Social Programme

SYMPOSIUM DINNER (Wednesday evening)

Symposium Dinner on Thursday night, will take place about 25 km out Krakow centre, at the 'Folwark Zalesie', which is surrounded by fields, forests, and breathtaking mountain views (make sure you see: http://www.folwarkzalesie.pl/onas_eng.html) This is an ideal meeting place to relax, party with friends, or larger business gatherings, set in fifty acres of real countryside. A delightful place for country walks and short excursions by horse drawn carts (included in the dinner offer). A small outdoor museum of farming implements and curiosities from the last century, as well as exhibition of the local traditional crafts, is worth seeing. We will be warmly welcome by the Folwark's hosts in traditional Polish way (with a bread and salt), and entertained by folkloristic songs and dance, while heaving the test of the finest traditional cuisine. There will be games and activities which can be tailored to your requirements, indoor or outdoor, depending on your needs and the weather.

SYMPOSIUM EXCURSION (Thursday)

The Pieniny National Park (http://www.pieninypn.pl/) on the Northern, Polish shore of Dunajec River, and the Slovak National Natural Reserve on its southern bank, was the first area in Europe to be established as an International Landscape Park (founded in August 1932). This area has a rich treasure of historical and folk artistic heritage as well as distinctive folklore and architecture. It is also exceptional in its memorable scenery, rocky ridges and rich flora and fauna. A truly unique natural feature of the Park is the Dunajec Gorge, not one of the largest but one of the most beautiful in Europe. Rafting down the Gorge is a major tourist attraction. The trip starts at the raft wharf in Sromowce-Katy and ends in Szczawnica. There are 250 rafts in operation, each taking 10 passengers and steered by two local raftmen. A silent 2-3 hours run reveals many wonders of this undisturbed habitat and offers a chance to see many mammals and birds, including such rarities as the black stork. Two picturesque castles at Czorsztyn (ruins) and Niedzica, embedded into a mosaics of woods and fields, add to the charm of the area.