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The Atlas Obscura Guide To Poland

199 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Poland

Updated December 4, 2024

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  1. Bydgoszcz
  2. Gdańsk
  3. Gdynia
  4. Gliwice
  5. Karpacz
  6. Krakow
  7. Poznań
  8. Torun
  9. Walbrzych
  10. Warsaw
  11. Wrocław

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World War Ii 39
Military 30
Architecture 25
Statues 24
Museums 23
Monuments 22
Sacred Spaces 18
Churches 18

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Stories About Poland

Few folk figures have endured like Baba Yaga, who has been described as witch, mentor, villain, trickster, and now, perhaps, a feminist icon.

Who Is Baba Yaga?

Trickster, mentor, probable goddess—Slavic folklore's most famous villain is so much more than a witch.
by Kris Spisak
The Gruba Kaska water filtration station gets assistance from water-monitoring mussels.

These Hardworking Mussels Monitor Poland's Drinking Water

Polish cities trust their water quality to elite shellfish teams.
by Cara Giaimo
Looming over the people he visits, clacking his jaws and dancing wildly, Turoń may look terrifiying, but he just wants to deliver blessings.

Meet Turoń, Poland's Dancing Bull-Beast of Winter

The ancient tradition of Turoń bestowing blessings has faded but, like the creature itself, it may be resurrected.
by Emma Cieslik
This forged Paraguayan passport was one of thousands that helped spare Jewish lives during the Holocaust.

The Master Forgers Who Saved Thousands of Lives During World War II

From the Polish embassy in Switzerland came a campaign that spared many from Nazi extermination.
by Nina Strochlic
The true reasoning behind this undead-decapitating sickle burial is likely lost to time.

The Truth Behind Poland's 'Anti-Vampire' Graves

Can recent excavations answer questions about death and demonology in the 1600s?
by Sam O'Brien
In 2015, this effigy of the Pagan goddess Marzanna met a fiery end.

In Poland, Drowning the Pagan Goddess Marzanna Ushers in Spring

A straw effigy of the winter goddess is burned and then submerged in chilly waters.
by Sarah Laskow

To Save Birds From Invading Americans, One Man in Poland Built Floating Forts

Non-native American minks and raccoons ravaged the Lower Oder's birds before the predator-proof islands.
by Wojciech Mikołuszko
Deep in a forest in western Poland, is an abandoned Soviet bunker with an unusual ant situation.

The Saga of the Cannibal Ants in a Soviet Nuclear Bunker

And how scientists tried to free this formic Donner Party.
by Sabrina Imbler

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