216 CENTRAL EASTERN EUROPE
Shopping & Entertainment
Poland is a great place to pick up memorable
souvenirs. These range from handicrafts to beautiful
silver and amber jewellery, and hand-embroidered
tablecloths, porcelain and ceramic items. Thick, hand-
knitted woollen sweaters and orna mented leather
slippers can be found in local markets around the
country. Vodka, the national drink, is available in
various flavours. The country has a vibrant cultural life
and there are plenty of jazz clubs, nightclubs, casinos,
theatres, opera venues, cinemas and con cert halls in all
the big cities. In summer, many smaller resorts host folk
music festivals or jousting tournaments.
MARKETS AND MALLS
The majority of Poles buy
fruit, vegetables and delica-
tessen products from markets
such as Stary Kleparz in
Cracow and Hala Targowa
in Gdańsk. Household goods
and fashionable clothes are
increasingly sold in big
shopping malls situated
just outside city centres.
Among the largest malls are
Złote Tarasy, next to Warsaw’s
central station, and Galeria
Krakowska near Cracow’s
main station.
ART AND CRAFTS
Many visitors to Poland
return home with con tem po-
rary paintings, prints and
posters, which are avail able
at very reasonable prices.
Paintings on glass, with tradi-
tional or mod ern designs, are
sold in many gal leries around
the country. Galleries in
Warsaw include Zapiecek and
Art Gallery ZPAP (Union of
Polish Artists and Designers),
while in Cracow there is
Kociol Artystyczny. The range
of folk art and handicrafts in
Poland is truly impressive and
almost every region has its
ANTIQUESIn most towns throughout
Poland, antiques and collect-
ables are sold in Desa
(auction houses) shops. In
Wrocław, Antykwariat Daes
also sells antique products.GIFTS AND SOUVENIRSSome of the best Polish
souvenirs are porcelain
and pottery products. The
most renowned make is
Ćmielów porcelain, which
is available all over the
country. Traditional cera mics
are also popular, especially
the white and navy-blue
crockery deco rated with
circles and small stylized
flowers. Bolesławiec and
Cepelia are good places to
find them. Also worth
shopping for is Poland’s high-
qual ity mod ern glass and
traditional cut glass or crystal.
A variety of designs is
available, hand-cut on
perfectly transparent glass.JEWELLERYSilver jewellery is a speciality
of Polish craftsmen. It is rela-
tively cheap and comes in a
variety of sophisticated, mod-
ern designs. Amber jewel leryNIGHTLIFEWarsaw is a major nightlife
destination with a host of
clubs off ering live music or
DJ-driven dance events.
Hybrydy has been hosting a
well-balanced mixture of gigs
and club nights for over 45
years. Cracow is bursting with
night life activity with a host of
characterful bars and clubs
grouped around the main
square. Elsewhere, Poznań’s
Przemysław Castle’s boiler
room makes for a unique jazz
venue, the Blue Note Club.
In Your Pocket guide
provides up-to-date listings
on their website.OPENING HOURS
Shops are open from 10am to
6pm Monday to Friday and
10am to 2pm on Saturdays. In
the larger cities, shops usually
close at 7pm, with most of
the department stores staying
open for an extra hour until
8pm. All shops are closed on
public holidays, with the
exception of some pharma-
cies and food shops.
FOOD AND DRINKA good souvenir from Poland
could be a jar of dried ceps
(porcini mushrooms), honey,
smoked eel or dried sausage.
The best places to buy such
items are bazaars and markets
such as Hala Mirowska near
Plac Mirowski in Warsaw,
Stary Kleparz in Cracow, Plac
Wielkopolski in Poznań or in
the market halls of Wrocław
and Gdańsk. Polish sweets
are of a high quality, and
choco lates made by the
Warsaw firm Wedel and
the Cracow firm Wawel are
particularly esteemed. Polish
liquor is inter nationally renow-
ned, espe cially the pure vodka,
which is available in a bewil-
dering array of varie ties.
Another popular spirit is
zubrówka, a vodka with an
unusual herbal flavour. Polish
mead is equally distinctive.
Made with honey according
to traditional recipes, it is the
accompaniment to dessert.THEATREPoland has over 80 theatres
scattered across its cities. In
Warsaw, the most popularown speciality. Painted
Easter eggs and Christmas
tree orna ments are distinctive
examples of folk art. All
these items, as well as hand-
woven tapes tries, embroi-
dered tablecloths and doilies
and leather goods are sold
in outlets of the Cepelia
chain found in Warsaw and
other big cities.is also extremely popular. This
is sold at a range of out lets,
but to avoid the risk of buying
a fake it is best to go to an
esta blished shop. Most Polish
amber comes from the Gulf of
Gdańsk, and the Old Town of
Gdańsk has several reli able
outlets, including M&M and
Nord Amber Gallery.