After I got settled into my apartment in Rzeszów for the evening I headed right out to see the town. I wanted to maximize my daylight hours and cover some ground since this afternoon/evening was my window to see Rzeszów, so I actually did map out a route. Stage 1 depicted below goes from the apartment up through 3 Maja, past the Rynek miejski and on to the old and new synagogue locations.
It's a pretty town. First stretch moving along aleja Lubomirskich to 3 Maja had vibes of a smaller scale version of Warsaw's Royal Route.
(REMINDER: Click any pic for higher res version)
One of the featues of 3 Maja is the concentration of restaurants and bars which, again, I'm sure are livelier during warmer months and weekend hours. But strolling through on an April Thursday at 5pm it was relatively quiet.
But when I popped in there seemed to be some kind of special event going on. Maybe a dozen people in costumes of some sort. And the woman at the counter politely told me to beat it. In the end, probably for the best as I was able to spend more time hoofing around the city. Check out their website if you want to learn more about the cellars.
So, on to the Rynek. Nice. Good size. Plenty of dining and drinking options. Also the setting for what I understand to be the annual Carpathian Wine Fest, which wouldn't be a bad thing to check out.
(That's Tadeusz Kościuszko honored in the middle of the Rynek. Impressive individual. Check his Wikipedia page for more background if you're not familiar.)
I continued east / northeast of the Rynek toward a couple of the few remaining sites related to Rzeszów's Jewish legacy. Similar to other Polish cities, the Jewish community represented between 25-30% of the local population befoe WWII. Today most estimates put that figure at close to zero. So while you can pass by the Old Synagogue pictured below, it is not active and there is no opportunity to enter it.
(The plaque on the exterior is in memory of the ~20,000 Jews murdered during the WWII genocide)
(The sign explains -- in 5 languages -- that this is just a municipal archive now and that there are no active synagogues in Rzeszów.)
About 150m north you will find the site of the 'new' synagogue. The building is now home to Biuro Wystaw Artystycznych, an art gallery. You can find out more about the gallery on their website. After seeing the sad note about the old synagogue being a municipal archive, it was relatively uplifting to see this space filled with some positive, creative energy.
This concluded the first half of my walkabout getting to know Rzeszów. From here the idea was to check out the area near to the train station, get a closer look at the Monument to the Revolutionary Act, and essentially wander with intent to gain general knowledge and familiarity with Rzeszów. Map image below depicts the path I followed for the most part.
There is a main road running east-west along the norther part of the city. In this part of town it's called Aleja Józefa Piłsudskiego. Here you catch scenes of people in the daily routine of a medium size city. Taking the bus. Maybe running errands at the Center Park shopping center
Continuing toward the train station I checked the location of a hotel partner we work with, B&B HOTEL Rzeszów Centrum.
Not super inspiring from that angle, but if you check the pics and reviews in the google maps link, it appears to be solid. And it's tough to be more conveniently located to the Rzeszów Głowny station.
(I remember thinking when I took this pic that the building over there with the skull and crossbones must be a tattoo parlor or some other gritty-ish business near the train station. After closer inspection I see that it is Escape Room Rzeszów, which has spectacular reviews, many of which mention its family-friendliness. So, a little lesson underining the importance of taking a closer look beyond your initial impression.)
Making my way west from the train station I spotted a couple of food outlets that compelled me to take pictures. First was Bar "STS" Zapiekanki, which is not especially well reviewed. Seems like a modest joint that has been there for years, promotes itself as open 24hrs but may not be, and serves mediocre / inconsistent food. But I tell you, in that light and warmth of the setting sun, I flirted with the idea of camping out to munch on a hot dog. Even now I'm feeling a little nostalgic for the hot dog I didn't order.
Next was ChePizza!, and this shot I took more to remember the location for potential dinner plans and future reference. Looks solid.
Love the design. And I'm seeing now via the pics on its google maps listing that (a) it's pretty stunning at night, and (b) there are some signs or posters around the upper walkway that must provide some kind of historical perspective. I should have hopped up there for a spin.
We have a similar but much more modest concept here near where I live in la CDMX. It's around Plaza Mariscal Sucre. To my knowledge there is no fancy name for it and there are no posters speaking to the area's history.
Ours is purely functional and, having been up there, I guess my expectations for the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity Circular Footbridge were colored by my local experience. Lástima. Next time I'm in Rzeszów I'll make sure to get up there after sunset.
From there I continued on to see the Monument to the Revolutionary Act. I first caught sight of it on the drive into town. In researching more info about it I learned that the site has traded hands a few times and the plans for the monument and surrounding little plaza have been fluid. And you kind of get that sense when you're there. It appears to be neither abandoned nor celebrated. Just kind of, there.
Okay, saw it up close. Time to turn south and explore the western part of the city center. First landmark is Bazylika Wniebowzięcia NMP w Rzeszowie (aka, Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Rzeszów).
You might consider Grunwaldzka a secondary attraction to 3 Maja, with some more local-focused retail, like kebab shops and celluar outlets. It's a pleasant walk - mostly pedestrian, I believe - and it gets nicer as you approach Tadeusza Kosciuszki and the Rynek.
(I liked the looks of Sapori di Napoli. Has a very solid rating on Google, too. If you visit their website, translate it to English and scroll you'll find their self-description comes up as "An atmospheric place where you can have a nice time". . Sounds pretty good.
I like atmospheric places. I like having nice times. I will stop in during my next visit to Rzeszów.)
Another part of town I wanted to see was the farmer's market near Plac Balcerowicza. Thing is, I passed through around 6pm and it closes at 3pm. So this is what I saw.
Then I made a point of reconnoitering the locations of a couple hotel partners we work with in town. First was Grand Hotel Boutique, which appears to be solid and in a great spot.
(Local restaurants making sure you know that they are literally right around the corner. When I first saw them I was thinking they might be back patios / entrances to the restaurants, which might mean it's a noise consideration for guests. But nope. Just signs making sure you head over to 3 Maja. Irish Pub is literally 160m away from the hotel. And 3 Maja is the top of any list about what to do in Rzeszów. Unclear what the ROI is on those OOH boards.)
Around the corner from Grand Hotel Boutique is Hotel Metropolitan. This one seems to be connected to Browar Maunfaktura, so the restaurants and bars on 3 Maja don't bother with the billboards here.
Intelligence gathered re: the hotel locations, I made my way over to a Korean restaurant that I noticed within Google Maps. Specifically, I wanted to see Under SEOUL. Looks strong and funky. Lot of good looking food and creative decor on display in the google maps listing.
Satisfied, I turned back toward the center of town in general and my apartment in particular. Took a couple of vibe and reference shots near Under SEOUL.
And took a few more pics of the plaza around the multimedia fountain.
Rested for maybe an hour, probably answered some emails, then ventured out for a brief evening walkabout. Area around my apartment was chill.
Aimed up 3 Maja toward the Rynek. Restaurants and bars looking alluring.
When I got to the Rynek I took one of my patented orientation videos for reference. Panning a bit too quickly to be pleasant. But I'll share nonetheless.
Despite having seen a number of solid places to eat, I opted to grab something from Zabka and head back to the apartment. I'm telling you, all of this was a lot tastier than it might look. Truly, I went 3 for 3 on this Zabka run.
Even better, I got the induction stove to work, so I didn't need to microwave the Żurek.
So, what's the verdict on Rzeszów? I enjoyed it. One of those places that is maybe more of a nice, pleasant place to live than something with a ton of touristic interest. I'd say it is absolutely worth an overnight stay if you have the luxury of time. Fits nicely into the route between Lublin and either Krakow of Zakopane (my next destination). Could also be a nice base from which to explore some of the region.
