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FTRC.BLOG / My Polish Adventures: Cities, Culture & Quirks

My Polish Adventures: Cities, Culture & Quirks

This page is your introduction to Poland, a country full of surprises! I’ve ventured through lively cities, uncovered fascinating history, and uncovered unique attractions that you simply must experience.

Think Poland is just castles and churches? Think again! We’ll meet a celebrity cat who’s become a top tourist attraction. We’ll discover the best burger in Poznań and learn where Chopin’s heart is buried.

But don’t worry, we’ll also cover the must-see sights. We’ll wander through the colorful streets of Gdańsk, explore the historic Wawel Castle in Kraków, and marvel at the modern architecture of the Szczecin Philharmonic.

I’ll share some personal stories and insights into Polish culture along the way. So come along and discover the unexpected side of Poland, a charming and fascinating country.

Gacek, a plump black-and-white feline, has become an internet sensation and a must-see attraction for cat lovers visiting the Polish city of Szczecin. And since we are cat lovers here at Fotostrasse, we had to go to Poland to see him once we heard about this story.

Gacek: the cat that is Szczecin’s Top Tourist Spot

Gacek, a plump black-and-white feline, has become an internet sensation and a must-see attraction fo…

One year after Chopin's death, Ludwika Jędrzejewicz took his heart back to Poland in a jar of alcohol, probably cognac, as it was used at the time to preserve organs. His sister hid the precious package during the trip and avoided agents and border officers. She successfully smuggled Chopin's heart to Warsaw, where it was put in a small monument inside the Church of the Holy Cross.

Chopin’s Heart inside the Church of the Holy Cross in Warsaw

His body is buried in Paris, but Chopin's heart is in Warsaw, inside the Church of the Holy Cross, a…

Auschwitz-Birkenau is the best-known place of martyrdom and destruction in the world. This Nazi German death camp in Oświęcim has become a symbol of the Holocaust, of horror and of genocide. The name of the camp stands as a cultural code that defines the breakdown of our civilization and culture.

Auschwitz-Birkenau: Symbols of Suffering, Stories of Survival

Auschwitz-Birkenau is the best-known place of martyrdom and destruction in the world. This Nazi Germ…

This week Fotostrasse leaves Berlin for the #52weeksofburgers challenge and explores Poland in the lovely city of Poznań. Since we cannot miss the chance to taste a different view on burgers, we looked for one that seemed kind enough and found Fat Bob Burger.

Fat Bob Burger: delicious burgers in Poznan

This week, we left Berlin for the #52weeksofburgers challenge and explored Poland in the lovely city…

The Szczecin Philharmonic is the main reason why Szczecin appeared under my radar. The building is so magnificent and beautiful that it won numerous architectural awards when it was open to the public, back in 2014. One of these awards was the Architectural Design of the Year at Eurobuild Awards 2014.

Szczecin Philharmonic Orchestra: Harmony in Music and Design in Poland

The Szczecin Philharmonic is the main reason this city in Poland appeared under my radar. The buildi…

Poznan is considered by many people as the birthplace of the Polish nation and, because of that, it has more historical places than we could visit. Also, Poznan is one of the oldest cities in Poland, and it used to be one of the most important areas for the Polish people during the Middle Ages. There are traces of those elements in most historical places that we visited in Ostrow Tumski, the island where the city came to be, and around Poznan.

These are our Top 5 Historical Places to Visit in Poznan, Poland

Before we went to Poznan for the first time, all the way back in 2014, we didn’t know much about the…

Most people are aware of David Bowie’s relationship with Berlin due to his Berlin trilogy. But it’s not everybody that knows about David Bowie's Warsaw story. This is the story I want to tell you since Fotostrasse visited Warsaw and discovered a lot about why and how the polish capital stuck with Bowie. It stuck enough to have its name on a song from of his best albums.

David Bowie’s Warsaw: How Warszawa Came to Be

Most people are aware of David Bowie’s relationship with Berlin due to his Berlin trilogy. But it’s …

The Neon Muzeum, with a Z, is a museum dedicated to the preservation and documentation of Poland’s cold war era neon signs and they do this really well. As you walk the hallways of this small museum, you will see a lot of neon signs and learn a lot about where they were, how they were used and how did they manage to get to the Neon Museum.

Our Visit to the Neon Museum in Warsaw

When we started planning our trip to Warsaw, one of the places I was looking forward to visiting was…

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