Poland. Cracow's Historic Centre

Date of Inscription: 1978
Criteria: (iv)
Property : 149.6500 ha
City and County of Cracow, Lesser Poland (Malopolska) Voivodship
N50 4 0.012 E19 57 34.992
Ref: 29  

The historic centre of Cracow, the former capital of Poland, is situated at the foot of the Royal Wawel Castle. The 13th-century merchants' town has Europe's largest market square and numerous historical houses, palaces and churches with their magnificent interiors. Further evidence of the town's fascinating history is provided by the remnants of the 14th-century fortifications and the medieval site of Kazimierz with its ancient synagogues in the southern part of town, Jagellonian University and the Gothic cathedral where the kings of Poland were buried.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/29

With thanks again to Sylwia!

Poland. Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork

Poland
Date of Inscription: 1997
Criteria: (ii)(iii)(iv)
Property : 18.0380 ha
City and County of Malbork, Pomeranian Voivodship (formerly Elblag Voivodship)
N54 2 30 E19 1 60
Ref: 847  

This 13th-century fortified monastery belonging to the Teutonic Order was substantially enlarged and embellished after 1309, when the seat of the Grand Master moved here from Venice. A particularly fine example of a medieval brick castle, it later fell into decay, but was meticulously restored in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Many of the conservation techniques now accepted as standard were evolved here. Following severe damage in the Second World War it was once again restored, using the detailed documentation prepared by earlier conservators.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/847

Thanks to Sylwia from Poland!

Poland. Auschwitz Birkenau German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp (1940-1945)

Date of Inscription: 1979
Criteria: (vi)
Oswiecim County, Lesser Poland (Malopolska) Voivodship (formerly Bielsko-Biala)
N50 4 0 E19 21 0
Ref: 31  

The fortified walls, barbed wire, platforms, barracks, gallows, gas chambers and cremation ovens show the conditions within which the Nazi genocide took place in the former concentration and extermination camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest in the Third Reich. According to historical investigations, 1.5 million people, among them a great number of Jews, were systematically starved, tortured and murdered in this camp, the symbol of humanity's cruelty to its fellow human beings in the 20th century.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/31

Many thanks to Sylwia!

Poland. Medieval Town of Toruń

Date of Inscription: 1997
Criteria: (ii)(iv)
Property : 48.0000 ha
Buffer zone: 300.0000 ha
City and County of Toruń, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodship
N53 0 36 E18 37 9.984
Ref: 835

Torun owes its origins to the Teutonic Order, which built a castle there in the mid-13th century as a base for the conquest and evangelization of Prussia. It soon developed a commercial role as part of the Hanseatic League. In the Old and New Town, the many imposing public and private buildings from the 14th and 15th centuries (among them the house of Copernicus) are striking evidence of Torun's importance.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/835

Thanks to Maria!

Poland. Historic Centre of Warsaw

Date of Inscription: 1980
Criteria: (ii)(vi)
Property : 25.9300 ha
City and County of Warsaw, Masovian Voivodship
N52 15 59.004 E21 0 42.012
Ref: 30

During the Warsaw Uprising in August 1944, more than 85% of Warsaw's historic centre was destroyed by Nazi troops. After the war, a five-year reconstruction campaign by its citizens resulted in today's meticulous restoration of the Old Town, with its churches, palaces and market-place. It is an outstanding example of a near-total reconstruction of a span of history covering the 13th to the 20th century.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/30

Thanks to Magda!

Belarus, Poland. Belovezhskaya Pushcha / Białowieża Forest

Date of Inscription: 1979
Extension: 1992
Criteria: (vii)
Property : 92669.0000 ha
Grodno Province (oblast) (BY) / Podlasie Voivodship (PL)
N52 30 0 E23 34 60
Ref: 33bis

Situated on the watershed of the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea, this immense forest range, consisting of evergreens and broad-leaved trees, is home to some remarkable animal life, including rare mammals such as the wolf, the lynx and the otter, as well as some 300 European Bison, a species which has been reintroduced into the park.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/33

Thanks to Elena (Brest)!

Poland. Centennial Hall in Wrocław

Date of Inscription: 2006
Criteria: (i)(ii)(iv)
Property : 36.6900 ha
Buffer zone: 189.6800 ha
Silesia Region, Lower Silesian Voivodship
N51 6 25.01 E17 4 37.25
Ref: 1165

The Centennial Hall, a landmark in the history of reinforced concrete architecture, was erected in 1911-1913 by the architect Max Berg as a multi-purpose recreational building, situated in the Exhibition Grounds. In form it is a symmetrical quatrefoil with a vast circular central space that can seat some 6,000 persons. The 23m-high dome is topped with a lantern in steel and glass. The Centennial Hall is a pioneering work of modern engineering and architecture, which exhibits an important interchange of influences in the early 20th century, becoming a key reference in the later development of reinforced concrete structures.

http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1165

Thanks to Sylwia!