Towns

Capital City

Warsaw

Warsaw has been the capital of Mazowieckie area since the early 17th century. It is the largest centre in terms of industry, culture and tourism. This was a market and defensive township as early as in the 10th century, but only officially a town from the mid 13th century onwards. As the years passed, Warsaw underwent a Swedish invasion and the two World Wars were hard on the city. Warsaw has its own Stare Miasto, (or Old Town) and Zamek Krolewski (Royal Castle). It is a World Heritage Site and an example of faithful reconstruction from its pre-War state, in many cases down to the finest detail.

The most impressive buildings in Warsaw are the Royal Castle, the Wilanow Palace and Park and Lazienki Park with several palaces en route. A quite different scene is that of the city centre proper, dominated as it is by the imposingly stark Socialist-Realist architecture of the Palace of Culture and Science.

The lion's share of investment flowing into Poland is going into the capital. Here, wages and employment are rising faster than the rest of the country. One of the fastest growing cities in Europe, the number of professionals moving to Warsaw to work is expected to double by 2010. Warsaw is set for strong growth. It has a population of just 2m (38m nationally), this is a small population for a capital in a country of Poland's size. Unemployment across Poland is around 18%. In Warsaw it's around 5%. Warsaw is where an increasing number of people are going to migrate to, in search of jobs and a better standard of living. It is a city that is set to grow fast and this population growth will create an even more dynamic property market.

Most of these new migrants will need to rent before they can buy - so we will see a combination of property price growth, fuelled by increased demand, plus more demand for rental product - so pushing up prices.

Warsaw is where Poland's new aspirant and newly affluent middle classes are being created, and it is this sector of the population that will drive growth in the property market.

Krakow

Krakow, a city that was the capital of Poland for centuries. In 1992 it bore the title of "European City of Culture”. The heart of the city is the Stare Miasto, the Old Town and its Jewish quarter which is very centrally located, called the Kazimierz district. It is famous for its royal residence, Wawel Castle and is one of 12 places listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage site.

With its compact central area, superb historic facades and delightful surrounding countryside, Krakow, nestling in the Vistula valley which runs between the Krakowsko-Czestochowska Jura or Upland and the foothills of the Carpathian mountains, ranks as a unique monument and is without doubt the most attractive of Poland's cities. Krakow is also 70km east of the infamous Auschwitz-Birkenhau, the former Nazi concentration camp.

It is a large university city and a favourite weekend break destination, with easy access through the numerous airports and airlines that fly here.

With low-cost flights to Krakow's international airport, house prices have risen because of investment by Irish, British and German investors. Residential property prices here have risen by 30% on average in the past two years but are still about 50% cheaper than in Warsaw. Krakow is seeing the next wave of growth following Warsaw.

Gdansk

Gdansk is one of the most beautiful Polish cities and home of Lech Walesa, the Polish politician and former trade union/human rights activist, who co-founded Solidarity (Solidarnosc), the Soviet bloc's first independent trade union, won the Nobel Peace prize in 1983, and served as President of Poland from 1990 to 1995.

On September 1st 1939 the German bombardment of the nearby Westerplatte penisula launched World War II. Apart from Westerplatte, the most eagerly-visited attraction in the Gdansk area is the city's Main Town full of charming corners and featuring fine churches, decorative tenement houses and museums. Buildings like The Church of The Blessed Virgin Mary (the largest in Poland) and Main Town's Gothic-style Town Hall with its 82m tower and exquisite interiors are must-see places in Gdansk for every tourist. Catching the eye is also the Old Crane in the port area on the Motlawa, once serving to load and unload goods and one of the largest of its kind in Mediaeval Europe

Formerly known as Danzig pre-war, its historical architecture is not dissimilar to that of Amsterdam. It is in a strategically important position at the meeting point of the Wisla and the Baltic. Its shipyards remain a powerful emotional symbol of a once great economic driver, although now its status as a major employer is diminishing and new industries like communications and IT are taking over.

Wroclaw

Wroclaw is the 4th largest city in Poland, with a population of 664,000 and is one of its oldest. Its special character possibly comes from the fact that it contains the souls of two great cities; Breslau (Slav by origin but for centuries German) and Lwow (now L’viv) capital of the Polish Ukraine, annexed by the Soviets in 1939.

Wroclaw never stopped developing to reach its status now as one of the most dynamic and interesting cities in Poland. It is today a University city full of life and interesting historical buildings like the 14th-15th century Gothic Town Hall, the famous Leopoldin Hall at the University in the former Jesuit college, the 13th-15th century Gothic Cathedral of St. John and many other churches, monasteries and convents, tenement houses and palaces. The City has a vibrant cultural scene and has a great theatre tradition.

As a city on the Odra River, Wroclaw has over 100 bridges over the main river and its numerous streams. The best-known bridge of all, is the Grunwaldzki suspension bridge. The city also boasts Poland's largest and most famous zoo, which was founded in 1865. Machinery and electronic industries help drive the local economy.