"Tarnów" a Tarnow Travel Page by betako3

When you arrive in Tarnów I guess the first impression is not very favourable, the landscape is dominated by afwul blocks of flats from the communist era. Moscice, the city's western quarter scares people off with the tall, smokey chimneys of Azoty factory, which can be seen from far away and which effectively pollute the atmosphere of the town. This is the Tarnów I see almost every day commuting from the center to Moscice where I work. But there are some nice places in Tarnów, too. After all, the city was founded in 1330 and even before this date, it used to be a village whose name was first recorded in the 12th century. Unfortunately not much is left from those earliest times but still we can boast a lovely Renaissance market square with a handsome town hall and a couple of other interesting things.

Naturally I should start with the old town, which used to be walled and fortified, slightly elevated on a small hill. You can still see some fragments of the old city walls, either from Bernardyńska Street in the south or from Walowa Street (which nowadays is a nice pedestrian area) in the west. The Catherdal and the Market Square with its beautiful town hall are the two most recognisable buildings of the old town. My favourite, however, are the old bulidings along the tiny street which rounds the cathedral. The name of the oldest one is Dom Mikolajowski and it dates back to 1524 though it is only the date inscribed on the wall, and historians believe now that it refers to the date of reconstruction, while the building itself existed already in the 15th century. Nowadays Dom Mikolajowski and the two adjacent buildings house the Diocesan Museum, where you can see some great examples of early religious art, mainly paintings and sculptures saved from old, collapsing churches, found in the aftermath of the II WW and donated by individuals.

Here's a glimpse of the place where Tarnovians of all age love to spend their free time: St. Martins hill, a great place just a few kilometres away from the city centre. It's got a lot to offer, first of all a lot of greenery, some easy walking paths as well as cycling and crossroad paths. You'll find here forests, wonderful country views, a playground for children, a nice restaurant/bar, an open-air swimming pool (summer only), there's even an old, wooden church and the main attraction - the ruins of a castle - (even if there is not much left).