Stretching east of the Vistula and south of the Bug River is a picturesque land of undulating loessial hills, which for centuries have provided a considerable share of Poland's agricultural produce.

The region's main city is Lublin, once an influential political centre, now known chiefly as a university town, attracting relatively few visitors despite its wealth of fine architecture, some of which dates back to the times of the Piasts and Jagiellonians. Opulent residences can also be found in Lublin's vicinity, notably the Zamojski Palace in Kozłówka, which is set in a splendid park. The specific atmosphere of the region owes much to its rich Jewish heritage. Much of that is sadly gone, but in many places you can still find centuries-old synagogues, mikvahs and cemeteries.

Lublin's charming Old Town is among the most attractive in Poland. After decades of renovation work, its long-forgotten beauty is slowly re-emerging. Most buildings are decorated with striking graffiti and no two houses look alike.

The Old Town is best entered through the Kraków Gate, which was built under Kazimierz the Great. Inside is a museum documenting the history of Lublin until 1944. You can also climb it for an attractive view of the city. The nearby Gothic watchtower is the only remnant of the old fortifications save the gate itself.

The main square is centred on the huge Old Town Hall. Originally a Gothic building completed in 1389, it was remodelled in 1781 by Domenico Merlini in the neoclassical style. The pediment features a crown and female figures with a lion and sword which are allegories of Power and Justice. Dating from 1579, the building was the seat of the Crown Tribunal, the supreme court of justice for all of Małopolska. The 18th-century interiors are often the venue for concerts, especially chamber music, while the medieval cellars underneath contain a collection of documents and other items recounting the history of the Tribunal.

Złota Street runs east off the square to the Church of St. Stanislaus the Bishop and the adjacent Dominican monastery. The Gothic church, founded in 1342 by Kazimierz the Great has been altered several times, with its main body gradually surrounded by a string of chapels. The Rococo interior contains many remarkable works of art.

The first chapel on the right as you enter the church contains a large painting that depicts the fire that ravished the city in 1719, and gives a good glimpse of Lublin as it looked in the early 18th century.

Ul. Gruella, running off the south-eastern corner of the square, takes you to pl. Katedralny, dominated by the dignified bulk of the Cathedral of SS John the Baptist and John the Evangelist. The basilica was erected for the Jesuits at the turn of the 17th century according to a design by J.M. Bernardoni. The interior is decorated with a sumptous trompe l'oeil painting by Josef Mayer, a court painter to August III. The monumental high altar was carved in the 17th century in black Lebanese pear wood. At the far end of the left aisle, next to the Tribunal Crucifix, hangs the miraculous picture of the Weeping Virgin, so called as blood-coloured tears were noticed on her face in July 1949.

The castle
Ulica Grodzka ascends north off the main square, towards the castle, founded by Kazimierz the Great. Like the entire city, it suffered substantial damage during the turbulent 17th century and fell into neglect when Poland's capital was moved to Warsaw and royal visits to Lublin became infrequent. Only a 13th-century crenellated watchtower survived and the remarkable castle chapel. Between 1824 and 1826 a neo-Gothic construction was erected on the site to be used as a prison. Today the castle is home to the Lublin Museum whose sections are devoted to the history of the region, ethnography, coins, weapons and decorative art. In the art gallery, the most famous painting is Jan Matejko's Union of Lublin.

By far the most spectacular sight within the castle is the Chapel of the Holy Trinity, whose walls are covered with extraordinary Russo-Byzantine frescoes. Commisioned by Władysław Jagiełło, they were executed by a group of artists led by Master Andrzej and completed in 1418, as the inscription says. Almost every fragment of wall, vaulting and the single pillar that supports it bears superbly painted scenes, which are divided into several themes such as the life of St. Mary and Christ, images of the Orthodox saints and God's glory.

Old Jewish cemetery
A testimony to Lublin's Jewish heritage, the old cemetery (Stary Kirkut) is one of the oldest and most valuable Jewish burial places in the country. The cemetery was used between the 15th and 19th centuries and many famous members of the local community were buried here. During World War II the Nazis destroyed most graves and carried out mass executions of Jews and Poles on the site.

Each of the handful of tombstones that survived is a masterpiece of masonry. Hassidic pilgrims flock every year to the tomb of Yaakov Yitzchak Horowitz, the charismatic "Seer of Lublin" who died in 1815.

Kozłówka
About 40 km north of Lublin, Kozłówka is a small village set in a landscape park and boasts the opulent 18th-century Zamoyski Palace. Its interiors retain the decor and original furnishings from the turn of the 20th century. Several years ago part of the residence was dedicated to an amusing museum of Socialist Realist art.

The monumental complex is entered through a neo-Baroque gate with splendid wrought-iron grating that leads to a large courtyard. Its central section is occupied by a lawn featuring a marble sundial that bears the date 1876.

The rooms are filled with period paintings, furniture, mirrors and objets d'art.

The beautiful 19-hectare park is dotted with a variety of monuments. Opposite the windows of the former bedroom of Count Adam is the plain tomb of him and his wife, mounted by a birch cross.