Thorn (Toruń)

Kuyavian-Pomeranian (Kujawsko-Pomorskie) is in north-central Poland, straddling the lower Vistula, with nearly 2 million residents. The voivodeship, formed in 1999, unites historic regions: Kuyavia, parts of Pomerelia, Chełmno Land, and Dobrzyń Land. Bydgoszcz is the Voivode's administrative seat; Parliament and Marshal's Office are in Toruń.The landscape includes numerous lakes like Gopło and vast forests, especially the Tuchola Forest (Bory Tucholskie). Culturally, Brick Gothic of Hanseatic towns on the Vistula and archaeological sites like Biskupin shape the region.

Marienburg (Malbork), located on the Nogat, a distributary of the Vistula, is considered Europe's largest brick building: over 30 million bricks were used across approximately 21 hectares. The Teutonic Order constructed the complex between about 1270 and 1300; from 1309, it was the Grand Master's seat. A UNESCO World Heritage site since 1997, it attracts around 500,000 visitors each year. The castle has three sections: the Upper Castle (with St. Mary's Church), the Middle Castle (Grand Master's Palace, Great Refectory), and the Outer Bailey (housing service buildings). Plan half a day for the interiors; an excursion from Danzig is easily manageable by train or car.

Greater Poland (Wielkopolska) in the west of the country is considered the cradle of Poland: Posen (Poznań) and Gnesen (Gniezno) were home to the first Piast rulers, and Kalisch (Kalisz) is known as Poland's oldest city. With approximately 29,800 km², the voivodeship is the country's second largest, and about 3.5 million people live here.The landscape is flat and characterized by the Greater Poland Lake District, with almost nine-tenths of the region draining via the Warthe. Amid fields and forests lie churches, castles, and manor houses, many of them just a short drive from Posen.

Poznań (Posen), located on the Warta River approximately halfway between Berlin and Warsaw, is Poland's fifth-largest city with around 534,000 inhabitants. On Cathedral Island, Poland's first bishopric was established in 968; opposite, a city was founded from 1253 under Magdeburg Law. A university, trade fair, and vibrant restaurant scene characterize daily life today.The city's heart is the Old Market Square (Stary Rynek) with its Renaissance Town Hall and narrow merchant houses. East of this, beyond the Warta, are Cathedral Island (Ostrów Tumski) and its cathedral, plus the small Śródka district, linked to the island by a footbridge over the Cybina. West of the Old Town, the Imperial Quarter encircles the Imperial Castle, with the Jeżyce residential district (cafés, restaurants) beyond it.Poznań can be easily explored on foot in two to three days. Those with more time can combine the city with excursions into the Greater Poland region, for example, to Gniezno (Gnesen) or Kórnik Castle.

The Pomeranian Voivodeship (Pomorskie) stretches from Gdańsk Bay to the shifting dunes of Łeba and from the Vistula Delta to the forests of Kashubia. Spanning 18,324 square kilometers, it is home to approximately 2.36 million people, its capital and largest city being Danzig (Gdańsk). The current voivodeship was established with the administrative reform in 1999. Along the coast are the Tri-City of Danzig, Sopot, and Gdingen (Gdynia), the narrow Hel Peninsula, and the seaside resort of Łeba. In the hinterland lie the Kashubian Lakes, where Kashubian is an official language in four municipalities, and in the south, Malbork Castle on the Nogat river.