Where will you find the only true desert in Europe? Where can you see unique museum collections and witness unusual customs? Where will nature amaze you with its diversity? The answer is simple – only in Małopolska!
Małopolska features the most picturesque areas of southern Poland. There are six national parks and eighty nature preserves. The Tatra, Pieniny and Beskid Mountains, as well as lakes and rivers combine to create great conditions for all forms of active, specialized and therapeutic tourism, agrotourism and ecotourism.
The southern part of Małopolska is Poland’s best known region of mountain tourism. The capital of the Tatra Mountains, Zakopane, plays the role of a winter sports centre famous for its ski jumping hills and trails for Nordic and Alpine skiing.
The diverse climate of the region and the abundance of therapeutic and mineral waters make the region the second largest concentration of health resorts in Poland. The best known of them include Krynica, Rabka and Szczawnica.
Nature is part of the exceptional cultural scenery of Małopolska. Also, the region is second to none in Poland as regards the number of historic landmarks. Only here, within a 50-km radius, will you find as many as eight places listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites (the Old Town of Kraków, the Salt Mine in Wieliczka, the former concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau in Oświęcim-Brzezinka, the Bernardine Monastery in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, 15th- and 16th-century wooden churches in Binarowa, Sękowa, Dębno and Lipnica Murowana). In many areas, you will discover folk customs, traditional forms of celebrations, regional costumes and numerous elements of colourful folklore.
Kraków is the capital of the Małopolska Region. A city with traditions dating back over a thousand years, it is known for its many tourist attractions which include the Market Square with its Renaissance Cloth Hall, Wawel Royal Castle, myriad works of art and the charming Old Town streets. In the hierarchy of Polish cities, Kraków has always had a special place. In 2000, along with eight other cities of the continent, it had the honour to serve as a European Capital of Culture. Every year this city of unique historic sites of the past millennium, the city of museums and galleries, attracts over 3.5 million visitors.
Małopolska is a region with a strong historical identity and deep-rooted heritage, but at the same time it is open to innovations.
