Unlike most Polish cities, Lublin (LOO-blin; pop. 400,000) survived WWII with its cobblestones intact. Its medieval Old Town is not a commercialized reconstruction like Warsaw’s, but a more romantic and crumbling reality.
Transportation And Practical Information. Trains (☎94 36) run from pl. Dworcowy 1 to Kraków (4hr., 2 per day, 49zl), Warsaw (3hr., 10 per day, 34zl), and Wroclaw (9hr., 2 per day, 54zl). From the train station, take bus #1 to Stare Miasto (stop Khromelna) and the bus station. The tourist office, ul. Jezuica 1/3, near the Kraków Gate, has an English-speaking staff. (☎081 532 4412; infotur@loit.lublin.pl. Open M-F 9am-6pm, Sa 10am-4pm.)
Accommodations And Food. From Stare Miasto’s ul. Grodzka, walk through the gate at the end of the street and go down the flight of stairs on your right to reach Domu Rekolekcyjnym , ul. Dlugosza 6, is a quiet youth hostel located in a residential area. (☎081 533 0628. Lockout 10am-5pm. Flexible curfew 10pm. 10-bed dorms 25zl, students 19zl; triples 84/69zl. Cash only.)
Lublin’s eateries cluster near ulica Krakówskie Przedmiescie; a dozen beer gardens can be found in Stare Miasto. Nalesnikarnia Zadora , Rynek 9, recalls the inside of your grandmother’s living room with its antique lamps, decorative china, and white-knit tablecloths. Peruse the menu of traditional Jewish dishes and Israeli favorites whilst the owner’s pet tabby cat slinks about your feet. (☎081 536 2020. Gefilte fish 15zl. Falafel 18zl. Kosher. Special Shabbat menu M-Th and Sa. Open M-Th and Su 10am-10pm, F-Sa 10am-midnight. MC/V.)
Sights. The hill-top Rynek (main square) of Stare Miasto (Old Town) contains many of the city’s historic sights. The 14th-century Lublin Castle (Zamek Lubelski) was used as a Gestapo jail during the Nazi occupation. The adjacent Holy Trinity Chapel has stunning Russo-Byzantine frescoes from the 15th century. (☎081 532 5001, ext. 35; www.zamek-lublin.pl. Open M-Sa 10am-5pm, Su 10am-6pm. Museum and chapel each 6.50zł, students 4.50zł; both 11zł/9zł.) Great views and seriously old art make the Archdiocesan Museum of Sacred Art (Muzeum Archidiecezjalne Sztuki Sakralnej), in the 17th-century Trinitarska Tower, worth a visit. (☎081 444 7450. Open Mar. 25-Nov. 15 daily 10am-5pm. 5zł, students 3zł.) Take eastbound bus #28 from the train station or trolley #153 or 156 from al. Raclawickie to reach Majdanek, the second largest Nazi concentration camp. The Nazis did not have time to destroy the camp as they retreated, so the disturbing original structures still stand. Visitors can walk from Lublin along Droga Męczenników Majdanka (Road of the Martyrs of Majdanek; 30min.) to Zamosc. (☎081 744 1955; www.majdanek.pl. Open Tu-Su 8am-4pm. Closed national holidays. Children under 14 not permitted. Free.)
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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