The Best Things to See and Do in Tarnów, Poland
Watch day become night at the Town Hall
Tarnów has a historic Town Hall, sitting in the heart of its Old Town Square (Stary Rynek). It began life as a Gothic building in the 15th century, but has since been through changes during the Renaissance period, and again in the 1800s. You can go inside into the little museum, which has relics in silver and glass of the noble family who used to rule over Tarnów. It’s worth watching day turn to night as the lights come on and the bars fill up.
Rynek 1, 33-100 Tarnów, Poland
Visit the mausoleum of General Józef Bem
Tarnów contains the mausoleum of General Józef Bem. Bem was born in this city and is considered a national hero in Poland, Hungary and the former Ottoman Empire. Bem was an engineer and army general who fought for what he believed in – to maintain and protect Poland’s borders. As well as visiting his mausoleum, Bem also has a statue on Forteczna Street.
Strzelecki Park, Romanowicza, 33-100 Tarnów, Poland
Wander through the Jewish Cemetery
It is worth making the ten-minute walk north of the Old Town to the Old Jewish Cemetery. With thousands of gravestones in a huge area, this is one of the largest cemeteries in Poland. What’s more astonishing is that they remain fairly intact – they were not destroyed by the Nazis. It is not a common tourist sight, so parts of the paths within the cemetery are overgrown – tread carefully.
Szpitalna, 33-100 Tarnów, Poland
Understand the sad history at the Mikvah
The Mikvah (Jewish Bath House) in Tarnów has a truly sad history. Jews used this place to meet and bathe for generations. However, on June 14, 1940, Nazis took 753 convicts (most of whom were not actually Jewish) from the local prison and locked them here overnight. The next morning they were all escorted at gunpoint to the notorious Nazi Concentration Camp known as Auschwitz . They were the first prisoners to enter that death camp. Surprisingly, it has since been used as a bar and nightclub, and these days houses an up-market restaurant.
Konarskiego 2, 33-100 Tarnów, Poland
Relax in the Stary Rynek
If you have visited the Town Hall, then you will already have been in Tarnów’s Stary Rynek(Old Town Square). It’s a typical Polish Old Town square with the town hall in the centre, but here it is the buildings that surround it which add to the appeal. The architectural styles vary from Neo-Gothic to Renaissance right up to the post-war constructions. This means new local cafés, international restaurants and even a cosy Irish pub (called Leprikon) in which to relax.
Rynek 16, 33-100 Tarnów, Poland
See the Bimah of the Old Synagogue
As mentioned, Tarnów has a huge Jewish history to explore. The cemetery might be intact, but all that remains of the Old Synagogue is this small brick ‘bimah’. It was here on this platform that the Torah was read. The first synagogue here was in 1582, but it was affected by a few fires and always rebuilt until the Nazi Invasion in 1939, when it was completely destroyed. It is actually a little bit hidden and out of the way – head to Plac Rybny (Fish Square) and you will see it on Żydowska Street.
Żydowska 12, 33-100 Tarnów, Poland
Więcej: https://theculturetrip.com/europe/poland/articles/the-best-things-to-see-and-do-in-tarnow-poland/ 09.02.2018
RCIT. 421-19/18