Long in the shadows of hipper, more well-known destinations in Poland such as Krakow, Wroclaw and Warsaw, Lublin has traditionally languished, economically and politically, out of the limelight, happy to be a big fish in the small pond of eastern Poland. In recent years however, Lublin has seen an upturn in fortunes, as European Union money has flooded into its coffers, infrastructure has improved and the architecture has been spruced up.

Painting the town orange

Best of the Beaten Track

You’ll no doubt head through one of Lublin’s main historical ‘gates’ – Krakowska or Grodzka – on arrival, and into the cobbled alleyways of its old town. These winding streets are full of life in summer, and you can soak up the history in and around the Rynek (market square). At the Rynek’s centre is the 1781 neo-classical Old Town Hall, beneath which can be found the fascinating Lublin Underground Trail, which tells the story of the city with the aid of scale models and photos including the story of the fire of Lublin in 1719. Visit the 16th-century cathedral nearby to see the ‘whispering room’; an acoustic vestry famous for its ability to project whispers. The Castle should be on anyone’s hitlist, not so much for its exterior beauty (it was rebuilt as a prison in the 1820’s) as for its interior, especially the Chapel of the Holy Trinity, which contains a beautiful set of frescoes, perhaps the finest examples of medieval wall paintings in Poland. Next on your itinerary should be a tour of Lublin’s Jewish sights, starting with the old Jewish district around ul. Lubartowska. Here you’ll find the only synagogue in town, and nearby the ‘Yeshiva’ – the school of sages of Lublin, or rabbi school, where rabbis were trained and dispatched all across Europe to teach before the war.

A lonely walk at Majdanek Death Camp

Finally Majdanek stands as a stark and austere monument to man’s inhumanity to man. Unlike the other well-known Nazi-run concentration camps which were mostly hidden away from public view in remote locations, Majdanek was situated on the edge of a major city, and visitors today can read accounts of the horrors that took place in full view of the local populace – around 80,000 to 100,000 died in just over two years of operation. You will not find the crowds here that you do in, say Auschwitz (indeed you may walk around for half a day with only a few crows for company, particularly out of season).

Hipster’s Guide

Lublin is a great city for cycling in and around and hiring a bike (cheap at around 30zł/8 Euro a day) will certainly open up some interesting options off the beaten track. First up, the skansen, 5km out in the west of the city. Over an undulating terrain of 25 hectares, this reconstruction of middle-ages rural Poland is a delight, and you can while away several hours here, exploring old wooden buildings, windmills, manor houses and even an orthodox church. Bring a picnic, have a campfire in the woods and watch locals sing folk songs on balmy summer evenings. Next door the pretty botanical gardens are worth a look too. Afterwards head to the south of the city through the forest (Las Stary Gaj) to the lake (Zalew Zemborzycki). Popular with fishermen, sailors, swimmers, cyclists, walkers and anyone who fancies a break from the city, this is a great place to chill out in the summer and unwind. Bring a book.

Nearby Kazimierz Dolny is a Polska highlight

Further afield, Kozłówka makes a pleasant day-trip; famous for the Zamoyski Museum housed in a sumptuous late-Baroque palace, the main reason to come here is to see the Socialist-realist art gallery, a great place to see that most politicized and discredited (yet still oddly fascinating) of styles, depicting various ‘glorious’ scenes of delirious workers interspersed with portraits of their infallible leaders (mainly from years 1949-56). Also nearby (90 mins by bus) is the stunning Kazimierz Dolny, probably the best-preserved medieval village in Poland, surrounded by picturesque hills and situated by the Wisła river.

Experiences and Events

Most of your time spent in Lublin will involve strolling around and enjoying the many cafes and bars around the old town, but for a town of its relative international obscurity, Lublin has a lively cultural life and only narrowly missed out on being awarded European Capital of Culture for 2016 to Wroclaw. Famed throughout Poland for its theatre tradition, don’t leave the city without checking out a performance – the main venue being Teatr im Osterwy.

The Danish influence

Pillow Talk

Lublin is not blessed with a wide variety of accommodation and it certainly lacks on the budget front, but Hostel Lublin tries to make amends for this with cheap and clean dorms, a common room with internet, free breakfast and friendly English-speaking staff. A bargain at 40zl (10 Euro) a night. Moving up the scale, Hotel Waksman, just inside Grodzka Gate in the old town, is a retro hotel which offers comfort and style in spades with faux antiques, historic portraits and some rooms with great views of the castle with rooms in the 200-250zl range. If you really feel like splashing out, check in at Grand Hotel Lublianka, a century-old pile which boasts a Turkish bath and sauna for all guests, one of the best restaurants in town and floor-to-ceiling charm from 300-500zl per night.

Fork Out

The number of good bars and restaurants in Lublin has proliferated in the last five years, so much so that you’ll find it hard to make a choice where to go in and around the Rynek. 16 Stołow (16 Tables) does a fine job of pretending to be in a much bigger city, and its refined and elegant surrounds are matched by an eclectic European menu including everything from English style fish and chips with mushy peas to roasted fillet of duck with orange sauce. A great place to try Polish cuisine is Old Pub. Less of a pub than a regal dining experience, this place serves up ‘staropolska’ (old Polish) cuisine in sumptuous surrounds, and it won’t cost you a king’s ransom. Nearby, Magia sprawls over several rooms and out into a summer garden, each area beautifully decorated. Fresh and tasty ingredients are used to create an imaginative European-influenced menu. To complete the Jewish-tour experience, try Mandragora, one of the finest kosher restaurants in Poland, whose menu includes all manner of mouth-watering Jewish specialities. For cheap and tasty eats, Zadora serves up bumper-sized pancakes for less than 5 Euro (15zl).

Drop In

The cute colours of Caxmafe

Getting There

At the moment, Lublin does not have an international airport, but this situation is set to change, with a new airport slated to be open in time for the Euro 2012 Championships next year. Until then, the closest airport is Warsaw, 3 hours away by train. Lublin is well connected to all the major cities in Poland by frequent trains and buses, and is a regional transport hub for Lubelskie. Krakow is 5 hours distant, and Lviv in Ukraine (another Euro 2012 city) about the same.

More Juice

Online information about Lublin is pretty scant, at least in English. www.tnn.pl is a site which shows a moving gallery of the Lublin Jewry and ghetto 1940-41, before the concentration camps wiped them out. Apart from that, Lonely Planet’s website and a chapter on eastern Poland is your best bet for reliable online info.

Hard Copy

Both Rough Guides and Lonely Planet do solid travel guides on Poland, but if you are looking for some more poetic travel reading, then Jonathan Safran Foer’s Everything Is Illuminated gives a great insight into the fate of east European Jews, and most interestingly, the history of ‘shtetls’, Jewish communities that existed in the Polish/Ukranian borderlands for some four hundred years until WW2. Bruno Shultz, another Jewish writer, wrote beautiful dream-like novellas and short stories, and was born in Drohobycz, in present-day Ukraine but then Poland. His collection The Street of Crocodiles & Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass is the best choice. Although not set in this region, Joseph Konrad’s Under Western Eyes, is the writer’s most eastern-European novel; often thought of as English, he was born Jozef Teodor Konrad Korzeniowski to Polish parents in Russian-dominated Ukraine, 100km from Lublin. Finally The Magician of Lublin is an immensely readable account of a talented performer corrupted by his dreams of the big time. Isaac Bashevis Singer wields the pen.

Soundtrack to the City

Myslovitz – Sprzedawcy Marżen
Riverside – After
Hobo Codes – When I Want To
Don’t Ask Smingus – Laying Down Lies
New Century Classics – Children of an Uncertain Future

“We discovered all sorts of happenings, from disorientated drunken clubbers trying to get home to bored security guards that have spent the whole night there on duty. What was interesting though was the discovery of all sorts of traces of things that have happened during the night. Some we managed to photograph before the cleaning crews got rid of them. It was as if we were just there at the transitional phase of two different periods of time, when the night has ended and people go home, the day is beginning and other people are coming to work…”

Beelzebub comes in many guises and, according to local legend, the Dark One once lurked beneath Krakow’s Market Square. Besides being a midget, this fellow was clearly bad news for, as chroniclers recounted, he sported a treacherous mix of Spanish and German garb.

It’s not surprising that ye olde Cracovians were a little jittery about what was going on down under the cobbles, because the city boasts an entire subterranean kingdom, an agreeable hang-out for ghouls, gremlins and other gobblers of the soul. Most of the cellars were once ground floors, yet due to the repeated rebuilding of houses after fires, and the constant laying of new roads, they eventually disappeared beneath the earth’s surface.

Since the coming of the free market in 1989, these delightful dungeons have enjoyed a new lease of life. Entrepreneurs have resurrected the spaces as bars, galleries and even swimming pools in the case of a few swish hotels. A trip to Krakow would be incomplete without a saunter down into one of these caverns. But remember, steer clear of vertically-challenged chaps promising pots of gold, especially if they’re wearing German-Spanish togs….

Chimera

Roasting potatoes on the open fire in Chimera

Galeria Przyrody

This is one more quiet spot before we up the tempo. “The Gallery of Nature” is a little off the beaten track but all the better for it. Descend the stairs and find yourself in Captain Nemo’s Cracovian pied-a-terre. This is a non-smoking venue, so no seaweed cigars from the Captain’s table. Still, the aquaria provide plenty of oceanic eye candy, and there’s a royal roster of teas on offer from all corners of the globe. A recent addition is an enticing range of bottled Belgian beers. All-in-all a perfect place to go for a quiet chinwag.
ul. Studencka 15

Łódź Kaliska

Relax amongst LK's understated decor...

Camelot

You won’t spot any knights here, nor holy grails for that matter. But it’s certainly worth going on a quest to track down this venue. As it goes, the ground floor cafe and the gallery above both merit medals, but let’s stick to the nether regions for now. Camelot has a beautifully restored medieval cellar, and at weekends you can catch top calibre concerts by some of Cracow’s finest acts. Jazz and Klezmer are regular grooves, and for Polish-speakers, legendary compere Kazimierz Madej leads the wittiest cabaret in town.
ul. Sw. Tomasza 17
www.lochcamelot.art.pl

Alchemia

Jazzin' up Krakow's underground scene

There’s no denying that the Poles love their pierogi (dumplings). Found in cheap and cheerful cafeterias, upmarket restaurants and hospitable households throughout the country, these doughy delights are an essential part of any visit to Poland. Perhaps somewhat stodgy for non-natives, pierogi are one of the mainstays of traditional Polish cuisine. Baked, boiled or fried and usually served smothered with lard, sour cream, butter or onions, pierogi come in a variety of sweet and savoury fillings. Pierogi ruskie (cottage cheese, potato and onion), pierogi z kapusta i grzybami (with cabbage and mushrooms) and pierogi z miesem (with meat) form the holy trinity but those with a sweet tooth will be happy to know that sweet cheese and fruit varieties are also popular. Seen by some as a drab reminder of Poland’s somewhat austere past, pierogi are currently enjoying something of a revival. The classics still prevail, but they can often now be found alongside more contemporary takes on this quintessential Polish dish such as venison with bacon or chicken with Mexican chili beans. Sharpen your forks and forewarn your stomaches as we take in the best five ‘pierogarnias’ in Krakow…

Zapiecek Polskie Pierogarnia

Taste better than they look...

ul. Sławkowska 32, www.zapiecek.eu

Pierożki u Vincenta

Pierożki u Vincenta is a popular choice located in Kazimierz, Krakow’s former Jewish quarter. This bright, airy spot on Bozego Ciala has table service, making it ideal for the cautious tourist wishing to avoid any blushes whilst trying to pronounce ‘kapusta i grzybami’ in a busy queue. The extensive menu features the traditional savoury or sweet favourites alongside more adventurous fillings like the Emporer’s Pierogi with lamb, rosemary and thyme, and Napoleon’s Pierogi with liver and apple. The mixed portions are a good option if a decision is hard to make. All dishes come with a choice of toppings and sauces. The meat and mushroom, and Mexican pierogi are highly recommended. Vincent’s Pierogi are often in demand, so you may have to wait your turn for a table.

ul. Bożego Ciała 12, www.pierozkiuvincenta.pl

U Babci Maliny

A hit with locals and tourists alike, the venerable U Babci Maliny has two establishments within the old town. While both are decked out with a faux folksy charm, it is the larger branch on Sławkowska that stands out with its fish tank and slightly curious nursery vibe. Portions here are large, filling and good value for money; those wishing to walk on the wild side can even try their dumplings fried. The pierogi ruskie are the best in town. Those looking for some liquid refreshment to accompany their meal will be pleased to know that the smaller branch on Szpitalna serves beer.

ul. Sławkowska 17 and ul. Szpitalna 38, www.kuchniaubabcimaliny.pl

U Pani Stasi

The joy of dumplings

ul. Mikołajska 16

Awiw Restauracja

Occupying a sunny spot on the bustling ulica Szeroka in Kazimierz, Awiw Restauracja is a good choice for those wishing to indulge. Located towards the pricier end of the pierogi spectrum, Awiw offers a tantalising range of dumplings to tempt all tastes. Fillings range from mushroom with cabbage to the more regal venison with bacon and veal with chanterelles. When the weather is good, Awiw’s outside seating is a real bonus. Look out for the daily happy hour, which sees all pierogi reduced by around 20%.

ul. Szeroka 13, www.awiw.pl

….Pierogi Festival

If you simply can’t enough of the little doughy pockets then be sure to time your visit to Krakow with the city’s Pierogi Festival, in August. Krakow’s Festival Bureau should have the exact dates – if not ask Cracow Life. (For other weird festivals in Krakow and beyond then we recommend you check out our feature on the bizarre festivals and cool events around the world).

“I like the trams, there is something old, fragile, romantic and comfortable about them. In this city everyone uses them, even the pensioners. I often wonder where do they all have to go? What do they have to do? Some trams are so old that you have to climb a ladder to get into them, that is not easy for the elderly! As a photographer, I thought what do I do with this? I realized it’s the windows, a screen when you pass it, you can’t help but look at it. So I photographed it.”