Częstochowa

General association of Czestochowa is Jasna Góra! There is no doubt. Jasna Góra hill, basilica, a monastery and, of course, the miraculous image of the Black Madonna. The religious capital of Poland, place of worship! That is correct. It is, but could I boast of Czestochowa if that is all we can find in this city? NO!

Ladies and Gentlemen, do not worry, I will not lead you astray. I invite you to walk around the city. You leave the church strengthened and now you probably need to think about other attractions. Do not go directly to the station and quickly to your houses. Indulge yourself in an oasis of greenery which are parks of Jasna Góra. Their old thick trees, hide a number of interesting objects. Let's have a look at Astronomical Observatory, where we can observe the sky a little differently than before. Coming down to earth, feel free to visit the historic peasant farms. They were former inhabitants who worked in this land. Or maybe you want to see ethnographic exhibition, reflecting the culture and folklore from the area of Czestochowa. What? Are you surprised by the varied suggestions? What do I hear? That you will miss the train, and the next one is very late and you will not get home. Wait, wait. And what about staying for a longer time? In this city you can find an accommodation, depending on the financial capabilities and preferences. Think about it, especially since it is far from the end of the walk. But before we leave this enclave of greenery, you must enter the Museum of Iron Ore Mining. The exhibits gathered there give insight into the hard work of the miners, not just the coal mining. In front of us is a 1500-meter Virgin Mary Avenue (In Polish Aleja Najświętszej Maryi Panny)or as people say, Avenues, as it is divided into three parts. We pass characteristic Neo-Byzantine building, which is the former church of St. Cyril and Methodius, and now church dedicated to James the Apostle. In 1947, after the takeover of the church by the Catholic Church, the parish priest of that time tried to (fortunately unsuccessfully) change the external appearance of the temple. Do not worry about the Orthodox residents, they have their place of worship. It is a modern church dedicated to the Icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa on Copernicus Street, which is a symbol of ecumenism and tolerance, because here is located the Evangelical-Augsburg Church (i.e. Lutheran). In the end, it is all the Christian religion.

I do not think you are tired. I saw you sitting on the benches next to bronze memorials of: Marek Perepeczko, Halina Poświatowska or Wladyslaw Biegański, who was the respected doctor of the turn of the nineteeth and twentieth century. I do not want to bore you, but I think you have to look at the old town hall on Biegańskiego Square, which is currently the headquarter of the Municipal Museum. Speaking about the museum, there are still a couple of them to see, but how many museums can one manage to see in one day?

One minute, please. I forgot that you are going to stay there till the next day, so I suggest Factory - Museum of the Match Production on Ogrodowa Street and the Warsaw-Vienna Railway Museum, which is located in the building of the railway station Czestochowa-Stradom. Interiors show the railway history, which was changing rapidly and thanks to some informers, we would not know about it. I will not follow where you spend the evening and possibly the night. Maybe it will be a surprise, but here you can have a lot of fun. The list of interesting places is wide and attention please (!): not once should you have a document which shows that you are above 18 years old. But do not say it was me. I do not recommend anything. After all, you can go for a romantic walk along the Warta, or just come through the charming streets enjoying the atmosphere of this unique city. The last question. Was it worth to stay longer? I assume that it was a rhetorical question:-)

PS.: You say that you have booked a room in hostel on Mariacka Street 13 in Katowice, and how can you stay for the night in Czestochowa? Very simply. In the future, you should come here on your way to Upper Silesia (Częstochowa is now a Silesian province, but it belongs to the historical territory of Malopolska) or in contrary, go to Czestochowa on your way back home, treating it as the next stage of the trip to the most beautiful country in the world: that is, to Poland, which Silesia is a part of!

See you in Katowice!  

Visiting all the objects belonging to the Municipal Museum

http://www.muzeumczestochowa.pl/zwiedzanie/  

Visiting the Museum of Match Production

http://www.zapalki.pl/zwiedzanie/  

Visiting the Railway Museum

http://tpkww.onet.pl/