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Tarnów
Tarnów's charming Galacian atmosphere attracts tourists from all over the world
who return again and again in order to reexperience this center of Polish culture.
Tarnów - The Old Town |
A unique mixture of Gothic and Renaissance buildings and battlements, in addition to a Medieval street layout give the Old Town its own distinct flavor. Complimenting the scenic aesthetics is the jovial spirit of its inhabitants, unique to the southern cities of Poland.
Today, while walking the streets of Tarnow, you can recognize the remnants of centuries passed like separate stones in a colourful mosaic. In the peaceful quiet of the ancient city, you can hear the lingering voices of heroes come and gone like: the wise Spicymir Leliwita, who founded Tarnow in 1330, the great commander and politician hetman Jan Tarnowski, the relentless and widely repsected independence General, Joseph Bem, and the intelligent historian Jozef Szujski. Also, one might stumble upon the legacies of: the cursed peasant rebel, Jakub Szela, the inspired inventor, Jan Szczepanik, the charismatic politician Wincety Witos, the just leader Mayor Henryk Sucharski, and the soulful author Roman Brandstaetter.
Throughout the centuries, Tarnow has served as a haven for a variety of people: Jews, Germans, Ukrainians, Scottsmen, Austrians, Czechs, and a multitude of others. Each nationality and culture has succeeded in leaving a its own unique mark on Tarnow evident in both structures and traditions. The sites of the city can be viewed by several different routes. For example one can visit all of the Renaissance structures one day, and then experience the visible legacy of the independence fighter Gerneral Jozef Bem and the Polish-Hungarian alliance. Yet another tour route is along the structural remains of Jewish life and culture, which stands as a testament of a thriving Jewish community once living in Tarnow. One can visit the ruins of an ancient synagogue and also reflect at the Jewish cemetary, which commemorates the deaths of thousands of Jewish people in WWII with a large stone monument.
In the older area of Tarnow, there are incredible examples of high art that adorn the churches and the Cathedal, including the ornate monuments of the Tarnowski and Ostrogski families. In the area near the Cathedral you will notice the Diocesan Museum, which houses a priceless collection of ecclesiastic art, and the Renaissance town hall and tenement houses in the Market Square. Finally, one should be sure and visit the Gypsy exhibitions, which are the only of their kind in Europe, and learn about the mysterious life and culture of these ancient people.
Take an evening stroll in the burnt orange glow of setting sun and experience Tarnow at its best. The iron street lamps patiently await their time of illumination as they have every day for centuries, while classical music spills out onto the cobblestone street from the open doors of concert halls. You wander into a dimly lit café, instantly engulfed by the rich smell of kielbasa grilled with onions, and you take a seat at an open table. After drinking a goblet of Hungarian wine, continuously flowing here since before anyone can remember, you exit the café and are amazed by the fantastical site of illuminated towers, tenement houses, turrets, and battlements. You take a deep breath, inhaling the bitter mountain breeze that injects a forgotten life into your thursty veins, and you suddenly realize that you have fallen in love with this city.
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