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Flash Floods in Central Europe Impact Tourist Destinations

Muskauer Park suffered some flooding on these lovely grounds.

Flash floods have hit central Europe over the past several days, especially cities in Germany, the Czech Republic and Poland. While cleanup is under way, the floods have ravaged homes, caused evacuations and killed at at least 11 people. Several tourist attractions also were affected by the massive downpours.

Spa town Bad Muskau, which straddles the east Germany-Poland border, saw flooding in Muskauer Park, an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Luckily, no irreparable damage was done to the property's reconstructed castle, and the town saw little itself.

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Crimes / Concentration Camps / Poland Travel / Auschwitz / World War II Travel / → All Tags

Auschwitz Concentration Camp's 'Arbeit Macht Frei' Gate Is Stolen

Although a trip to the outskirts of Krakow, Poland to visit the most notorious of all Nazi concentration camps in winter is not the most ideal holiday vacation, many tourists visiting the site this week will notice something distinctly missing: the much-photographed "Arbeit Macht Frei" gate, through which you enter the compound. This is the Auschwitz I camp, and prisoners here during World War II were made to walk through the gates to the music of an orchestra; the German sign translates to "Work makes (one) free."

The sign was stolen last night from the ground of Auschwitz by a group of three thieves, believed to be neo-Nazis who might be part of the group that believes the Holocaust was exaggerated. The Times UK reports:

'It seems that a gang of perhaps three people unscrewed the sign between three o’clock and five o’clock on Friday morning,' said the spokesman for the police in southern Poland, Dariusz Nowak, 'they must have used a ladder and had a car waiting for them.' 'The camp museum directors have already stated that a replica has been made of 'Arbeit macht Frei.' The neo-Nazis could try to establish that the sign is fake – and thus, by extension, claim that much of the camp is as well.'

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Sports Travel / Airport News / Poland Travel / Ukraine Travel / → All Tags

The 2012 European Soccer Championships Will Get Their Own Airport

If you're already super-psyched about the big UEFA European Soccer Championship in 2012 in Poland and the Ukraine, we highly recommend holding off for a while on getting a jumpstart on your travel plans.

You see, if you plan it all out now, you could end up flying into Warsaw's congested Okecie airport rather than the brand-spanking-new airport they're just beginning now to build outside of Warsaw, in the town of Modlin. The $140 million dollar airport is being built specifically to ease the bottleneck of soccer fans arriving for the UEFA Championships, and will no doubt be fully kitted out in soccer regalia to get you in the spirit.

Related Stories:
· Poland To Build New Airport For 2012 European Soccer Championship [Today In The Sky]
· Sports Travel [Jaunted]

[Photo: wikipedia]

Alcohol / Poland Travel / → All Tags

Vodka Travel: Finding the #1 Drink in Poland

With a recent experience of Polish vodka still tingling our taste buds, it's no surprise we had our attention grabbed by a weekend Age article about finding the best vodka in Warsaw.

Turns out that the Polish aren't quite as fascinated with their vodka as we are, seeing it as a bit of layman's drink, but that won't stop us trying a few more. The Age reporter was lucky to sample quite a few, including:

Krupnik, a honey vodka drunk for breakfast in the mountains, as well as subrezty, a sour-sweet vodka, a cherry flavoured vodka and Siwucha, a potato vodka.

The favorite turned out to be the potato vodka, but our personal vote is for the honey vodka. And who says breakfast time is too early to start drinking? Not the Polish, obviously.

Related Stories:
· The Best Vodka in Town [The Age]
· Polish Cuisine in Melbourne: Borsch, Vodka & Tears [Jaunted]
· Poland Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: ceronne]

Low Cost Carriers / LCCs / bmibaby / Poland Travel / → All Tags

bmibaby Wants Poland Too

British-based low cost carrier bmibaby appeals to us because it's at least innovative enough to have cute cartoon characters in its advertising and a cute slogan. (It's "the airline with tiny fares.") Until now the main routes of bmibaby have been from all over the UK to western Europe, with a very heavy focus on Spanish destinations including Madrid, Malaga, Ibiza, Alicante and Barcelona.

But times are a'changing. With the rise of interest in Poland as a tourist destination, bmibaby's decided it wants a slice of this market too. Starting in February 2008, there will be a number of routes flying between various UK airports and the Polish cities of Warsaw and Gdansk. You can already book these flights, starting at £21.99 (US$45). Whether or not cutie-pie bmibaby can compete with the Polish LCC experts like Centralwings or the hot pink marvel that is Wizz Air will be a matter for next summer's season.

Related Stories:
· bmibaby To Launch New Poland Flights [Cheapflights]
· bmibaby [Official Site]
· Site Scramble: bmibaby [Jaunted]
· Low Cost Carriers coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: benallsup]

LCCs / Low Cost Carriers / Centralwings / Poland Travel / → All Tags

Centralwings Loves Kids, Discount Tickets

Following the (largely Polish-held) theory that Poland is the center of Europe, the low cost carrier Centralwings is, of course, based in Poland. The airline flies out of eight different Polish cities, though apart from flights out of Warsaw and Krakow, the destination choices are fairly limited. Coming up this winter, though, some new flights will open to Athens, Barcelona, Lyon and Manchester.

But the big news over at Centralwings is they're trying to drum up some family business and are proudly advertising that children can get a discount on tickets. Infants under two fly free, and all children aged between 2 and 16 get a 20% discount on the adult fare. It started out sounding kinda generous, but when we calculate that the 20% discount on a 19 Zloty ($7) flight is just about enough to buy a small fries, it starts to sound like a marketing trick.

Of course, if your travel arrangements are completely inflexible or you book at the last minute, you might end up with some useful savings. Tickets can go for up to 600 Zloty, and with the money you save there, you'll be able to buy a burger to go with those fries.

Related Stories:
· Site Scramble: Centralwings [Jaunted]
· Bad Jokes Are Free At Wizz Air [Jaunted]
· Centralwings [Official Site]

Tourism Boards / Poland Travel / → All Tags

Poland Tourism Board Gets Interactive

Poland's tourism board has embarked on a publicity blitz since the announcement that it will host the 2012 European Football Championships, along with Ukraine. The website includes the standard tourism board links to the country's history, travel information, regions and cities, recreation and sports, and culture and arts.

Although it's still in beta testing, the just-launched interactive travel portal proves that the Polskas are hip to this Web 2.0 trend. There, users can create personal profiles and tailor the site according to their interests and travel plans. The site has interactive maps, video content, news feeds, and regularly updated tools like exchange rates and an events calendar.

Related Stories:
·Poland Tourism Board [Official Site]
·Poland Hotels [HotelChatter]

[Photo: Perfekt]