Lublin

During my stay with Ania, we made a little trip from Radzyń to Lublin, the capital city of the region. Lublin was founded in thirteen century, it is now one of the 10 biggest cities in Poland. It is of course an industrial city but we focused today on the the Old Town. It is surrounded by city walls. You can access it by one of the four gates.

The Grodzka Brama (gate) was originally constructed in the fourteenth century and then renovated in late eighteenth century in baroque style. Today, it houses a modern theater.

If you approach the Old Town by the Krakowskie Przedmieście Street (yes, yes, it is the same name you have seen in the Royal Route in Warsaw, it means "suburb facing Kraków") ...

... you will use the Krakowska (or Kraków) gate of course. It was again built in the fourteenth century. From the top you can see a nice panorama of the Old Town.

Here you can see a glimpse of it.

The biggest attraction of Lublin is of course the gothic castle, originally built in the thirteenth century. It is located on a hill, like most castles built in those days, as hills give a huge advantage to the defenders of the place in case of wars or unrest.

Unfortunately the castle has a very dark history. It used to be the seat of the nazi administration during World War II. It also served then as a prison where many Polish patriots perished in a horrible way. After the war has ended, the castle continued to serve as a prison of Soviet secret police and then the secret police of the communist Poland. Again, many patriots were emprisoned there and many gave their lives for their dreams of a safe and independent fatherland.

The gate looks inviting though, despite the many stairs.

Since 1957, the castle has become the main site of the Lublin Museum. Luckily, this time we will be able to enter inside.

In the main courtyard you can see the old cannons ...

... and an old well. Does it not remind you of the one we have seen recently in Kazimierz Dolny?

If you wish to see a bit more of this interesting city, I strongly recommend you these panoramic views. And then we can have a rest in one of the many pubs, bars and wineries of the old town. A Czech cellar in Lublin? Why not!