Rzeszów

• 0.6m
• 62 000
• 777 €
• 1763 h
• Rzeszów – Jasionka Airport / 10 km

Rzeszow’s economy relies on cutting edge technology, but the city retains an oldworldly, small city charm and benefits from the proximity of mountain resorts.

Much like Białystok, Rzeszów had lived a quiet life for centuries until a combination of political and economic circumstances gave it a sudden boost. The castle and the old town that you can see now were one of dozens of a similar kind in southeastern Poland. In fact many cities within a short drive from Rzeszów, such as Sandomierz and Jarosław, used to be much more important than they are today and can boast impressive historical monuments that contrast with their present significance

Rzeszów used to be just a stop on an ancient trans-continental trading route leading from German cities via Wrocław and Kraków to Lviv and further into Ukraine and towards the Black Sea. This historical route was followed with a railroad in the nineteenth century and recently with the A4 motorway, soon to span Poland from east to west and facilitate the flow of people during the Euro 2012 football championships. The city got its first boost from the railroad and experienced a period of rapid modernisation at the turn of the last century, evidenced by elegant art nouveau villas and interesting public buildings from that period.

Next, in the 1930s it was incorporated into an ambitious plan to industrialise a hitherto underdeveloped part of Poland by building the Central Industrial District (COP) there. Rzeszów and nearby towns such as Mielec and Stalowa Wola became hubs for Polish aircraft and other technology-based industries. After the Second World War Rzeszów involuntarily profited from the fact that Lviv, a large and cosmopolitan city equal in importance to Kraków, found itself on the Soviet Ukrainian side of the new eastern border. Rzeszów took on new functions, filling in for the absent metropolis and accepting increasing amounts of investment in modern industry. The controversial Revolution Monument erected at one of main intersections in the 1970s has become an icon of the new Rzeszów, along with a Chinese Wall of tower blocks built across the river from the old town.

The Lubomirski Castle sits on a bastion designed by the great Dutch baroque architect Tylman van Gameren.

There are two sides to Rzeszów now. The city maintains the charm of a small, walkable, cyclable city, with a beautiful market square (make sure to take a tour of the underground corridors and vaults), lots of greenery, clean tap water and a growing student population. On the other hand, Rzeszów is an ambitious little beast that survived the nosedive of heavy industries in post-1989 Poland.

The tall, communistera Revolution Monument is equally loved and loathed, but whether one likes it or not, it is a natural orientation point and an involuntary icon of Rzeszow.

In 2001 it founded a university, it attracts lots of foreign investment and drives the ambitious project of Aircraft Valley (Dolina Lotnicza): a cluster of companies, education facilities and research centres of European importance, with Politechnika Rzeszowska at its young heart. Overall, the high technology cluster is estimated to provide one third of all jobs in the city. It is no coincidence that in 2009 the expanded Jasionka airport started to operate direct flights to New York. Rzeszów is living, working, studying proof that the historical division between the developed Poland A and the rural Poland B is already history.

Katarzyna Kordoń & Beata Pisula

Owners of K&K Selekt, the only Polish company dealing in international consulting between Asia and Europe. Both are based in Rzeszów

Krzysztof Brodziński

Engineer working at the European Centre for Nuclear Research in Geneva (CERN) on construction of the LHC particle accelerator

Bieszczady

Those who wish to forget about daily realities and take a break among wild nature should go to the Polish foothills of Bieszczady. This is one of the wildest corners of Poland and can be reached by car, about 1.5 hours from Rzeszów. Bieszczady offers many recreational options. The Solińskie lake, with its many wild coves, is paradise for those who love watersports and fishing. Bike trails allow one to test one’s limits and endurance. For the less active, I recommend walks in the Sine Wiry reserve. Choose an unmarked trail and you may spot a bear, lynx or even a bison.

It’s also worth visiting the non-extant village of Łopienka with its old stone temple – an ancient worship site and pilgrimage destination for the region’s inhabitants.

Sunny autumn is the best time to visit the Bieszczady. Between September and October – when the noise of the high season has died down – the mountains reveal their most beautiful side. That’s when you can enjoy the multi-coloured carpet of leaves, which is the most beautiful in the highest part of Bieszczady.

My personal recommendation is the route from Wetliny through the Orłowicza mountain pass, towards Połonina Wetlińska, where you can relax in a modest PTTK (Polish Tourist and Sightseeing Society) hostel and enjoy a hot Bieszczadystyle tea with lemon.