Silesia

Auschwitz-Birkenau is synonymous with the Holocaust. More than a million Jews, and many Poles and Roma, were murdered here by German Nazis during WWII. Both sections of the camp – Auschwitz I and the much larger outlying Birkenau (Auschwitz II) – have been preserved and are open to visitors. It's essential to visit both to appreciate the extent and horror of the place.

From April to October it’s compulsory to join a tour if you arrive between 10am and 3pm.

Everyone loves Wrocław (vrots-wahf) and it’s easy to see why. With an idyllic location on the Odra River, the venerable city comprises 12 islands, 130 bridges and verdant riverside parks. The beautifully preserved Cathedral Island is a treat for lovers of Gothic architecture.

Though in some ways it’s a more manageable version of Kraków, with all the cultural attributes and entertainment offerings found in that popular destination, the capital of Lower Silesia has an appealing character all its own. Having absorbed Bohemian, Austrian and Prussian influences, the city has a unique architectural and cultural make-up, symbolised by its magnificent market square (Rynek).

But Wrocław is not just a pretty face – it's Poland’s fourth-largest city and the major industrial, commercial and educational centre for the region. At the same time it’s a lively cultural hub, with several theatres, major festivals, rampant nightlife and a population of more than 130,000 students.

The Karkonosze National Park is a delightfully wild belt of wooded slopes drawing skiers in winter and hikers in summer. Cut at its lowest point by the Karkonosze Pass (Przełęcz Karkonoska; 1198m), the range reaches its eastern apogee at Mt Śnieżka (1602m); its western portion is topped by Mt Wielki Szyszak (1509m). Eagles, otters, boar and the reintroduced mouflon all make their home in these wild, glacially sculpted uplands, cloaked in spruce forest up to an altitude of about 1250m.

This impossibly photogenic castle, the largest in Silesia, commands a thickly wooded prominence in Książ. Following the destruction of an earlier stronghold in 1263, the Silesian Duke Bolko I built a castle here in the late 13th century. That fortress passed to the von Hobergs (later called the Hochbergs) in 1509, and was repeatedly assaulted and remodelled until well into the 20th century. Today you'll see a melange of styles from Romanesque onwards, with the oldest section at its heart.

You can’t miss this macabre chapel in the Church of St Bartholomew’s grounds at Czermna, 2km north of Kudowa’s town centre. The length of its walls and ceiling are covered with human skulls and bones – about 3000 of them, with another 20,000 to 30,000 filling the crypt below. One of only three such chapels in Europe, it was inspired by Rome's Capuchin Crypt. The overall effect is stunning; sadly, photography isn't permitted

This magnificent building, the largest baroque timber church in Europe, was erected between 1656 and 1657 in just 10 months. The builders were not trying to set any records; the Peace of Westphalia of 1648 allowed the Protestants of Silesia to build three churches as long as they took less than a year, had no belfry and used only clay, sand and wood for materials. The churches at Świdnica and Jawor remain; the one at Głogów burned down in 1758.

This mighty fortification, begun under Austrian rule in the mid-17th century on the site of former strongholds dating to the 10th century, was extended and modernised over the following 200 years. Today it covers 17 hectares, making it the largest and best-preserved fortification of its kind in Poland. The walls in the lower parts measure up to 11m thick, and taper to never less than 4m.

The entrance is up the hill north of the town’s central Rynek.