal hiking territory, and with few peaks over 1200m they're easily baggable by the moderately fit walker. Although tourism is on the increase this corner of Poland is rarely swamped with visitors, ensuring perfect conditions for communing with nature.
Traditionally, Carpathian Poland was one of the most culturally mixed areas in the country, and it remains rich in contrasting folklores. Poles mingled with Jews in the market towns, while villages were inhabited by Boyks and Lemkos – highlanders who spoke dialects closer to Ukrainian than Polish. The majority of Boyks and Lemkos were deported following a bitter civil war in 1947, seriously depopulating the highland areas and lending the region a half-abandoned aura that still pervades today. Many of the amazing wooden churches built by them remain, their pagoda-like domes and painted interiors making up some of the most spectacular folk architecture in Europe.
The main point of entry to the region is Rzeszów, an engaging, modestly sized city with good transport links. Just northeast of Rzeszów the stately Łańcut Palace is one of Poland's most visited attractions, an extraordinary reminder of prewar, aristocratic Poland, while the churches and museums of Przemyśl and Sanok shed light on the region's multicultural history. Southeast of Sanok, the Bieszczady are the most appealing Polish range after the Tatras, their stark bare summits rising above dark forests of pine and beech. Further west, the green Beskid Sądecki wrap themselves around the bustling regional centre of Nowy Sącz.
Highlights
1 Łańcut Palace Sumptuous period rooms and well-kept gardens make this the most worthwhile of Poland's aristocratic seats outside Warsaw to visit.
2 Przemyśl A quaint city of historic churches and narrow streets, with an outlying ring of nineteenth-century forts providing plenty of excuses for out-of-town excursions.
3 The Icon Museum, Sanok This treasure-trove of Orthodox art is also a monument to the cultural diversity of the region.
4 The Bieszczady The bare-topped Bieszczady are among the most starkly beautiful mountains in Poland.
5 The forest railway Trundle at a leisurely pace through the western Biesczczady on this rare surviving relic of Poland's narrow-gauge railway network.
6 The wooden church in Binarowa The interior of this late Gothic village church, just one of scores in the region, is a splendid jumble of centuries-old furnishings and polychromy.