The East
Lublin is a charming medieval university city 164km (102 miles) southeast of Warsaw. Still further east on the banks of the River Labunka is Zamosc, founded at the end of the 16th century and once an important centre on the trade route linking Northern and Western Europe to the Black Sea. Its Old Town has recently been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its focal point is the Market Square; the old and new Lublin Gates indicate the city’s former role as an important regional fortress. Lublin is given a southern flavour through the many buildings designed by Bernardo Morando of Padua, and by the many Armenians and Greeks who settled here. The Bialowieza National Park, an area of primal forest straddling the border with Belarus, is the last major refuge of the European bison as well as being home to many other rare forest-dwelling species.
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