A small town at the foot of a hill topped by a ruined castle from the turn of the 13th century, which used to be one of Poland's most splendid fortresses. Today the castle is just a ruin providing nice views over the Świętokrzyskie Mountains and sometimes - the Tatras. The Paradise Cave is one of the better caves in Poland. The 180 meter tourist route leads through galleries and chambers ornamented with stalactites, stalagmites and columns. >>>>
A branch of the National Museum, the Kraków bishops' palace (17th c.) is the most important city sight. Of unique value are painted plafonds and walls. The palace museum also contains a collection of the Polish 19th and 20th century paintings. The cathedral facing the palace was originally Romanesque, but the present-day building dates from the 17th century. The nearby village of Tokarnia has a skansen of the regional country architecture with farm buildings, manor house, windmill, granary, chapels and crosses. The city provides many opportunities for active rest and recreation throughout the whole year (trails for biking, hiking and skiing, swimming-pools). >>>>
The archaeological and nature reserve on the site of the Neolithic striped flint mine. Two underground tourist routes are waiting for visitors, both of 100 meters in length. The technology of flint mining and working is presented in the museum pavilion. Fragment of a Neolithic village was reconstructed.
Perched on the high Vistula bank, Sandomierz is one of Poland's oldest and most attractive cities. Its unique Old Town complex hosts the Gothic Opatów Gate, town hall (14th c.) and the Gothic cathedral. The most valued historic buildings are those of the Romanesque St James' Church and the Dominican monastery with defensive belfry and rich ornamentation. A labyrinth of underground tunnels where merchants stored their goods spreads underneath the city, today a tourist route of 470 meters. Within the city limits and beyond them, picturesque loess ravines with rich floral life. >>>>
The Cistercian trail covers 2/3 of Poland's territory and leads to 40 localities. The Świętokrzyski region trail includes the abbeys of Jędrzejów, Koprzywnica and Wąchock. These particularly valuable Romanesque sacral buildings are located several dozen kilometers from to each other. >>>>
It was started in the 15th century, but already in the first half of the 17th century in some 134 localities of the region metal ores were mined and processed. Tourists can visit many old mining and industrial facilities, especially in Sielpia Wielka - a museum of technology with iron ore mine facilities, in Samsonów - a well-preserved ruin of old iron smelting works, in Starachowice - a unique 19th century furnace, and in Maleniec - a rolling mill and nail making machine (19th c.). >>>>
The Poland's oldest mountainous geological formation with the unusual gołoborza: heaps of broken quartzite rock on parts of the northern slopes below Mt Łysica (612m) and Mt Łysa Góra (595m). The Świętokrzyski National Park has taken under protection the highest and most scenic parts, including the Fir Forest. On the second highest peak, Mt Święty Krzyż, stands the Benedictine abbey with the Holy Cross reliquary. The village of Nowia Słupia is know for its September shows of the iron ore processing in the primitive smelting furnaces, or dymarki, dating from the 2nd century AD. >>>>
