Kazimierz Dolny and Zamosc, Poland

On the weekends during my first two weeks in Lublin, I made trips to two well-known towns nearby, the renaissance towns of Kazimierz Dolny and Zamosc. Both have retained to a large degree their renaissance architecture and character.
Kazimierz Dolny, which lies to the West of Lublin, is known for its well-preserved Old Town as well as its unique renaissance style Catholic church and Castle Ruins. For much of the town's history, it had a large Jewish population and this remained the case until World War II. The Nazis used the town's Jewish population about about 1,400 for forced labor before they were sent to concentration camps. The Jews of Kazimierz were famously forced to pave some of the town's streets using tombstones from the nearby Jewish cemetery. These have since been removed and used in the construction of one of Poland's Holocaust memorials. The town is famous for its medieval architecture, its castle ruins, and its uniquely constructed church.
The city of Zamosc is one of the most famous in Poland. It was built by Jan Zamoyski, a very famous Polish military leader and politician of the 16th century. The town, which was recently added to the UNESCO World Heritage list, was essentially constructed as Zamoyski's private fortress. The town was once completed surrounded by walled fortifications with several main gates and towers. The city successfully resisted half a dozen sieges and repelled both the Cossacks and the Swedes during what is known in Poland as the Deluge--a series of conflicts that occurred in the Polish-Lithuanian commonwealth during the middle of the 17th century. The city is famous for its well-preserved and restored town square, which features a large city hall as well as ornately decorated houses that were constructed by Armenians which Zamoyski had invited to live in Zamosc. We spent the afternoon touring Zamosc and although it was somewhat cloudy, we luckily avoided much of the rain.

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