What important event happened in the city of Lublin. Open left menu Lublin

The name of the city Lublin has stuck in my memory since childhood. , really loved Utyosov’s “They took the city of Lublin in battle, walked through the whole city and read the name in the last street”... We haven’t reached Berlin yet. Like my grandfather’s part, it didn’t reach the capital of Germany 60 km. But we still have everything ahead. So for now – “Lublin street leads us to the west”….

The main attraction of the city - But to get there, you need to go through the old city. It won't happen quickly. Because Lublin has something to show. Let's start our acquaintance, as decent people, with the history of the city.

The Slavs chose the site of modern Lublin a long time ago. Either in the 5th, or 6th, and perhaps in the 7th century. They built a wooden fortress. The lands here are rich, fertile, the harvests were notable, what else did people need? But the first mention in the chronicles was still oh, so far away. Only in 1198 chroniclers noted the existence of such a habitable place. But Lublin achieved city status only in 1317. The king granted him privileges.

By the end of the 14th century, Lublin stood out among other cities in Poland. A new king, the founder of the Jagiellonian dynasty, Wladislav Jagiello, or Jagiello, came to the throne. Lublin was in his favor and remained the king's favorite city throughout his 48-year reign. After all, formally he was elected king right here, in the Lublin castle. He granted the city free trade privileges in 1383 - this was one of his first acts as ruler of Poland. For comparison, let's say that Krakow, the capital of the state, acquired this right only in 1403. Vladislav Jagiello also presented another, truly royal gift - he ordered those same Russian-Byzantine frescoes in.

And Lublin rose to the next step in the hierarchical ladder of cities in the 15th century. In 1474 it became the capital of the Lublin Voivodeship. Looking ahead, I will say that Lublin even received the highest, metropolitan status. True, not for long and not at the best time. From the day the city was liberated by units of the Soviet Army, July 24, 1944, until the liberation of Warsaw (January 17, 1945), the capital of the Polish Republic was temporarily located in Lublin.

Let's go back to the 15th century. This was the “golden age” of the city. More precisely, Lublin had two such centuries – the 15th and 16th. The Slavs chose these places not only because of the fertile lands. The city was located on the famous trade route from Western Europe to the Black Sea. And where there is trade, there is prosperity. “The city can be the refuge of the Gods and the refuge of kings,” wrote Sebastian Fabian Klonowicz, an outstanding Renaissance poet and governor of Lublin, in the 16th century. Since the 15th century, Lublin has reaped the fruits sown by the Jagiellonian royal house.

The year 1569 went down in the history of not only Poland, but also Lithuania. This is the date of birth of the united powerful state - the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Polish-Lithuanian Sejm met in the city and concluded the Union of Lublin. The Grand Duchy of Lithuania and the Kingdom of Poland finally united and established a common state, a single monetary system and a Sejm. In memory of this event, an obelisk was erected in Lublin.

The ruler of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth Stefan Batory did not leave the city with his attention. In 1578 he established the Crown Tribunal of the Kingdom of Poland. It was the supreme court of all Lesser Poland. The central building of the Lublin shopping square still reminds us of this.

The beginning of the 17th century brought disaster to the city - the Black Death. She took with her more than five thousand Ljubljana residents. Then the Cossacks came.Next are the Swedes. They carried with them not cement and stone, but gunpowder and cannons. After the “Flood” 1655-1660 Fairs stopped being held, European merchants closed their shops and left the city.

In the next century, Lublin recovered slightly from enemy invasions. But from the end of the 18th to the beginning of the 19th century, he changed his state affiliation three times. After the third partition of Poland in 1795, the city became Austrian. In 1809 it entered the Grand Duchy of Warsaw. From 1815 until the First World War it belonged to the Russian Empire.

Here's a little historical sketch. During our walk through old Lublin, we will try to add color to such a meager biography of a city with more than a thousand years of history. And a map of the main attractions of Lublin will help us with this.


Let's list them in their native Cyrillic alphabet.

1) Krakow Gate. 2) Gothic semicircular tower. 3) Jesuit Street. 4) Tower of the Trinitarians. 5) Cathedral. 6) Old market and the building of the Crown Tribunal. 7) Konopnik's House. 8) House of Lyubomelsky. 9) Klonovich's house. 10) Dominican monastery. 11) Basilica of St. Stanislaus. 12) The area of ​​the former parish church. 13) Street of the former parish church. 14) City gates. 15) Church of St. Wojciech and Hospital of St. Lazarus. 16) Lublin Castle. 17) Castle yard. 18) 19) Castle Square. 20) Church of St. Nicholas. 21)Orthodox Cathedral. 22) Monastery complex of the former Franciscan church. 23) Castle Hill. 24) Old Jewish cemetery. 25) New Jewish cemetery. 26) Higher Jewish University. 27) Monument to the victims of the ghetto. 28) Church and monastery of the Discalced Carmelites. 29)Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. 30)Former Greek Orthodox Church. 31) Krakowskie Przedmieście Street. 32) Church of the Holy Spirit. 33)New Town Hall. 34) Former Bernardine church. 35) Jesuit church. 36) Vetter School. 37) Church of Mary the Victorious. 38) Julius Osterva Theater. 39) Monument to Jozef Czechowicz. 40)Church and monastery of the Capuchins. 41) Litovskaya Square. 42) Monument to Jozef Pilsudski. 43)Obelisk in memory of the Union of Lublin. 44) Lubomelsky Palace. 45) Czartoryski Palace. 46)Evangelical Augsburg Church. 47) Catholic University of Lublin. 48) Marie Curie-Skladovskaya University. 49)Botanical Garden. 50) Museum of Lublin Villages. 51)Museum of Martyrs – Majdanek. 52)Zemb0zhitsky Bay.

We also have one more card. We offer that too.

Well, that's it, theoretically we are now savvy. Let's go to consolidate our knowledge in practice, in Lublin! And, God forbid, of course, we do not suggest going around all 52 points indicated on the map. Three or four hours in the city seemed quite enough to us. So.

1. The Krakow Gate greeted us in plaster forests. Still would! After all, they are over 650 years old! And all this time the gate fulfilled its main function - connecting the old city with the business part of Lublin. The journey to Krakow began with them, goods were transported through them to the Old Market, and they were the first to welcome the numerous guests of the city. And now the gate is an architectural symbol of Lublin.

2. The Gothic tower is much more modest than the majestic Krakow Gate.

It is carefully preserved by the residents of the city, as a witness to long-gone days, the time when the city was surrounded by a fortress wall. Don't think that the tower is red brick. Nothing like this! Brick is only the finishing of a white stone building. At one time, the tower served as a small workshop where tallow church candles were produced. Suspended hemp fibers guided the melted wax into the molds.

4.Trinitarian Tower - the tallest building in the city center. It was built as the bell tower of a cathedral.

You can climb the tower and admire the panorama of the old city. The tower houses an exhibition of church utensils. On Monday the museum is closed, but on other days - in summer from 10 to 17, in winter from 10 to 15 - please.

5. Cathedral.

It is interesting that the sanctuary of the cathedral, which the Jesuits erected at the turn of the 16th – 17th centuries, became the very first sign of Baroque in Poland. And although the facade of the temple was later rebuilt in the neoclassical style, the baroque decoration of the interiors was preserved. Pay attention to the iconostasis - it was made in the 17th century from a rare breed of Lebanese pear wood. And among the images, the face of the Black Madonna stands out - a copy of the famous icon of the Uterus Boska of Częstochowa.

6.Old Town Market and Crown Tribunal building. The old part of the city is a tangle of romantic streets and alleys. The facades of the houses are decorated in Mannerist and Baroque styles and have luxurious pediments. The houses on the market square are located in semicircles - curved and concave. This interesting street layout was dictated by an earlier settlement that existed on this site. People know how to appreciate antiquity!!!

In the center of the square is the building of the former Crown Tribunal. Previously, the Old Town Town Hall was located here. Now it houses the Museum of the History of the Town Hall and the Crown Tribunal of the Kingdom of Poland.

Of course, the households of Old Lublin repeatedly changed their owners and were rebuilt. But what we see now is special, unique, Lublin architecture, which significantly distinguishes the city from Warsaw, Krakow, and Gdansk. Let's note some buildings.

7. Konopnik's House. This is the most unusual and eye-catching building. First of all, its sky blue color with white stone trim, which makes it so elegant! A Renaissance attic, more reminiscent of an elegant diadem, has crowned the Konopnik house since 1610.


8. House of Lyubomelsky (red). The rather ascetic facade of the house hides luxurious polychrome paintings of the interiors with scenes of the Bacchanalia. The house acquired its modern appearance in the middle of the 16th century.


9. Klonovich's house. The name of the homeowner was already mentioned at the beginning of the story - Sebastian Klonowicz, poet, adviser and governor of Lublin. His household was rebuilt in the 18th century - it was connected to a neighboring building and the facades were given neoclassical features. And the paintings on the house were added just before the war, in 1939, and represent famous writers who lived in Lublin, including Klonowicz himself (pictured left).


10.The most majestic religious building of old Lublin is the Dominican Church. Its founding date is 1342. The ribbed dome of the Mannerist-Baroque Firleev Chapel from the mid-17th century is a pretentious thing - attributed to the architect Jan Wolf.

12.The area of ​​the former parish church. The location of the ancient foundations is marked here.


This building, which has sunk into oblivion, was consecrated in honor of Archangel Michael. They say that its founder, Leszek the Black, fell asleep on the site of the church and had a dream foreshadowing victory over a tribe of pagans. The temple stood until the middle of the 19th century, until the Russian governor ordered its destruction - the cracked walls “threatened to collapse.” But the city honors the “promised” temple - nothing else is being built in its place and a model of the church has been installed.

14. City gate.

If the Krakow Gate is the main entrance to the old city, then the City Gate leads to Podzamcze and Castle Hill. The gates have undergone “plastic surgery” and they look much younger than their 650 years, more than two hundred years old! In the old days, this gate was a symbolic border between Christian and Jewish Lublin. The latter no longer exists. But Jewish traditions live in the city to this day.

15. At the foot of the hill of the old town, there is the Church of St. Wojciech and the Hospital of St. Lazarus. The fairly large hospital and monastery complex includes a picturesque garden. The Renaissance building has existed since the beginning of the 17th century. Thanks to the support of the Brotherhood of Charity and the activities of the Sisters of Mercy, the hospital existed until the 19th century. The monastery operates to this day; the sisters call themselves “daughters of St. Francis.”


In the interior of the temple you will find magnificent stucco moldings.

16. When you leave the Old Town through the City Gate, the first thing you will see is the castle. It was on this hill that the first human settlements existed in the 6th – 9th centuries. The Swedes destroyed many of the castle's Gothic buildings. The castle complex was rebuilt in the first quarter of the 19th century.

17.The castle courtyard was born as a result of the grandiose reconstruction of the castle hill in the middle of the 19th century and the construction of a prison in the neo-classical style.

But they preserved old buildings, such as the 13th-century donjon and the mid-14th-century chapel. The northern wing now houses the numismatic and art collection of the Lublin Museum.

18.A separate story about the most famous landmark of Lublin. The main building of the castle currently houses an art museum with a rich collection of artifacts.

And before we continue our walk around the city, we note that the castle served not only as a fortress, and, subsequently, as a royal residence. For quite a long time there were prison casemates in it. First - the Tsarist, then - the Nazi, and finally, the NKVD and the Polish GB.

19.Castle Square is located at the foot of the castle. There was once a Jewish quarter here. The Jews came here already at the beginning of the 16th century and the population of this quarter reached tens of thousands of inhabitants. The central square – Szeroka – was the political and administrative center of Lublin Jews. During the Nazi occupation, the square and surrounding area turned into a ghetto. The square received its modern appearance in the mid-twentieth century. The houses on the square were built according to a single two-pronged design; they alternate rhythmically and pretend to be Renaissance. From here the excursion “Memorial Road of Lublin Jews” begins, lasting about 3 hours with 13 stops.


28.The church and monastery of the Discalced Carmelites create a harmonious and perfectly coexistent sacred complex, even despite their different origins. The church was built in the middle of the 17th century. The monastery appeared much later, already in the middle of the 20th century, and was originally intended to gather Calvinists.


This picturesque complex must be visited during an excursion called “Architectural Road of Ancestors”. It lasts three hours and includes 16 stops.

29.The construction of the Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary lasted 75 years! It was finally completed in 1646. Initially, the temple belonged to the nuns of the Discalced Carmelite Order, and then, after reconstruction in 1835, to the Sisters of Charity. They converted the church into a hospital. In 1945 the hospital was nationalized.

31. Krakow suburb. Of course, the most ancient thing in Lublin is located within the Old Town. But he couldn’t keep the city behind walls. Residents began to develop the surrounding areas. The road leading to Krakow began to acquire households already in the 17th century. Since the 19th century, the Lublin bourgeoisie built their palaces near the Old Market, on the Krakowskie Przedmieście.


Now this is Ljubljana’s favorite promenade. And not only! Being in Lublin and not walking around Krakow Przedmieście is the same as coming to Moscow and not visiting Red Square! Walking along the street, pay attention to houses No. 6 - the house of merchant Jan Mintsl, No. 17 - the house of the famous publicist and bookstore owner Stanislav Artzt, No. 27 - the property of the Swedish merchant Semadeni, he founded a magnificent cafe here!

The famous pedestrian street connects Lithuanian Square with Loketek Square and connects the old city with its modern center.

32. Church of the Holy Spirit. This is one of the oldest churches in Lublin, built back in 1419. How can it be, you say, that it is the oldest building outside the city limits of that time? Very simple. In the Middle Ages, there was a strict law regarding health care - hospitals and hospital churches were built outside the walls of cities. The temple was rebuilt and changed its appearance along with changing architectural styles. Finally, in the 19th century, a tower was added and it acquired a modern neo-Gothic appearance.

33. Now, perhaps, hardly anyone will believe that the New City Hall was rebuilt from the church of the Discalced Carmelite Monastery. The temple was destroyed in a fire in 1803, but the walls survived. They did not restore the church and Lublin acquired a new neoclassical Town Hall. At noon you can hear the sound of a trumpet from the balcony of the Town Hall.

37. Another oldest, early 15th century, temple in Lublin is the Church of the Virgin Mary Victorious. It was founded by Vladislav Jagiello himself in honor of the victory in the Battle of Grunwald. And it was built by the knights of the Teutonic Order, captured. They settled in a village near Lublin. This church is considered the most revered in the city.

38. Julius Osterve Theater. Eclectic construction - this epithet determines the time of construction of the theater building. And despite numerous restructurings, changes in political regimes and fashion, the interior decoration of the theater has remained the same.


The Lublin Theater is very famous in Poland and the best artists have shone on its stage. And even today the performances are sold out, and the level of productions is not inferior to those in the capital.

40. Lubomirski - Polish nobles left a noticeable mark on both the secular and religious architecture of the city. It was they who founded the Capuchin monastery complex. The temple is dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul.


42. Monument to Jozef Pilsudski one of the recent memorials Lublin, opened in 2001. Although they planned to erect a monument to the famous politician even before the war, they did not have time. The sculpture of the Polish politician, to the satisfaction of Lublin patriots, replaced the Soviet memorial sign destroyed in 1991, it was called “Gratitude of the Soviet Army”. Józef Pilsudski visited Lublin many times both as commander of the First Brigade of the Polish Legion and as head of state.

43. We began our story about the city with a photograph of the monument to the Union of Lublin.

Let us add that the monument was erected in 1826. The stele is decorated with a bas-relief with two figures stretching out their hands to each other. They symbolize Poland and Lithuania. In 2004, Poland’s entry into the European Union was celebrated not far from the monument. The motto of the event sounded very relevant for Lublin – “From the Lublin Union to the European Union!”

We couldn’t pass by the Lublin goat. This is the ancient coat of arms of the city embodied in bronze.

Lublin is a large industrial city, it is very lively and even bustling. But the architecture of the capital of the voivodeship is worthy of attention. The neoclassicism of the business center is classically strict and beautiful in a new way.




Lublin is also famous for its educational institutions. It is interesting that the Catholic University, founded in 1918 by Jerzy Radiszewski, was not closed during Soviet times and was the only Catholic institution of higher education in the entire socialist camp. In 1956, the future Pope, then Karol Wojtyla, was appointed to the chair of ethics. A year later he received the title of associate professor.

We have already mentioned that there was a large Jewish community in Lublin. Many schools appeared in the city where they studied the Talmud and trained rabbis. Before the outbreak of World War II, the only higher educational institution for Jews in Poland was located in the city. Lublin was even called the Jewish Oxford. But after the war there was no one to renew them.

The Cathedral or Cathedral of St. John the Baptist and John the Evangelist is the largest church in Lublin. It was built in the Baroque style in the 16th century, originally by Bernard Maciejewski, a Catholic bishop and Primate of Poland, for the Jesuit order in 1583-1605, but was rebuilt several times . After the fire of 1751, the cathedral acquired a baroque appearance. Today the cathedral is a functioning archcathedral.

In 1755-1757, Józef Mauer painted the cathedral. At the same time, the famous “acoustic sacristy” was built. Next to the altar, statues of saints were created, including St. Ignatius of Loyola. Many famous masters of their time worked on the interior of the church. So, all the frescoes were made by sculptor John Meyer.

Next to the cathedral is the Trinitarian Tower, which was built in the 17th century, and in 1819 it was completed according to the design of the same Corazzi. Now the 64-meter neo-Gothic bell tower of the Holy Trinity is the tallest building in the Old Town. It now houses the Museum of Archdiocesan Religious Art. From the observation deck, at an altitude of 40 meters, a panorama of Lublin and the surrounding area opens up.

New Town Hall

The New Town Hall of Lublin is located on Łokietek Square, in the historical part of this ancient Polish city. Built in 1827-1828, the town hall remains to this day the center of local city government. In addition to the office of the city mayor, there are offices of various municipal institutions here.

In 1619, a Carmelite monastery was built on this site, the main building of which was made in the Renaissance style. In 1803, there was a fire in the building, after which it could no longer be restored. In 1826, the site was purchased by the city magistrate. The city authorities held a competition, which was won by the design of a building in a classical style by Polish architect Alexander Groffego.

The town hall building was heavily damaged by German and later Allied bombing during World War II. In the post-war period, the building was restored, returning it to its original appearance. Currently, the town hall topped with a tower is the architectural dominant of the central part of Lublin and one of the symbols of the city.

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Lublin Castle

Lublin Castle is a prominent historical and architectural monument located in the center of Lublin. This palace complex is considered one of the main city attractions and attracts many tourists.

The castle was founded back in the 12th century, but at that time it was more of a defensive fort, unable to boast of architectural delights. The castle turned into a real masterpiece of medieval architecture four centuries later - in 1520. Subsequently, the palace was even used as a royal residence. Important meetings were held in Lublin Castle and fateful military-political decisions were made. In the 19th century, the palace was partially destroyed as a result of military operations, and after restoration it already served as a prison - political criminals were kept here.

Today Lublin Castle has been turned into a museum and is open to tourists. Its impressive neo-Gothic architecture, as well as the genuine touch of history on the towers and walls, are sure to delight many visitors.

The Potocki Palace, located in the center of the Polish city of Lublin, is currently an abandoned building. It was built in the shape of a horseshoe of gray stone in classical style in the 18th century for the Polish diplomat Jerzy Potocki.

For several decades, the two-story palace with an Italian-style courtyard and two side wings served as the residence of the Potocki family. At the end of the 18th century, the palace was transferred to the city treasury and served as a barracks, warehouse, and prison, which operated for almost 30 years. During these years, the previously luxurious mansion was devoid of interior and exterior decor. In 1918, the State Central Police Department of Lublin was opened in the building of the Potocki Palace, which after the Second World War was transformed into a police department. From 1994 to 2010, the Potocki Palace belonged to the Catholic University of Lublin.

Capuchin Church of St. Peter and St. Paul

The Capuchin Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, located in the Polish city of Lublin, was founded in the 18th century by the Polish Prince Paul Carol Sangushko and his wife. The prince was buried here in 1750.

The building was built in the Tuscan Baroque style with a triangular peak on the facade, in the center of which is the symbol of the Capuchins - the Eye of Providence. On both sides of the church there are statues of Saints Peter and Paul. The nave of the church is decorated with one of the nine altars of the temple, created in the Baroque style with images of the patrons of the church.

In 1768, the roof of the church completely burned down, the building was reconstructed. And in the 19th century, next to the church, a Gothic chapel of the Holy Rosary appeared, designed by the master Michal Kaminski. In 1864, Capuchin monasteries throughout the country were dissolved, and the church in Lublin was closed. The Lublin Capuchins returned to the church in 1919 and are here to this day.

Lubomirski Palace

The Lubomirski Palace is a 16th-century classical-style palace located in the center of Lublin.

The construction of the mansion dates back to the 16th century, when the palace belonged to the Firlejuv family.

After the wedding of Louise Teofil Ostrogskaya and Karl Joseph Lyubomirsky, the mansion became the property of the Lyubomirsky family. It is being rebuilt in the Baroque style and the author of the reconstruction project was Tilman Gameren and the architect Stanislav Lyubomirsky. In 1772, the palace became the property of Charles Sangushki, who in turn sold his estate to Sheptytsky. In 1801, the devastated building was bought at auction by Mayor Benjamin Finke and handed over to the government.

In 1822, by decision of the governor, the palace was transferred to the Lublin Voivodeship. After another fire in 1829, the palace was rebuilt in the classicist style under the leadership of Henrik Marconi, who restored the old proportions of the buildings. In November 1918, under the leadership of Ignacy Daszynski, the government of the Polish People's Republic was created in the palace. Today, this event is marked by a memorial plaque, which is located at the main entrance to the palace. At the end of World War II, the Lubomirski Palace was transferred to the Marie Curie-Skłodowska University.

Botanical Garden of the Marie Curie-Skłodowska University

The botanical garden of the Marie Curie-Skłodowska University, located in the Polish city of Lublin, has been created since 1944. It was then that university professor Joseph Motyka formed a committee responsible for creating the garden, and in 1958 the committee received ownership of a plot of land with an area of ​​13 hectares in the valley of the Chekhovka River. The location was not chosen by chance, because its landscapes exactly met the committee’s requirements. The varied landscape, including forested areas, ravines, with excellent soil and climatic conditions, was suitable for growing a variety of plants.

The botanical garden of the Marie Curie-Skłodowska University was opened on February 23, 1965. By 1970, the garden area was fenced off and equipped with everything necessary: ​​water tanks, greenhouses and outbuildings. After 1970, the director of the garden, Professor Kazimir Kozak, expanded it to 25 hectares, and garden paths were paved.

Currently, in the garden you can see thematic sections of tropical and subtropical flora, a rock garden, plants of North America, Europe and Asia, numbering more than six thousand species. University workers use the garden for research and teaching, and locals and tourists love to spend their free time here, walking along the alleys and admiring the local scenery.

Lublin-Świdnik International Airport

Lublin-Świdnik Airport is an international airport located 10 km from the city of Lublin. Its construction began in the fall of 2010, and the official opening is scheduled for December 17, 2012. The new airport will have a lighted runway 1200 m long and 50 m wide, as well as a hangar and a weather station. Initially, it will be assigned the first category of the landing system.

Construction of the Svidnik airfield began back in 1935, and was officially opened on June 4, 1939. It was used for training purposes by the local pilot school. In 1949, the Polish government decided to build a small hangar located next to the airfield. Since 1956, the first helicopters began to be installed and repaired here.

In 2000, the government decided to build a new airport here, but this plan began to be implemented only in 2010, when investments became available. The Lublin-Świdnik Airport complex will include two terminals, parking, restaurants, a first-aid post and a huge waiting room.

The most popular attractions in Lublin with descriptions and photographs for every taste. Choose the best places to visit famous places in Lublin on our website.

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– a city from which we did not expect anything. We sluggishly looked through Trip Advisor, receiving zero useful information and did not find a single sensible report from the all-knowing Google. More and more transit, passing through and passing through. Just before leaving, I unexpectedly received a message on Facebook including a review of drinking establishments and interesting surroundings. It turned out to be the most valuable of the whole heap of network garbage.

I will try to fill the vacuum and tell you a little about why, when and for how long to go to Lublin and the surrounding area and how much this trip costs. What to see along the route except . Where to cross the border, what to see in Przemysl And Krasichina. Where to eat, what to drink and travel budget.

Lublin. Why and why?

Close, inexpensive, tasty, not boring and beautiful. This is the answer to the question above. 600 km. from Kyiv, no gas stations in the expensive European Union and everything else is tolerable for the money. In addition to capturing Krasiczyn And Przemysl (Przemysl).

Route details described in section

Crossing the border. Here Kiev residents have two options. First, in any case, we drive along the “Varshavka” (M-07) to Kovel. Then there are two options. The first option is shorter - straight along the Varshavka to the Yagodin crossing. It is famous for smugglers, bribe-taking customs officers and long queues, as a result.

"... I tried this option in the summer when I went to the , do not want anymore.

Second option at 50 km. longer. We turn onto Vladimir Volynsky, from there to transition Ustilug. This transition, many specialized sites vied with each other to praise it for its short queues, the absence of bribes and queues of local smugglers. Including through the unification of Ukrainian and Polish customs. In general, in my imagination transition Ustilug showed off antipode to Yagodin.

As it turned out, only in the imagination. Yes, there are no bribes, no smugglers, but the queues remain. Two and a half hours in relative passive.

A relative insurance against overbooking can be prepayment, which we almost never practice.

is a pedestrian small old town, which consists of one main street, begins Krakow Gate and ends City gate behind which is Lublin Castle. In front of the Krakow Gate, which is more beautiful with a tower, is located. In principle, this is almost all you need to know about the geography of the city.

The format of spending time is simple. During the day we admire the old city, old buildings, churches, and go into the fortress. All this costs nothing, money only goes to museums that were not included in the plans. Besides this, we love to just wander the streets, go into gateways, and sit in coffee shops. In the afternoon there is a mandatory lunch. At first I had no luck with the restaurant, it was a well-promoted tavern Selsko Anelsko turned out to be a tourist dud. Don't go there and Don't always trust Trip Advisor .

In the evening - the obligatory city photo shoot and a light meal, which consisted mainly of drinks, and the drinks were mainly beer. In addition to this, the local bison is good, but it is better for lunch, with sausages and cabbage and zurek soup.

Let me immediately list all the few attractions that it is rich in and which you will have time to explore in a few hours.

Firstly, This Old city– a dungeon under the city court near the Krakow Gate (center of the photo), a pharmacy museum, the Krakow and City Gates, the Dominican Church, the Cathedral, the Trinitarian Tower - it is the most beautiful there (with the green dome in the photo), and you can also climb it, New Town Hall and Carmelite Monastery.

Secondly- this is the same Old city in which there are many interesting gateways and even several “abandoned buildings” that have not been reached by European Union funds.

Third, fortress, it is too glossy and seems like a new building. You need to watch it during the day...
... and in the evening.

Fourthly, which is adjacent to Old town and consists of one main street with shops, restaurants and a pedestrian area and side streets with the same set. An hour's walk will be enough.

To shops in Krakowskie Przedmieście no need to come in, shopping elsewhere - Lublin Plaza, ul.Lipowa,13- is located very close to the Victoria Hotel, where we lived. Another place for shopping - Galeria Lubelska, ul.Vitosa, 6.

If you have time, you can go down to the Bystrica River, there is also a museum of the Majdanek concentration camp, which I won’t say anything about, I didn’t go.

It’s easy to navigate using the city map, which we pick up at the hotel. It's free. And my guiding star is always with me :)

Transport. It is unlikely to be needed if you live near the city center, and it makes no sense to live anywhere else in Lublin if you are not using transit. City transport - nice-looking buses and trolleybuses in the same style, which can be transformed into buses, in which case the horns drop and the trolleybus switches to fuel.

Currency exchange. It’s interesting, I haven’t noticed anything like this in the rest of Poland. Kantor is a place where they change currency, rates are posted on the wall, for example $1 = 3.84 zt. This course is everywhere. In addition, there is a sign hanging on the window - “I’ll give you a flattering course.” We are interested, the cashier tells me that for $100 she will give me as much as 392 zt., which is 6 zt (an extra glass of beer...) 3.92 versus 3.84. This scheme works everywhere, not everyone advertises the service, so ask. Why this is so remains a mystery; I did not receive any coherent information from the aunt in the window.

Housing. Lublin is full of hotels within 3-5 km. from Old town, they are cheaper than central ones and cost 15-30 euros per room. It is worth adding and renting a hotel in the Old Town or a 10-minute walk from it, it will cost 35-50 euros for good conditions. 4-5 star hotels will cost 70-80 euros per night.

In the very old town of Lublin The housing situation is as follows. There is a choice of hotels from hostels to 5*. Many pubs and restaurants offer accommodation, on the ground floor there is a pub or restaurant, on the higher floors Pokoje(housing), many are not in the booking - in the off-season there is always room there.

Find an inexpensive hotel in Lublin

Budget city hotel in Lublin can be found through the booking system Hotels Combined, a service I use myself. The advantage of the service is that it compares prices from dozens of booking systems - you just have to choose the best offer, including everyone’s favorite Booking.com.

Rent apartments in Lublin

This is an option for those who love a budget holiday while maintaining the comfort of home and personal space.

To rent an apartment(apartments) via Booking.com – Lublin for 1-2 nights.

Food. There is no culture of regular family going to a restaurant. Most Poles eat at home. Therefore, when looking for a place to dine, you should not focus on the locals; there are simply no such places in the center or they will only have very ordinary, tasteless food.

Most rely on reviews TripAdvisor, I wrote about this, when I ran into a bad place, which was not prevented by the terrible quality of the cuisine from taking 15th place in the rating. Reviews are a lottery, it is better to trust the reviews of people you know or rely on intuition. One way or another, all the delicious places are in the center or near the city center.

We liked it “Ceska Pivnica”, “12 stolov”, “Sv. Michal", "Mandragora"- that's all in Old town. For reference, at the exit from Warsaw direction there is Bida tavern. A good lunch for two with drinks and delicious food costs about 70-100 zt. ($20-$25), a budget lunch will cost half as much.

"...I also recommend reading Lublin: where to eat, where to drink, what you can pass by

– a pub place, the number of drinking establishments per unit area here is not lower than in Munich or Prague. The beer is excellent, both local and Czech. And when choosing a pub, you should pay attention to the places where the locals hang out. Only on a Tuesday evening there may not be a free table in popular pubs.

My recommended pubs "At the Photographer's", "Czech Pivnitsa", "St. Michael". "At the photographer's" I recommend it especially for the large selection of unique beer, it costs a little more here than elsewhere (12 zlotys versus 7 zlotys in other establishments), but this is the case when you don’t need to save.

Beer price– 7-8 zlotys, in the Pub “At the Photographer” – 11-12 zlotys. Many pubs have a door at the ground floor level, without a porch or bright signs, immediately outside the door there is a sharp descent down which turns into a bar counter. Each Pub has its own personality and its own atmosphere, in addition to beer, they also serve food, but you should not expect any taste shocks , as indeed with all Polish cuisine. Popular local brewpub Beer house, we didn’t get there - it was crowded and it was on a Tuesday!

I’ll say it again - this is beer and atmosphere, all this against the backdrop of antiquity, this is what people come here for.

Afterwards we had planned the pretty town of Kazmierzh Dolny, 30 km. towards Warsaw, but the weather insidiously intervened and without warning declared war on us - thick wet snow began at above-zero temperatures and a cold wind, for a couple of hours we felt almost like polar explorers. They surrendered without a fight and drove towards the border, Przemysl and Krasiczyn. There, weather sites promised warm, dry and even afternoon sun. And this is a little less than two hundred kilometers. We didn’t deceive you, and thank you for that.

Krasiczyn

Village Krasichin ideal for a transit overnight stay and a very pleasant place - hills, beautiful nature, budget hotels and the immodest Krasicki Castle, dissonant with all this. I wanted something smaller and not so pompous. I liked the palace-castle, but for some reason it didn’t evoke much admiration and a desire to return.

It seemed very touristy and disposable. However, if you choose a place to spend the night between neighboring Przemysl And Krasichin, an additional plus for Krasichina for the nature and village atmosphere. Accommodation prices are approximately the same, at 20 euros per double room per night in small private hotels.

I started the story about Lublin joyfully and serenely; we spent very little time there, and the city seemed elegant and bright to me, like a candy wrapper. The sun was shining, tourists were walking along the streets of the Old Town, weddings were taking place in churches. There was a beautiful picture in front of me.

Then, already at home, sorting through the photographs and getting ready to write a story, I “immersed” myself in the material, and I felt somehow uneasy.

Each city with a long history has lived through both prosperous times and tragic ones, each with a bloody trail. But somehow I was struck by the contrast between the serene sunny town that remained in my memory and the terrible events in which Lublin was the scene.

Still, I'll start with the first impression.

So, we landed in the parking lot. Green grass, park. The park is called Podzamche because it is located under the castle walls.

The castle itself is on Castle Hill.

The Old Town is located on a nearby hill. The Zamkovy and Gorodskoy hills are connected by a long narrow isthmus.

We climb the stairs to the isthmus and head to Castle Hill.

The castle looks brand new. It was extensively rebuilt in the 19th century.

Of the old “stuffing”, only the 13th-century donjon tower and the 14th-century Chapel of the Holy Trinity remained.

The ascent to the donjon costs 9 zlotys. From the top you can see the Old Town of Lublin

Visits to the Chapel of the Holy Trinity are carried out by sessions. There were no seats for the 12-hour session; we bought tickets for the 2:00 session (we returned to the castle after a walk around the Old Town). Ticket price is 15 zlotys.

The chapel is considered one of the main attractions of the city of Lublin due to its unique frescoes. The frescoes are made in the Russian-Byzantine style, although the church itself is Catholic. These frescoes were commissioned by King Ladislaus Jagiello. Either because his mother was a Tver princess, or because of inner attraction, the Catholic king liked Byzantine paintings.

In general, Ladislaus favored Lublin; under him, the city’s “golden” age began, and he even gave Lublin the right to free trade 20 years earlier than Krakow - in 1383.

We cross the isthmus to the neighboring hill

and through the massive Grodzki Gate we enter the Old Town - the historical center of Lublin.

Almost immediately we come across the remains of foundations.

They look neat and are left for centuries - for the memory of posterity.

Previously, the Church of the Archangel Michael stood on this site, but in the 19th century it fell into disrepair and was dismantled. They left only the foundations, and a smaller copy of the old temple was installed above them.

From this place you have an excellent view of the castle.

Here we saw for the first time that in some places on houses instead of windows there were photographs of people. Photographs of former residents who died or disappeared during World War II.

We circle through the streets of Old Lublin, passing the portal of the Dominican monastery.

We go out to Market Square, which is located in almost every old Polish city.

In the center of the Market is an official representative building: the former City Hall, which housed the Crown Tribunal since the 15th century. The building is bulky, but the gaze does not linger on it. The gaze glides along the perimeter, along the line of elegant houses - one prettier than the other.

The most attractive is the lovely blue house with white “curls” - the Koponik house.

However, the neighboring ones are also good. The facades are decorated with stucco or paintings.

The house of Sebastian Klonowicz, a local governor and poet, is decorated with portraits of Lublin writers (including Klonowicz himself - he is on the left).

In the opening between the houses rises the Trinitarian Tower, the tallest building in the old city - 64 m.

Passing under the tower, we come straight to the Archcathedral Cathedral of John the Baptist and John the Evangelist - a magnificent Baroque building decorated with paintings. When we were there, a wedding was taking place in the cathedral, so we were only able to take pictures from the edge.

Wedding invitees

After circling around the Old Town, we approach the Krakow Gate. On the left side of the gate there is a tourism office, where you can get a map of the city with descriptions of attractions.

Krakow Gate

Behind the Krakow Gate, Krakow Przedmieście begins. Old Lublin grew rapidly, new areas appeared behind the fortress walls, and first of all, houses were built along the road leading to Krakow.

The center of the city shifted to Krakow Przedmieście, and there, right outside the gates, the building of the new Town Hall was erected in 1828 - on the site of the Carmelite monastery damaged by the fire.

New Town Hall

The Church of the Holy Spirit is adjacent to the new Town Hall. It was erected in the 14th century at the city hospital. The hospital has not survived, the church was rebuilt in stone.

Church of the Holy Spirit

On the left side of the pedestrian street there is a fountain that attracts many tourists. A bronze goat, a symbol of Lublin, rests on the fountain with its front legs. On the Lublin coat of arms, a goat stands on its hind legs in front of a vine.

The goat is a symbol of Lublin

On the right begins a large square - Litovskaya Square, or Litevsky. On a green hill there is a black obelisk with golden bas-reliefs - in memory of the historical event. In 1569 in Lublin, in the refectory of the Dominican monastery, the so-called Union of Lublin was signed - about the unification of Poland and Lithuania into a single state, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.

Bas-reliefs on the obelisk, Poland and Lithuania unite

Behind the obelisk there is an equestrian monument to Piłsudski.

The square is closed by three palaces: the Czartoryski, Lubomirski and the building of the Lublin Voivodeship, which now houses the Marie Skladowska-Curie University.

Opposite the obelisk is the Capuchin Church of Saints Peter and Paul, and behind the temple begins Capuchin Street.

Capuchin Church of Saints Peter and Paul

We cross it to Narutowica Street in order to see one of the early churches of Lublin - Mary the Victorious. It was built in 1426 by Ladislav Jagiello in honor of the victory in the Battle of Grunwald.

Temple of Mary the Victorious

Opposite the temple is the Lublin Julius Osterw Theater.

Along Narutovica Street, past the Bernardine Church of St. Paul and the Jesuit Church of Peter (it seems that the churches of all orders are collected on this piece of land) we come out onto Cathedral Square and again find ourselves in front of the Trinitarian Tower.

You can climb the tower for 7 zlotys.

The tower houses a museum of religious art.

From the top there are wonderful views of the historical center of Lublin.

We pass through the Old Town and exit through the Grodzka Gate.

There is a castle ahead. On both sides of the isthmus there are failures.

On the right, in the lowland between the hills, there is a park area. On the left there is a row of neat houses lined up in a semicircle, and in front of it is a parking lot.

Former Jewish Quarter

Podzamche was once densely built up. The Jewish quarter was located here.

The first Jews appeared in Lublin in the 14th century. They were not allowed to live in the city itself; they began to build under the fortress walls, inhabiting the space between the Zamkov and Gorodskoye hills.

No matter what Polish cities I visited (large ones, of course), in the end it always turned out that at a certain period of time this city was the capital of the state.

Lublin also served as the official capital of Poland - not for long, though only six months: from July 1944 to January 1945, until Warsaw was liberated.

And in the 16th and 17th centuries, Lublin was the unofficial capital of Polish Jews. It was called the “Polish Jerusalem”. The first Jewish printing house opened here (1547), synagogues were built, and educational centers arose.

In 1656, Cossacks and Khmelnytsky rebels entered Lublin. As a result of the pogroms, the Jewish quarter was destroyed.

But the Polish nobility was in great need of borrowed funds and, as best they could, contributed to the revival of the Jewish community and the restoration of the Jewish quarter.

From the end of the 18th century to the beginning of the 20th, the Jewish population in Lublin accounted for more than half of the city's population. Before the start of World War II - about a third. In the city there were gymnasiums teaching in Hebrew and Yiddish, libraries, newspapers were published, and a theater was opened with performances in Yiddish.

In September 1939, Lublin was occupied by the Germans. A Jewish ghetto arose in the city.

“Maidan” is a Turkic word, but it is widely used in Eastern Europe. "Maidan" is a square, an open place. Majdanek is a small wasteland. There was such a place on the outskirts of Lublin.

In July 1941, Himmler arrived in Lublin. It was decided to organize concentration camps along the border with the Soviet Union to house Soviet prisoners of war.

Such camps became especially relevant after the Kyiv operation, when 4 Soviet armies, about 450 thousand people, were surrounded. In fact, the prisoners of war who arrived built the barracks. Majdanek grew. It occupied an area of ​​270 hectares and included 22 barracks.

In March 1942, Jews from Poland and Slovakia began to be brought to Majdanek. The ovens started working. The last batch of prisoners - about 300 people - was destroyed a few days before the Soviet troops arrived in Lublin.

Now in Podzamche there is nothing that reminds us that there were once residential areas here. On the outskirts of Lublin there is a memorial complex Majdanek, but in the city itself you will not find a single sign, not a single memorial plaque or pillar, as if a page had been torn out of the history of meat. Well, some people lived in our city, there were many of them and very energetic, they lived for a long time, six centuries, then they stopped living. They have nothing to do with our history of Lublin.

I re-read the booklet I took from the tourism office. Just one sentence: “During World War II, the Nazis destroyed the Jewish neighborhoods of Podzamcze and Wieniawa and killed most of their inhabitants.”

It is written that in April 2007 Lublin received the status of a historical monument. In total, 10 objects in Poland have this status: Chelmno, Gdansk, Kazimierz Dolny, Krakow, Lublin, Poznan, Torun, Warsaw, Wroclaw and Zamoszcz. It’s written about palaces, churches, castles. Not a word about the fact that part of a foreign culture has been torn out, that traces of the presence of a foreign way of life in this place have been destroyed.

There was a residue in my soul. That's the truth - the feeling that I was among the scenery. They showed the beautiful tip of the iceberg and took the scary part out of sight. I’m not at all advocating for special pedaling, pressing on pain points - whoever needs it will go to Majdanek. But pretending that nothing happened is somehow dishonest.

“And the Madonna walked through Judea!
And everything is lighter, thinner, thinner
With every step the body became...
And Judea was making noise all around
And I didn’t want to remember the dead.
But shadows fell on the loam,
And shadows lurked in every inch,
The shadows of all the bottles and treblinkas,
All betrayals, betrayals and crucifixions..."
(A. Galich)

Useful websites for preparing for your trip

Since the 13th century, the city has been conducting successful legislative and educational activities; the largest yeshiva-Jewish Academy of Rabbis in Europe is located here. Traditionally, up to 40% of Lublin's population were Jews. When the Jewish community was exterminated by 1945, a long-standing ecumenist tradition seemed to disappear with it.

But the story has a happy ending. Although Lublin has not fared well economically, the city is being re-established as a university center where higher education and cultural exchange are as important as manufacturing. Seven centuries of architecture speak of a proud past, and the wonderful center is the Old Town (Old city) with a cathedral, a castle, ancient courtyards and streets surrounded by city walls of the 14th century. - still beautiful. Outside the Krakow Gate lies modern Lublin. It is small, and therefore featureless block houses built in the 20th century. do not disturb the appearance of the city.

Attractions

Today Lublin is a cheerful and lively university city; 80 thousand students come here to study and relax. There are many cafes and bars in the city center - places for entertainment and discussion. Recently (2007) the non-Jewish population of Lublin even became interested in Hasidic dances. This is a small thing, but it seems that Lublin is trying to once again achieve a synthesis of the cultures of past centuries.

Lublin boasts a perfectly preserved Old Town, combining the traditions of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque. The city also has an eventful history. The Union of Lublin, an agreement to unite Poland and Lithuania, was signed here in 1569, and was home to the communist government during World War II until the liberation of Warsaw.

Be sure to check out the Lublin Castle. This imposing fortress, perched on a hill in the north-eastern part of the Old Town, has a rather dark history. The castle was built in the 14th century, and then in 1820 it was converted into a prison. During the Nazi occupation, people were distributed to concentration camps here. Today, most of the building is dedicated to the Lublin Museum (www.zamek-lublin.pl; ul Zamkowa, 9; entrance for adults/discount 7.50/5.50zt; 09.00-16.00 Wed-Sat, 09.00-17.00 Sun). Paintings, silver and porcelain items, weapons and masterpieces of wood carving are exhibited here. The signs are mostly in Polish. Be sure to take a look at the “devil's paw print” associated with local legend on a 17th-century table. in the foyer.

In the eastern part of the castle there is the Chapel of the Holy Trinity (entrance for adults/discounted 7.50/5.50 zt; 09.00-16.00 Tue-Sat, 09.00-17.00 Sun). Its interior walls are decorated with colorful frescoes from 1418, which are considered an example of medieval painting in Poland.

There is an interesting underground tourist route in Lublin (Market, 1, entrance for adults/discount 10/7zt; 10.00-16.00). This route, about 300 m long, passes through the underground of the Old Town. Exhibits from the exhibition are located along its walls. The entrance to the dungeon is in the neoclassical Old Town Hall in the center of the pretty market square (Rynek). Excursions run every two hours, check with the travel agency.

Lublin Historical Museum Museum (Loketka sq., 3; entrance for adults/discount 3.50/2.50 zt; 09.00-16.00 Wed-Sat, 09.00-17.00 Sun) The museum is located in the Krakow Gate building (XIV century), the only part of the medieval fortress that has survived to this day. Documents and photographs related to the history of the city are displayed here. Every day, at noon, a bugle signal is heard in the New Town Hall building opposite the gates (by the way, if you like the sound of the bugle, don't miss the National Bugle Competition taking place in Lublin on August 15th).

In the Cathedral (Cathedral Square; from dawn until dark) Built in the 16th century, located next to the Holy Trinity Tower, you can see stunning examples of Baroque frescoes. They say that in 1949, tears suddenly flowed from the eyes of the icon of the Virgin Mary kept here. Local believers talk about this with pride and reverence.

In the Museum of Sacred Art (Cathedral Square; admission for adults/discount 7/5zt; 10.00-14.30 Tue-Fri, 10.00-17.00 Sat and Sun) you will enjoy not only examples of sacred art, but also beautiful views of the Old Town, because the museum located in the majestic Holy Trinity Tower (1819).

4 km southeast of the Old Town is one of the largest Nazi death camps, Majdanek. (www.majdanek.pl; 09.00-16.00), in which about 235 thousand people died, more than 100 thousand of them were Jews. The barracks, watchtowers and barbed wire fence have survived to this day. The terrible crematorium and gas chambers stand in their original places.

A short explanatory film is shown at the Visitor Center (view 3zl), the route with signs for visitors begins immediately (5 km), which passes the huge stone Monument to Struggle and Martyrdom and ends at the stone-domed mausoleum where the remains of victims of the genocide are buried.

From the stop near the Rekao bank on the street. Trolleybus No. 156 and bus No. 23 go from Krolevskaya to Majdanek.

Road there and back

There is a bus station opposite the Lublin Castle (AI Tysiaclecia), where flights to Bialystok depart from (43zt, five and a half hours, five flights per day), Krakow (42zt, five and a half hours, five flights per day), Olsztyn (48zt, almost nine hours, three flights a day), Przemysl (32zt, four hours, four flights per day), Zakopane (56zt, nine hours, four flights per day), Zamosc (16zt, two hours, departure every hour), and various points in Warsaw (30zt, three hours, at least every hour). Private minibuses also travel to various destinations, including Zamość (12zt, one and a half hours, departure every half hour), from the minibus stop north of the bus terminal. Train Station (Palace Square (Plac Dworcowy)) is located 1.2 km from the Old Town. You can get here by bus number 1 or 13. Upon arrival at the station, for further movement around the city, head towards the bus station on the street. Gazova (ul Gazowa). To do this, go down the steps and turn left. There is also a trolleybus stop near the station. Trolleybus number 150 provides convenient access to the university district and the youth hostel. Ten trains depart daily to Warsaw (37zt, two and a half hours), two - to Krakow (53zt, four hours forty-five minutes) and one in Przemysl (44zt, four hours).

When to come to Lublin

In June, when Lublin looks most picturesque.

Do not miss

• Medieval layout of the old town with churches, rich mansions and the Krakow Gate. Check out the acoustics in a baroque cathedral.
• The Chapel of the Holy Trinity in Lublin Castle is a world-class monument, combining Western Gothic architecture with stunning Russian painting of the early 15th century.
• Stop for a moment at Lubel Castle. In front of him is a huge empty space: here was once the Jewish quarter, which the Nazis wiped off the face of the earth. Only one of 100 shtibl left (houses of worship).
• Majdanek concentration camp outside the city.
• The barracks and crematorium have been preserved in gruesome detail as historical monuments, not a museum.

Should know

The area around Lublin is truly wonderful, but bring insect repellent.