The Atlas Obscura Guide To Poland

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

Updated December 4, 2024

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Unusual Attractions in Poland

Kudowa-Zdrój, Poland

Kaplica Czaszek (Chapel of Skulls)

The walls and ceiling of this Polish church are decorated with thousands of skulls, with another 21,000 skeletons just below.

Rynek Underground Cemetery

Krakow, Poland

Rynek Underground

Beneath Kraków Old Town's main square lies a hologram-filled medieval market vampire graveyard wonderland.

Crooked Forest (krzywy las)

Gryfino, Poland

Crooked Forest

Countless stories attempt to explain Poland's mysterious J-shaped trees.

Wieliczka Salt Mine

Wieliczka, Poland

Wieliczka Salt Mine

An underground city of salt.

Krakow, Poland

The Bones of the Wawel Dragon

Real bones which are said to have belonged to a Polish dragon.

The Dragon's Den

Krakow, Poland

Wawel Dragon's Den

This Polish cave has housed a dragon, a brothel, and an enduring legend.

Ruined buildings have been stabilized and are now walkable.

Gdańsk, Poland

Ruins at Westerplatte

The site of the first battle of World War II.

Camp 2

Oswiecim, Poland

Auschwitz Concentration Camp

The former Nazi concentration camp stands as a museum to remember this dark chapter in European history.

See All 199 Things To Do in Poland

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Poland

Wild Boar a la Tito.

Warsaw, Poland

Oberża Pod Czerwonym Wieprzem

Order “Proletariat’s Cutlet” at this communist-themed restaurant allegedly once visited by Lenin.

The museum is really an interactive bakery.

Poznań, Poland

St. Martin’s Croissant Museum

The traditional Polish croissant, folded 81 times into the shape of a horseshoe, is a legally protected cultural treat.

Professionally decorated gingerbread biscuits from Toruń at the Gingerbread museum.

Torun, Poland

Toruń Gingerbread Museum

Once a giant gingerbread factory, this space now hosts exhibits and workshops on the historic treat.

The end results of the museum's workshop.

Krakow, Poland

The Living Obwarzanek Museum (Żywe Muzeum Obwarzanka)

Learn the fine art of making a centuries-old treat at this hands-on food museum.

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World War Ii 39

Military 30

Architecture 25

Statues 24

Museums 23

Monuments 22

Sacred Spaces 18

Churches 18

Nazis 16

History 15

Art 15

Abandoned 14

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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.

September 30, 2024

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.

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

December 15, 2023

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

December 4, 2023

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?

August 14, 2023

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

January 4, 2023

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

November 20, 2019

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