The Atlas Obscura Guide To Poland

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

Updated September 13, 2023

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Unusual Attractions in Poland

Kudowa-Zdrój, Poland

Kaplica Czaszek: The 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.

The bones of the Wawel dragon.

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.

Camp 2

Oswiecim, Poland

Auschwitz Concentration Camp

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

The Neon Museum

Warsaw, Poland

The Neon Museum

A program of Communist glamour in post-Stalin Poland is preserved in this colorful museum.

See All 166 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 35

Military 30

Monuments 22

Statues 20

Sacred Spaces 18

Nazis 16

Churches 15

Art 15

History 13

Legends 12

Medieval 11

Abandoned 10

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Stories About Poland

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

Jam Saheb with Polish children.

During WWII, Polish Refugees Found a Home in India

The Maharaja of Nawanagar opened his summer palace to displaced children.

by Sunaina Kumar

November 28, 2018

People in Interiors, from The Sociological Record, Ostropa, Silesia, 1980.

Zofia Rydet Spent the Last Decades of Her Life Trying to Photograph Every House in Poland

Inside an archive of more than 20,000 documentary images.

by Anika Burgess

August 24, 2018

Ever tried cleaning up a chocolate spill in the kitchen?

12 Tons of Liquid Chocolate Have Blocked a Polish Highway

All aspiring Augustus Gloops should report to Poland.

In Pacanów, Koziołek Matołek is everywhere.

The Cartoon Goat From Poland Who Wandered the World in Search of Shoes

Koziołek Matołek resonated with generations of Polish children.

by Sarah Laskow

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