The Kingdom of Norway is located in Northern Europe, and forms the western part of the Scandinavian Peninsula. Its coastline is entirely indented fjords - deep valleys that have arisen in place of glaciers, which have been flooded. Longest of them - Sognefjord - stretches for 203 kilometers inland; Geiranger fjord and Nereus fjord listed as World Heritage by UNESCO. The shores are washed by the Norwegian Arctic Ocean and the Barents Sea.
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Norway Attractions
Almost untouched wilderness and amazing cultural heritage of Norway attract thousands of tourists each year.
The cold climate is conducive to active development of winter sports. Hiking and skiing - a great way to spend an unforgettable time in the land of the Vikings.
Individual attention, historical and cultural attractions of Norway. The national museums of collected samples of arts and crafts that introduce us to the unique culture of northern people. Akershus Fortress in Oslo, Alta Museum, National Gallery, Nidaros Cathedral, Bryggen Wharf in Bergen - attractions that simply must be seen, visited Norway.
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Castle in the heart of Oslo
Perhaps the most famous landmark is the Oslo Akershus Fortress - one of the national symbols of Norway. It was built more than seven centuries ago. Construction of the fortress began in the late XIII-th century to protect the capital against the invading aggressors. In the first half of the XVII century it was reconstructed in the castle, giving the characteristics of the architecture of the Renaissance. For most of its history, Akershus Fortress (or part of it) was used as a prison. During the Second World War there was a German POW camp.
Currently, the fortress is still a military area. In the eastern part of the building now houses the Ministry of Defence of Norway. However, the door is open to visitors daily until 21.00. you can visit the Museum of the Norwegian armed forces (The Norwegian Armed Forces Museum) and the Museum of resistance organizations (The Norwegian Resistance Museum), which are located within the fortress. You should also look into the Royal Mausoleum, where the remains of many generations of the royal family. With views of the bay and a few steps from first-class hotels, Akershus Fortress is an excellent starting point for your study sites in Norway.
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The National Gallery in Oslo
True connoisseurs of art arrived in Norway, of course first of all go to the National Gallery in Oslo. The history of the museum dates back to 1836. Almost two centuries gallery has the widest collection of works by leading Norwegian artists and sculptors, which today is a national treasure of Norway. In 2003, the National Gallery in Oslo, has teamed up with two other museums, changed its name to the National Gallery of Art, Architecture and Design.
However, many still prefer to use the old name, as brought worldwide fame to the museum is priceless examples of fine art. The collection contains masterpieces of not only the Norwegian, but the French, Swedish and Danish artists. In the gallery you can find works by representatives of early French Modernism Henri Matisse and Paul Cezanne, as well as post-impressionist Vincent van Gogh.
However, the most valuable tourist attraction of the National Gallery are four versions of the world-famous painting "The Scream" Norwegian painter Edvard Munch. Written in 1893, it was stolen in 1994, but eventually returned to the museum.
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Mysterious figures Alta
Located in the north of Norway near the Arctic Circle town of Alta rock carvings are the most important evidence of the existence of human activities within the Far North in the period between 4200 and 500 years BC. They illustrate in detail the life of prehistoric man. The images were carved on the rocks along the fjord during the retreat of the glaciers, so the paintings found above, the older ones that are closer to the modern sea level. The difference in height of about 25 meters.
The first rock painting Alta researchers have discovered and studied in 1967, and in 1985 the drawings made in the list of World Heritage sites. In 1991, the museum was opened, which in 1993 received the title of the best museums in Europe. Scientists retouched pictures of bright red paint, but otherwise remained intact attraction Alta
Group petroglyphs (rock art) consists of more than 5,000 drawings and carved in stone human figures and animals. Most of them (approximately 3,000 images) is concentrated in the open-air museum of Alta, which also includes an exhibition space with wonderful exhibits of prehistory of the region.
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Nidaros Cathedral
Nidaros Cathedral - a wonderful combination of medieval architectural styles. Initially there was only a small basilica, but in the first half of the XII-th century it expanded to gigantic proportions. Today the cathedral is the largest medieval structure in Scandinavia. The nave and the choir performed in the style of early Gothic architecture (XIII century) and it is very reminiscent of modern cathedrals of England, in particular, Westminster Abbey, and Lincoln Cathedral of St. Mary. The western facade is decorated with exquisite sculptural ensemble of two towers and Gothic rose in the center.
The sculptures, most of which had to be replaced at the beginning of XX-th century, depict apostles, Old Testament characters, the bishops and the angels. The main attraction of the cathedral - the front altar, dating from the beginning of the XIV-th century, now located in the chapel gallery. It was erected in honor of St. Olaf - Norwegian king and national hero, whose relics are in the cathedral.
For a long time the church was the place of coronation of Norwegian kings (coronation ceremony was canceled in 1908). Today Nidaros Cathedral is a Lutheran parish church. Every year it is visited by about 400 thousand tourists.
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Fabulous Harbour Bergen
Bryggen - a colorful complex of buildings along the waterfront of the city of Bergen, made of wood. The harbor was built in the period of greatest influence of the Hanseatic League, an alliance of trading cities, which in the XIV century monopolized the trade along the northern coast of Europe. Numerous fires (the last of which occurred in 1955) leveled some of the wooden buildings yard, but most survived. In 1979, Bryggen was included in the World Heritage List.
For centuries, the harbor is the main attraction of Bergen, and the silhouette of his pointed roofs - perhaps the most recognizable figure in all of Norway. Today there are many different souvenir shops, cafes, restaurants and museums. Most of the buildings are now used as artists' studios.
However, it should be remembered that the main value of the Norwegian region - its nature. Therefore, in addition to the historical and cultural monuments should certainly visit the natural attractions of Norway.
Contents:
Getting to know the country - a proud Warsaw
Royal Cracow - the pride of the State
Unforgettable Wroclaw and Gdansk
Horrific pages of history - Auschwitz
Scenics Poland - lakes, mountains and forests
Poland - an ancient Catholic country with a rich history. The country attracts tourists with ancient churches, picturesque landscape and numerous historical monuments.
On the relatively small territory of the republic is centrally located seaside towns, ski resorts, historic sites of international importance and the indescribable beauty of the national parks.
Every corner of the country is unique. If you want to see all the sights of Poland, then you will need to spend getting to know her a lot of time.
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Getting to know the country - a proud Warsaw
The main attraction of the republic is deservedly considered to be its capital - Warsaw. Almost every tourist to begin acquaintance with the country it is from this city. During its more than 800-year history had time to visit Warsaw in the hands of the Germans, Russian and French. It left in the appearance of the Polish capital the mark. Among the architectural monuments of the city stand out majestic cathedrals, castles and medieval palaces of the Polish monarchs. Two world wars have not spared Warsaw and most of its attractions were destroyed. However, architects and historians managed to recover almost all the ancient buildings of Warsaw, and today they are open to the public.
At the heart of Warsaw, you can call the Castle Square, located in the Old City. On the eastern side stands the Royal Castle, which served as the seat of Polish kings from 1596. A landmark place square is a column of Sigismund, established in 1644 in honor of the King of the Commonwealth Sigismund III Vasa. Strolling through Warsaw, to visit the famous Market Square, permeated by the spirit of the Middle Ages. Its original color make up ancient architectural buildings, numerous retail shops and tiny cafes, relaxing in which you can watch the street musicians and artists.
Polish capital's attractions - a medieval Barbican, Belvedere, Wilanów and the Presidential Palace, the Hagia. Ian St. Anne, Chopin Museum, National Museum, the famous University of Warsaw. Tired of the noisy streets of the capital, you can retire and enjoy nature in the beautiful Lazienki park, the main attraction of which is considered to be on the water Palace, built in the classical style with Baroque elements. Alley Park, decorated with sculptures of famous cultural and historical figures, the center of which is the statue of Chopin. The lawn in front of the monument to the composer is the venue for classical music concerts.
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Royal Cracow - the pride of the State
Krakow - not less well-known city in Poland, performed in XIV-XVII centuries as the capital of the Commonwealth. To the XVIII century in Krakow coronation of Polish monarchs. Today, this city - the largest historical and cultural monuments in the country. Starting explore Krakow follows a gothic Wawel Castle, which was once a royal residence. The first construction of this building belong to the XI century, the castle was rebuilt in the XIV century for the Polish king Jagiello and his wife Hedwig. Over its history it has lived a lot of royal families. Palace Wawel repeatedly rebuilt and restored, so it managed to keep to our contemporaries.
Walking through the narrow streets of Krakow, you can endlessly enjoy the splendor of medieval churches and palaces of different epochs. By the beginning of the XVI century building is one of the most famous attractions of Krakow - the Palace of Bishop Erasmus Tsioleka. The main entrance to the castle crowns the coat of arms, which depicts the royal eagle and the letter «S», indicating the initial letter of the name of the Polish King Sigismund I the Old. After the death of Tsiopeka palace passed into the possession of the bishops and cardinals until the XIX century, finally ruined and partially collapsed. Thanks to restoration work started in 1999, was able to restore the architectural details of the castle. Today the building is part of the National Museum in Krakow, including its exhibits - gallery Galician Orthodox iconography, the statue of the Virgin Mary, the epitaph of the bishop and other Vezhbenty exposure centuries ago.
Hallmark of Krakow can be called Market Square, which gathered a large number of colorful medieval buildings. The main market area of the building - St. Mary's Church, where the window signal tower every hour there is a gilded trumpet playing sounds heynala and 70-meter-high medieval tower, which once housed the town hall. On the square is a 100-meter trading hall Cloth Hall, built in the middle of the XIV century. The first floor room occupied by a variety of souvenir shops, and on the second floor is the National Museum, which exhibits works of art collected by Polish painters and sculptors. Do not forget that Krakow is one of the oldest higher educational institutions of the world - the Jagiellonian University. Its Gothic building, built in 1400, today houses a museum dedicated to the history of the institution.
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Unforgettable Wroclaw and Gdansk
In the Polish city of Wroclaw you can see a lot of interesting attractions. The most popular place among tourists is considered to be the Old Town, located on several islands connected to each other by more than a hundred bridges. In Wroclaw preserved many ancient architectural constructions in Baroque, Gothic and Art Nouveau. The most notable buildings of the Old Town - Cathedral of St. John, the Market Square and the structures built during the Renaissance. Notable is the fact that the whole center of the city is decorated with figures of dwarfs. Gnomes are everywhere: from the bank, near the dental clinic, a lamppost on the motorcycle. Strolling through the city, one can count several dozen figurines of fantastic creatures. And Wroclaw attracts tourists by numerous musical and theatrical festivals, regularly passing on his land.
On the shore of the Baltic Sea stretches Gdansk - the famous Polish spa town. In addition to the sea coast, Gdansk interesting guests with a mass of architectural attractions, most of which are located inside the Old City. Here you can see Europe's largest brick church St. Virgin Mary, entering the ancient city of the Royal Route, the town hall since the Renaissance, the Golden House, Fountain of Neptune. Visiting popular with guests Maritime Museum, you can see a unique structure Jura, built in the XV century. In the old days it was a combination of defensive towers, city gates and a huge port crane.
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Horrific pages of history - Auschwitz
There are southern Poland provincial town, who witnessed the death of innocent 1, 5 million people (mostly Jews) during the Second World War. We are talking about Auschwitz - the city that during the Nazi occupation was a concentration camp for millions of people. In 1967, the territory of the former concentration camp was opened a museum complex Auschwitz-Birkenau. His chilling exposure forced the visitors to review the values of life and think about such a concept as the destiny of man. Familiarity with the museum begins with the gate, above which stands the inscription "Work makes you free". Millions of Nazi prisoners were held during the war through this gate into the arms of death.
The museum preserved brick buildings, in which prisoners of war were killed or put on them cruel experiments. Separately, you can see the exhibition from the list of victims in the walls of the camp, with their photographs and a farewell letter. Near the wall of death, where in 1941-1943 were executed thousands of people, constantly burning candles. The most eerie sight of the museum complex - the gas chamber, which destroyed hundreds of thousands of people using gas "Zyklon B", and a crematorium with black soot from the walls. In spite of the sad past, Auschwitz continues to live. The city is a major Jewish center, consisting of a synagogue, museum and educational institution. In the old part of the city you can see some old churches and the ruins of the old castle.
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Scenics Poland - lakes, mountains and forests
In the southern part of the seaside coast stretches the land of a thousand lakes, better known under the name of Mazury, where a quarter of all the country's water resources. Here you can relax from the bustle of the busy city and enjoy nature. Edge is very popular not only among tourists but also among fishermen, boaters and kayakers. There is the famous water route "Great Mazury Lake District." Fans of medieval architecture will not miss relaxing in Mazury, as there is on this earth ancient Teutonic fortress, ancient churches and castles. During the war, there was a Hitler's headquarters "Volfsshantse", which is now open to the public.
Tatra are part of the Carpathian Mountains, they are on the border between Slovakia and Poland. On their tops year-round snow, which attracts lovers of winter sports. The total length of the well-equipped more than 250 km of trails. In addition to the ski slopes in the Tatra Mountains is a lot of fascinating view of its lakes and waterfalls. In the mountains, it is found a large number of wild animals and birds (brown bears, lynx, chamois, eagles). In order to protect local fauna here it was created by the Tatra National Park, which is under UNESCO protection. The main transport hub of the rock mass is Zakopane, located at the foot of the Tatra mountains, where tourists can stay for the night and rest before the conquest of the snowy peaks.
Talking about the attractions of Poland, not to mention the Bialowieza Forest, famous throughout Europe for its pristine forests and bison freely roam free. The total area of forest more than 1250 square meters. km, it is composed of the Bialowieza National Park. It is believed that the fauna of the Bialowieza Forest is a replica of the primitive forests of the region. Here there are hornbeam, alder, oak, birch, linden, spruce, pine, ash, maple, wild apple, elm and ash. The dominant position of all trees in the Bialowieza Forest takes hornbeam, it grows in the third part of the area. Apart from the Bialowieza, Poland situated Narew, Biebrza National Parks and Forest Park Knyshinskoy.
Area attractions include the Republic occupy a special place Wieliczka Salt Mine - underground devyatiurovnevy city located in the northern part of the Carpathians. Salt extraction is carried out continuously for centuries. Mines are decorated with salt statues, galleries and numerous artificial lakes. In the endless labyrinths of a large number of caves, mine ventilation, mining cameras. It is noteworthy that the present day at a depth of 100 m in the mine held balls. The high salt content in the air has beneficial effects on the human respiratory system, so in one of the mines is a real medical sanatorium. It is a popular destination among visitors mines is the Chapel of St. Anthony, in which all the decorations are made of salt. In recent years, more and more newlyweds are willing to marry is in this chapel.
List all Polish landmarks impossible. Each area is unique.
A small provincial town of Torun is known that it is dilapidated Teutonic castle dating back to 1231 year. Visiting Bialystok, can be photographed against the backdrop of a beautiful white church. In Kórnik preserved castle XV-XVII centuries, has belonged to the magnates Gurko. Czestochowa is famous throughout the Catholic world that it is well-known relic - the icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa. In Poland, there are 40 medical spas (Kudowa-Zdroj, Krynica, Duszniki Zdroj, Szczawnica and others), which can cure almost all diseases. As you can see, travel on Polish soil will not leave anyone indifferent person, because here there is something for everyone for all.
