Nowy Sącz Travel Guide

Nowy Sącz

Nowy Sącz Travel Guide - a place in south eastern Poland in the province of Malopolska. It is the historic and tourist centre of Sądecczyzna, the Sądecki district and is the district capital of the county of Nowy Sącz.

Nowy Sącz is also one of Poland’s gateways to slovakia. There are a number of border crossings between the two countries, many of which are designed for cyclists and hikers in the mountains.

Nowy Sącz was founded on 8 November 1292 by the Bohemian king Wenceslaus II, on the site of a village called Kamienica. Located on the route to Hungary, it grew as an important trade and centre for administration. An ancient trade route called the Amber Road passed through the town, connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Baltic. Today it is a large industrial centre with many of Poland's top companies having a presence here.

Administrative reform carried out in Poland in 2,000 downgraded the status of the town. Nowy Sącz is no longer the capital of the province, but is incorporated into the region with the capital now being Krakow.

However, due to the influence of the National Louis University in Nowy Sącz, it has become more cosmopolitan, as it now attracts the youth from many parts of Europe and the world.

In the middle of the market square stands the eclectic Town Hall built in 1894.

Accommodation in Nowy Sącz

You will find the full range of accommodation in this town from the most luxurious five star hotels with up to date and modern amenities to pensions (a type of guest house or boarding house) and rooms or apartments at very reasonable prices. Some of the larger towns and cities will also have hostels.

If you prefer to stay in a more rural location there are a number of “Agro” style of accommodation places on farms and in the countryside plus there may be camp sites nearby.

If you see something you like or wish to know more about please contact the accommodation directly as I do not take commission and I take the attitude that their own website will have more up to date details on what they offer than if I were to include it here.

If you wish to advertise your accommodation on Nowy Sącz Travel Guide please let me know.

Activities in Nowy Sącz

Swimming– an indoor swimming pool in Nowy Sacz, Gorlice and also there are open water areas.

Windsurfing - at Roznowskie Lake and Zalew Czorsztynski.

Sailing - at Roznowskie Lake with the most popular “marina” at Znamirowice https://www.schroniska-pttk.com.pl/

Mountain canoeing - there are two sports club in Nowy Sacz with active mountain canoeing sections. A training track on the Dunajec River at Nowy Sacz level as well as the professional canoe track where the world championships take place in Wietrznica.

Rafting - there are several organisations offering this type of sport. Retendo is a company from Kracow. Near to the town of Nowy Sacz, this extreme sport can be done at Przelom Dunajca.

Parachute jumps - in Nowy Targ (70 km from Nowy Sacz), https://www.aeroklub.nowytarg.pl/

Gliding - gliding is organized in Nowy Targ as well as in a town located much closer: Lososina Dolna

Flying, hang gliding (powered gliding) - it is possible to complete a course for a pilots licence at this club.

Paragliding - Paragliding is mostly organized in Wierchomla, Snoska, Kluszkowce.https://www.krynica.pl/

Rock climbing - this popular sport can also be done professionally in Nowy Sacz. To fulfil the requirements, an artificial climbing wall (one of the highest in Poland) has been prepared in a sports and spectator hall. There are also several rocks in Roznow where rescuers and fire fighters practice along with sports fans in the summer.

Horse riding - there are several riding schools in Nowy Sacz, - Wieloglowy, Nawojowa and at Regetowo, the largest East Carpathian breed stud farm in Poland.

Paintball - Paintball is available at Dabrowa, Krynica and in Cieniawa.

Caves - there is a club in Nowy Sacz from which amateurs can discover the farthest corners of the local caves. Potholers from Nowy Sacz are famous for the recent discovery of the biggest chamber in the Polish Tatra Mountains.

Downhill Cycling - It is possible to organize extreme cycling anywhere in the Nowy Sacz area. Mountain tops surrounding the city provide excellent unlimited conditions for cycling downhill at 70 km/h, if you are brave enough. Championships are often held at Krynica, Zakopane and other nearby places.

Cross-country skiing - Numerous tourist trails are dotted around in the vicinity of Nowy Sacz providing excellent conditions for all cross-country skiing fans to ride the route of their choice from those available.

Downhill skiing - The location of Nowy Sacz allows its inhabitants and visitors to explore the possibility of getting involved in the “white extravaganza” without any limits. Such locations as Krynica, Wierchomla, Kluszkowce, Krynica-Slotwiny, Szczawnica, Gora Malostowska and Sucha Dolina are popular in this region with suitable routes for both amateurs and professionals alike.

Tourist walking - the area around Nowy Sacz is perfect for tourist walking. Numerous tourist trails provide excellent conditions to admire the beautiful local mountain ranges. https://www.schroniska-pttk.com.pl/

Snowboarding - very often this winter sport can be done in the same places as skiing. It should be emphasized, that there is a dedicated snowpark for snowboarding fans in Szczawnica.

Ice Skating and Hockey - there is an indoor skating rink. A hockey club is also available for professionals, which continues to accept applications.

Lugeing - in Krynica.

Poland is a country with a large variety of landscapes, a place where you can experience all four seasons. This provides the visitor with many opportunities for adventure and different activities, whether you enjoy the mountains, lakes, rivers or the beaches you will find something that suits you.

If you see something you like or wish to know more about please contact the activity provider directly as I do not take commission and I take the attitude that their own website will have more up to date details on what they offer than if I were to include it here.

Attractions in Nowy Sącz

Poland is a country with a large variety of attractions for the tourist to visit, a place where you can experience all sorts of places to see. This provides the visitor with many opportunities for learning about Polska, whether you enjoy the many monuments, historic churches or buildings, history of places, or more modern attractions, you will find something that suits you.

If you see something you like or wish to know more about please contact the attraction provider directly as I do not take commission and I take the attitude that their own website will have more up to date details on what they offer than if I were to include it here.

Geography of Nowy Sącz

Nowy Sącz is at the meeting place where the Kamienica River flows into the Dunajec River, about 20 km north of the Slovak border, in Sądecka Valley (Kotlina Sądecka) at an altitude of 381m. The town is surrounded by mountain ranges of the eastern Outer Western Carpathian Mountains: Beskid Sądecki to the south, Beskid Wyspowy to the west, Beskid Niski to the south east and the foothills of Pogórze Rożnowskie to the north. The climate is temperate, with an average annual rainfall of about 700 millimetres.

Geological structure of the Sącz region are tertiary tracks: sandstone, shale and marl (marl or marlstone is a calcium carbonate or lime-rich mud or mud stone which contains variable amounts of clays and silt), which at that time were uplifted and buckled. This led to the formation of nappes, (a nappe or thrust sheet is a large sheet like body of rock that has been moved more than 2 km (1.2 mi) or 5 km (3.1 mi) above a thrust fault from its original position) in Silesia.

The soils occurring in the county are typical mountainous and hilly tracks (acid and leached brown, clay and skeletal) and alluvial (alluvial river valleys). In terms of agricultural suitability, the soils have 46% class IV, 30% of class V, 12% - III, 10% - VI, and only 2% of class II.

History of Nowy Sącz

Nowy Sącz prospered in the Polish Golden Age (16th century). It was an important centre of the Protestant Reformation, local leader of the Polish Brethren, Stanislaw Farnowski, was very popular among local nobility. Good times ended in the 17th century. In 1611 a great fire destroyed much of the town, and during the Swedish invasion of Poland, the town was captured by the Swedes (late 1655), who burned and looted it. Nowy Sącz was a centre of the rebellion against the invaders. The decline of the town continued in the 18th century, when Nowy Sącz suffered more destruction during the Great Northern War and the Bar Confederation, when the castle was burned.

In 1772 (see Partitions of Poland), the town was annexed by the Habsburg Empire as part of Galicia, where it remained until November 1918. Nowy Sącz rose to a new prominence in the 19th century when the Austrian authorities built a railway connecting it with Vienna (1880s). Nowy Sącz was the seat of a county, new buildings were opened, the town was a rail hub with a large rail repair shop opened in 1876. On April 17, 1894, central part of Nowy Sącz burned in a fire, together with a town hall and ancient town records. At that time, the town is important in Hasidic Jewish history for the founding of the Sanz Hasidic dynasty during the 19th century, the precursor to the Bobov dynasty founded in nearby Bobowa (with a synagogue with occasional services by Kraków congregation) and the Klausenberg dynasty.

At the beginning of World War I, Nowy Sącz was occupied by the Russian Army. The Russians were driven back by the Central powers in December 1914. Briefly after the end of the war, it was associated with the independence movement of the Lemko (a Ukrainian related group, native to the Beskid Niski), the Lemko-Rusyn Republic. During the inter-war period Poland saw industrial expansion and the railway factory expanded. In 1936, the Museum of Sącz Land was opened in the restored Royal Castle, and in 1939 the population of Nowy Sącz was about 34,000.

During the invasion of Poland starting World War II, Nowy Sącz was occupied by Nazi Germany on 6 September 1939. Because of its proximity to Slovakia, it lay on a major route for resistance fighters of the Polish Home Army. The Gestapo was active in capturing those trying to cross the border, including the murder of several Polish pilots. In June 1940, the resistance rescued Jan Karski from a hospital there, and a year later 32 people were shot in reprisal for the escape; several others were sent to concentration camps.

The regional Jewish community numbered about 25,000 before World War II, and nearly a third of the town's population had been Jewish; ninety percent of them died or did not return. A ghetto of around 20,000 people was established near the castle, and were liquidated at Belzec extermination camp over three days in August 1942. Across the river in the Jewish Cemetery, 300-500 people were executed for their part in sheltering Jews. The Red Army fought its way into the city on 20 January 1945, and at war’s end, about 60% of the city had been destroyed. Nowy Sącz was honoured for its heroism with the Cross of Grunwald, third class in 1946. In 1947 much of the Lemko population, living in villages south east of the town, was deported in Action Vistula (mostly to land recently annexed from Germany) in reaction to the nationalist Ukrainian activity in the region.

The above history of this place is from Wikipedia.

Museums in Nowy Sącz

Polska is full of history and the Polish are great lovers of knowledge of the past so you will find many museums in the country.

Poland has a long history and has been an important trading route that has been invaded by many different groups over the past 1,000 years. Museums are a great way to explore the nations history about the inhabitants of the land in the past, their lives and customs.

Some of the museums shown below may have an article about them here on David's Travel Guides. Follow the link for the article. For the rest, if you see something you like or wish to know more about please contact the museum directly as I take the attitude that their own website will have more up to date details on what they offer than if I were to include it here.

What ever museum you run, if you wish to advertise it on Nowy Sącz Travel Guide at no cost please let have the details.

Places to Eat in Nowy Sącz

There are many restaurants covering the usual pizza to those offering local Polish traditional and regional cuisine.

What Wikipeda says about Polish Cuisine

Polish cuisine (Polish: kuchnia polska) is a style of cooking and food preparation originating from Poland. It has evolved over the centuries due to historical circumstances. Polish national cuisine shares some similarities with other Central European and Eastern European traditions as well as French and Italian similarities. It is rich in meat, especially pork, chicken and beef (depending on the region) and winter vegetables (cabbage in the dish bigos), and spices.

It is also characteristic in its use of various kinds of noodles the most notable of which are kluski as well as cereals such as kasha (from the Polish word kasza). Generally speaking, Polish cuisine is hearty and uses a lot of cream and eggs. The traditional dishes are often demanding in preparation. Many Poles allow themselves a generous amount of time to serve and enjoy their festive meals, especially Christmas eve dinner (Wigilia) or Easter breakfast which could take a number of days to prepare in their entirety.

The Polish national dishes are bigos; pierogi; kielbasa; kotlet schabowy (type of breaded cutlet); gołąbki (type of cabbage roll); zrazy (type of roulade); roast (Polish: pieczeń); sour cucumber soup (Polish: zupa ogórkowa); mushroom soup, (Polish: zupa grzybowa) (quite different from the North American cream of mushroom); tomato soup (Polish: zupa pomidorowa); rosół (variety of meat broth); żurek (sour rye soup); flaki (variety of tripe soup); and barszcz among others.

If you see something you like or wish to know more about please contact the place to eat directly as I do not take commission and I take the attitude that their own website will have more up to date details on what they offer than if I were to include it here.

If you wish to advertise your place to eat on Nowy Sącz Travel Guide please get in touch with us.

Tourist Information in Nowy Sącz

David's Travel Guides - This web site will eventually have tourist information on most of the places in Polska. Being a web site you will be able to access the information on most digital platforms, including your laptop, personal computer or a mobile phone.

Tourist organisations are welcome to contact me for details on how to display their information on Nowy Sącz Travel Guide.

PTTK - Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society is a non-profit organisation that you will find in many places in Poland.

It is one of the oldest tourist societies in Europe and was was created by the merger of two societies: Polish Tatry Society (1873) and Polish Country Lovers Society (1906).

Official Tourist Information Centres in Poland are divided into 1*, 2*, 3* and 4* Certified and Non-Certified. All Certified Tourist Centres provide information in one or more foreign languages and have an expanded range of services as compared to the Non-Certified.

Transport in Nowy Sącz

Awaiting details.

Here are some useful websites to help you find your way to this place.

Websites of Nowy Sącz

If you have a website that is an official one linked to this town, or you administer a local community or an important trade site please contact me here at Nowy Sącz Travel Guide as I may be interested in including it.