Rytro community has a history dating back many centuries. The oldest written document mentioning Rytro dates from 17th April 1312. Until 1770, this land was the personal property of the Polish king and was leased to loyal individuals as a reward for special services.  At the end of 19th century Edward Lubicz Niezabitowski, professwor of Poznan University visited his father-in-law Fryderyk Schille  and wrote about  Rytro. Earl Stadnicki bought this same forest during the Great War (1917). As a professional forester he sought to replenish the forests destroyed by the Prussians. It's thanks to him that today we can enjoy the nature of Rytro. He created the Baniska Nature Reserve on his own land in 1924. There we can now admire the Carpathian Wilderness.    Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish scientific, cultural and artistic life.  Famous landmarks include the Main Market Square with St. Mary's Basilica,  the Wawel Castle,  the Zygmunt Bell at the Wawel Cathedral, and the medieval St Florian's Gate with the Barbican along the Royal Coronation Route,  the Ghetto square, Schindlers factory and the Jewish area Kazimierz. In 1978, UNESCO added Kraków's historic centre, which includes the Old Town, Kazimierz and the Wawel Castle to the list of World Heritage Sites.

The cost of this 8 day 7 night trip is £445 per person and includes Bed and Breakfast and evening meal. Our stay for the first 6 nights will be based in a modern hotel with twin bedded rooms including en-suite facilities and in some cases a TV, which is beautifully situated in the historic town of Rytro on the banks of the river Poprad. he hotel also offers BBQ facilities, Jacuzzi and a campfire area all of which we hope to make use of during our stay. Our last night will be in our hotel just outside Krakow. We plan to dine in Krakow in the evening. The trip excludes the cost of the flight, any additional hotel expenses, visas, insurance and includes all local transport, airport/internal transfer at a fixed time.  Booking deadline 31st May 2010.  

We will be walking in the  beautiful Tatra Mountains - - Carpathian Range, (Beskid Sądecki area) with a mix of low level and mountain walks, visiting the spa town of Krynica situated on the southern sunlit slopes of the magnificent Beskid Sadecki mountains that creates a specific microclimate. 

Tatra Mountains including the Carpathian Range at Beskid Sądecki  is one of the most beautiful corners of Poland and in recent years with the number of visitors exceeding 2.5 million annually, are among the most visited regions of the country.

Krynica doubles as a spa town as well as a winter tourist destination, where one can enjoy classic alpine skiing. We will aim to walk to the top of Mt Parkowa at a height of 732m. For our final day we have a walking tour of the city of Krakow taking in such sights as The Old Town as we walk through it's narrow atmospheric streets, The Main Square - the largest public square of medieval Europe, Kazimierz (The Jewish quarter) and visit the Ghetto area and Podgorse in Kraków (Cracow) which was one of the five main ghettos created by Nazi Germany during their occupation of Poland in World War II.  

Rytro in the early morning mist

Rytro looking just beautilful in the sunlight

Krakow main square

The Germans advance into Poland.  (An Outreach Europe Production) (2 minutes)