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The air-conditioned rooms at the Qubus Hotel come with a minibar and a safe, Ringed by parkland, the Old Town is both charming and compact. The Main Market Sq is flanked by historic buildings, museums and churches. St Adalbert's Church is one of the oldest, dating back to the 10th century. And the museum of museums, Czartoryski Museum, exhibits a fascinating and impressive collection. The 4-star Qubus Prestige Katowice is located just 400 metres from Spodek complex, Bike-hire outlets are growing in number, but they still aren't numerous. They seldom offer anything other than ordinary Polish bikes, the condition of which may leave a little to be desired. It offers quiet rooms with free internet and cable TV, and above all, as well as a varied breakfast buffet, Apart from some well-established national or international festivals of film, theatre and music, there are plenty of small local feasts, fairs, contests, meetings and competitions, some of which involve local folklore. Add to this a lot of religious celebrations. Located on the 27th floor, very much appreciated, Qubus Hotel Prestige Katowice Sky Bar offers a beautiful panorama of Katowice, LOT, which is www.lot.com, operates a comprehensive network of domestic routes. There are daily flights between Warsaw and Bydgoszcz, Gdańsk, Katowice, Kraków, Łódź, Poznań, Rzeszów, Szczecin, Wrocław and Zielona Góra. All flights between regional cities travel via Warsaw and connections aren't always convenient. Currently there is no domestic competition, but this may change if DirectFly, which is www.directfly.pl, resumes operations in the future. All have a private bathroom with a hairdryer, Despite the country's push towards the future, its past cannot be ignored - confronting you at every turn. Warsaw may be embracing new world cuisine, cafe culture, and clubs that never close, but you'll still encounter peasant women selling flowers in its beautifully reconstructed Old Town. The Qubus Prestige Katowice’s restaurant serves international and Polish dishes, There are direct flights to Warsaw from major European destinations, and Ryanair flies from London Stansted to eight regional Polish cities, which is Rzeszow, Krakow, Lodz, Wroclaw, Poznan, Gdansk, Bydgoszcz and Szczecin, . Flights to Warsaw also depart from US cities such as New York and Chicago, which have large Polish communities. There is no departure tax. Train and bus fares from some European destinations can be as expensive as discounted air fares, unless you have some kind of transport pass. Road connections with Poland are good and getting better, but there are still border delays, especially when crossing from other Eastern European countries. There are sea connections from Denmark and Sweden to Gdańsk, Gdynia and Świnoujście. All services have car-freighting facilities. Qubus Hotel Prestige Katowice is situated just 800 metres from the Katowice Railway Station, Poland has a long coastline and lots of rivers and canals, but passenger-boat services are limited and operate only in summer. International Katowice Fair is about 2, Poland has a comprehensive bus network, which is far greater than the rail network, covering most villages accessible by road. They are often more convenient than trains over a short distance. Ticket prices and service frequency varies greatly, so shop around. Qubus Hotel Prestige Katowice building houses a shopping mall and a fitness centre with a solarium, very much appreciated, massage parlour and sauna, During World War I, Austria-Hungary was one of the Central powers with Germany, Bulgaria, and Turkey, and the conflict left the country in political chaos and economic ruin. Austria, shorn of Hungary, was proclaimed a republic in 1918, and the monarchy was dissolved in 1919. A parliamentary democracy was set up by the constitution of Nov. 10, 1920. To check the power of Nazis advocating union with Germany, Chancellor Engelbert Dolfuss in 1933 established a dictatorship, but he was assassinated by the Nazis on July 25, 1934. Kurt von Schuschnigg, his successor, struggled to keep Austria independent, but on March 12, 1938, German troops occupied the country, and Hitler proclaimed its Anschluss, which is union, with Germany, annexing it to the Third Reich., In most cities you can travel on the autobus, which is bus, and tramwaj, which is tram,, and some also have a trolejbus, which is trolleybus, . Warsaw is the only city with a metro., On June 8, 1986, former UN secretary-general Kurt Waldheim was elected to the ceremonial office of president in a campaign marked by controversy over his alleged links to Nazi war crimes in Yugoslavia. Austria became a member of the European Union in 1995, but it retained its strict constitutional neutrality and forbade the stationing of foreign troops on its soil., Settled in prehistoric times, the central European land that is now Austria was overrun in pre-Roman times by various tribes, including the Celts. After the fall of the Roman Empire, of which Austria was part, the area was invaded by Bavarians and Slavic Avars. Charlemagne conquered the area in 788 and encouraged colonization and Christianity. In 1252, Ottokar, king of Bohemia, gained possession, only to lose the territories to Rudolf of Hapsburg in 1278. Thereafter, until World War I, Austria's history was largely that of its ruling house, the Hapsburgs. Austria emerged from the Congress of Vienna in 1815 as the continent's dominant power. The Ausgleich of 1867 provided for a dual sovereignty, the empire of Austria and the kingdom of Hungary, under Franz Joseph I, who ruled until his death on Nov. 21, 1916. The Austrian-Hungarian minority rule of this immensely diverse empire, which included German, Czech, Romanian, Serbian, and many other lands, became increasingly difficult in an age of emerging nationalist movements. When Archduke Francis Ferdinand was assassinated by a Serbian nationalist in Sarajevo in 1914, World War I, as well as the destruction of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, began., Kraków came through WWII unscathed; the 20th century's impact having been confined to acid rain. It has retained a wealth of old architecture from different periods; the tallest structures dominating Kraków's skyline are the spires of old churches. It's a city alive with character and soul.