Poland, badly ravaged in the Second World War, certainly has some sad stories to tell. Some of them are what makes it an interesting place to visit, however, and if you want to get some sense of the horror of the Holocaust then I found what was on offer around Krakow certainly did it for me. Krakow also has an incredible density of churches - you can barely walk a couple of minutes without stumbling upon yet another one.
Further south, near the Slovak border, I visited the smaller town of Zakopane. It lies in the foothills of the Polish quarter of the High Tatra mountains. The hills, accessible from a funicular railway right there in town, were populated with hordes of sellers, wanting to sell their wares to tourists, which made it less peaceful than it otherwise could be. They certainly weren't pushy though, and it was quite enjoyable to walk up there.
I wouldn't go so far as saying Poland is a place to go for the scenery - the culture, history and to some degree the architecture are much bigger attractions - but it certainly isn't all ugly either.
