I have been cooperating with many tourists from all over the world since 2009. I have been in friendly contact with many of my guests for years. Below I have chosen only a small part of the extremely nice words I received from them. Thank you :))
Maciej was my great tour guide for the Majdanek and Belzec Lagers on January 5th, 2020. He was arranged through Poland Tours. His knowledge of both Lagers was contextualized and in-depth so it never felt like it was verbatim from the Internet. The Belzec Lager Memorial was quite moving so he was kind enough not to rush things as well as giving me space when I was overcome seeing the names of the victims. The museum and memorial were very well done. It is about a two to three hour drive from Lublin but it was a pleasant trip. Plus, Orlen has some
hot dogs. Looking forward to Maciej showing me Trawniki and Sobibor when it reopens.
Shawn Olson, USA
Maciej has a wealth of knowledge about the history of Poland from Medieval times to the present. His extensive professional experience as a tourism director for the Lublin region was obvious.
His command of the English language is masterful. Maciej arranged to show us some of the important sites in Lublin Province, the home region of our two grandmothers. The historical knowledge he shared about the many World War II tragedies of the area deepened our emotional and intellectual comprehension of the events. However, our main interest was to employ Maciej’s expertise in facilitating our family reunions with long lost relatives. The combined historical background and family gatherings in the village where our relatives are from, gave us an unbelievable experience and understanding of our Polish heritage.
Over the course of two days we attended three reunion events with various branches of the family. Each of the gatherings consisted of a dozen or more relatives and lasted several hours. We couldn’t speak Polish and the two elder generations of our Polish relatives couldn’t speak English. Maciej handled the extensive translations with great ease, much humor, and sensitivity. Because of his abilities, our Polish kin as well as ourselves came to see him as another member of our family.
In addition, as our driver and guide, Maciej moved our group of six, three cousins and spouses, effortlessly through our daily schedules.
The reunions with our Polish kin were tremendously successful because of Maciej’s knowledge, expertise and guidance. We could not have done the trip without him. It was a magical experience, and we would absolutely reenlist him in any subsequent travels to Poland
Cousins: Gary Nolan, Robert Kolasa, Rosann Ferris, USA
To coincide with our fiftieth anniversary, my husband and I decided to explore my husband’s ancestry in Poland and the Ukraine.
We had never been to either place and knew little about either country.
Maciej, our guide, shared with us his vast knowledge of Lublin from its past to its present.
He pointed out terrific restaurants like Mandragori, took us to historical sites including Holy Trinity Church with its beautiful frescoes and to Hotel Ilan, originally the Lublin yeshiva, which has been returned to the Jewish community, a fascinating museum in itself.
He sent us to great artisan gift shops and galleries, too.
Maciej’s ability to understand which places would be of interest to us made the experience so special.
Following Lublin, Maciej accompanied us to the Ukraine where we visited small towns and museums and artifacts.
His humor and warmth were much appreciated in 100 degree heat!
As you can read, we consider ourselves very lucky.
You would do well to contact Maciej for a trip filled with insight, exploration and memories.
Peggy and Joe, Cambridge, MA
Maciej, I wanted to thank you for the wonderful tour you guided my dad and I on last week. I cannot tell you how wonderful it was! It absolutely exceeded my expectations. Your willingness to go above and beyond throughout the day and your kindness and flexibility were incredible. My dad has dreamed of years of traveling to Poland to see where his grandmother was from, but was unsure of where to start. Being able to see Byszów, the parish in Chobrzany, find her birth record in the archive, and meet family we didn’t know existed made for an incredibly special day. It was truly the experience of a lifetime – both for him and for me – and wouldn’t have been possible without your guidance and interpretation. Thank you for all you did! It is appreciated more than I can say.With deepest gratitude,
Marissa, USA
Dear Maciej, we highly enjoyed the trip to lublin and envirement. You are an excellent guide and a nice person. We said to each other yesterday to have become real friends. And that’s just what we are feeling. Be always welcome in Amsterdam,
Han and Frits, Netherlands
Hi Maciek! Thank you so much for an unforgettable time the past two days. We are so grateful for your help and truly had an amazing time. Did you arrive safely home last night? We hope that everything is ok. We’ll be waiting for you if you ever want to visit us in the US!! I’ll cc my dad to this email and his cell number is also +1…. Have a wonderful day,
Derek, USA
I was part of an orgenized tour of the Lublin tourist office for a group of bloggers from Israel. Maciek was our guide for 3 days in which he explained everything about the city, the Jewish part and the old middle ages period. Beside great knowledge, Maciek is warm and friendly and has a great will to assist with any request. Maciek is your guide in Poland!
Hod, hodspot.com, Israel
שלום רב.
השם שלי הוד ואני בלוגר מאתר האינטרנט הוד, נקודה.
הוזמנתי ללובלין כחלק ממשלחת בלוגרים מישראל על ידי עיריית לובלין על מנת לכתוב על העיר
מאצק היה המדריך שלנו בכל תקופת הטיול ולמשך 3 ימים בהם הסביר לנו על כל תקופת ימי הביניים, היהודים בעיר ועל לובלין כיום.
אני רוצה להמליץ לכם בחום רב על מאצק שמלבד היותו אדם בעל ידע רב הוא גם איש חם וחברותי אשר מוכן לעזור ולענות על כל שאלה.
מאצק היה תוספת נהדרת לטיול כולו ואני יותר מממליץ גם לכם להשתמש בשירותיו.
Hod, hodspot.com, Israel
Hello everyone !
I hope you’re all managing OK during this wretched Coronavirus pandemic, keep smiling, we’ll get through it and when we do, let me tell you about a fabulous Tour Operator in Eastern Poland which really is worth planning a trip with:
I had the opportunity in September 2017 of visiting Eastern Poland for the first time. Although I’d been to Poland previously, I hadn’t been to this specific region, but had wanted to make this trip for personal reasons, for a long time, to visit the Aktion Reinhard sites located in the region of Lublin, ie: Sobibor and Belzec, but Majdanek also.
After some research, I contacted INTOPOLAND a national Tour and Guide Company based in Warsaw and the Manageress, ANNA was extremely helpful and understanding in helping me to plan my itinerary. For the part of my trip taking in Eastern Poland, given that I would be based in Lublin, she arranged with the local Tour and Guide Service there, ‚ANTUR TRAVEL’ to help me and what excellent service they provided !
I was in Lublin for 3 days, staying at the Vanilla Hotel, a very good mid-range establishment with very helpful, friendly staff (hi Joanna !) near the Krakow Gate of the Old Town.
Well, the Manager himself of ‚ANTUR TRAVEL’, Mr MACIEK, personally came and picked me up from the Hotel the morning after my arrival and so began a very memorable and moving few days.
Travelling from central Lublin in his own licensed vehicle, Maciek took me first to Majdanek on the outskirts of Lublin.
Because of the nature of these sites, I wanted to avoid being herded around in a large tour group, preferring to visit privately, where I could take time, reflect, offer Prayers and make my own homage to those who perished at these places during the Shoah. And I have to say Maciek understood this very well…he is a very sensitive, intelligent Tour Manager who is able to sense the mood of his clients and knows when to offer information and guidance on the subject (of which his knowledge is enormous) but just as importantly, when to remain quiet.
We left Majdanek around mid-afternoon returning to the Old Town of Lublin where we spent until early evening on a walking tour of this area again, with Maciek offering helpful insights and detail at appropriate points, of the Jewish Community which once thrived here and the ghosts which continue to walk with us.
We spent a while at the end of the day on a short visit to a Heritage Museum within the Grodska Gate of the Old Town where Maciek is the Coordinator, contemplating the artefacts held there which spoke to us of the suffering and agony of the past.
The following day was a full day travelling: collected again by Maciek first thing and then via Wlodawa to Sobibor, I was so pleased to have Maciek as my guide, as I would have struggled to find this place by myself. Again, as with Majdanek the day before, a very thoughtful, sombre visit. A lot of work was in progress at the time for the construction of the new Museum here which is expected to open in October of this year I understand (for which I fully intend to visit again).
From here we continued South via Zamosc, enjoying small talk and discovering we share common interests in terms of sport and music and I haven’t forgotten that I need to bring the Bagpipes with me when I come back next Maciek ! We stopped for fuel and coffee before proceeding on to Belzec. The Museum here leaves nothing to the imagination and I found the whole site deeply disturbing and evocative. Again, Makiec caught my mood and accompanied me throughout, sensitively, at a respectful distance and giving me the time and space I needed to digest what happened here. For the most part, the return trip to Lublin was spent in silence as I contemplated the sites we had visited that day and the enormity of the crime committed.
So we arrived back in Lublin in the late afternoon and I was dropped back at my Hotel. I would have 1 more day exploring Lublin on my own, but this was the conclusion of my Guided Tour before returning to Warsaw.
I am very grateful to Makiec for being such a thoughtful, attentive, informative, helpful Guide, I never felt hurried, or that any request I made was of too much trouble throughout my visit, this was exactly the kind of Service I was after for what I intended to do. We exchanged contact numbers before he departed, we have kept in touch ever since and I consider him to have become a good friend.
Indeed, in September 2018, I was in Lublin again and although we didn’t have a chance for any Tours on this occasion, Maciek and I did meet up again in the Old Town for coffee and to catch up on our news.
The trip I made to Lublin and its surrounds in 2017 is still etched large in my memory and that is in no small measure down to the professionalism and friendly help of my Tour Manager in Lublin for ‚ANTUR TRAVEL’, MACIEK.
As described, I somehow think I will be heading back that way again hopefully before too long work permitting.
So anyway folks, once this infernal Coronavirus clears up and things return to normal, may I wholeheartedly recommend ‚ANTUR TRAVEL’ to you for an extremely competent, personalised Travel Guide experience of Eastern Poland and beyond (Ukraine is also on the agenda) that you’re never likely to forget.
Andy, UK
We spent with Maciej three wonderful days in Lublin, Zamosc, Kazimierz Dolny, Majdanek and the whole vicinity. Maciej is a native of Lublin, and so knowledgeable and friendly! He is a terrific guide and the most lovely person. He is really and truly recommended.
Galia and Meir Guttman
Séjournant à Lublin pendant trois jours, j’ai décidé de visiter les camps de Belzec et Sobibor.
Une rapide recherche sur internet me permet de tomber sur l’annonce de Maciej qui propose un circuit comprenant Sobibor, Belzec, Zamosc sur une journée (+/- 10 heures) correspondant à mon souhait.
Le rendez-vous a été pris facilement par courriel et Maciej est venu me chercher à mon hôtel à l’heure convenue.
Maciej est professeur de géographie dans sa ville de Lublin. Maciej s’exprime parfaitement et clairement en anglais. Il vous fera découvrir la région en donnant des informations sur la géographie, l’histoire, la culture, les coutumes locales polonaises et anciennement juives. La région visitée en bordure de la frontière ukrainienne est magnifique et vallonnée: champs, forêts, lacs. Maciej est un guide charmant, cultivé et attentif à vos moindres désirs. Il vous laisse le temps nécessaire pour les visites. Le camp de Sobibor est isolé au milieu de forêts, le camp de Belzec frappe par sa petite taille. Tout a été rasé par les Allemands pour ne pas laisser de traces de leurs crimes. Ces lieux sont calmes et inspirent au recueillement. Les villes de Chelm et Zamosc méritent plus qu’un détour. La vieille ville de Zamość inscrite au Patrimoine mondial de l’Unesco frappe par sa beauté et son architecture baroque. J’ai passé une agréable journée, instructive et riche en émotions.
Maciej peut vous préparer un circuit sur mesure au départ de Lublin en fonction de vos envies. Il s’agit d’un vrai hobby pour Maciej qui se fera une joie de vous faire découvrir sa région en partageant ses connaissances.
Je vous recommande chaleureusement ces visites.
Alexandre, Belgium
My mom and I spent an engaging and educational day with Maciej. I had previously been on a tour of Lublin that was geared towards myths and legends, so I wanted to make sure my mom’s visit would include a more history-focused tour. We also wanted someone with deep knowledge of the area who could tell us about the Jewish community before the war and tell us about my mom’s family’s village, and the Lublin tourism bureau suggested that Maciej would be a good match for our interests. He picked us up in the morning, drove us to the eastern part of the voivodeship to show us Chełm and our family’s village of Wojsławice, and then drove us back to Lublin for a tour of Stare Miasto. Maciej’s knowledge of the area’s history, and Polish/European history in general, is very extensive, and we learned a lot. We stayed in touch throughout my mom’s visit, and he was generous in answering our further questions about the region’s history. We would highly recommend him to anyone looking for a smart and energetic guide to tell you about the history of Lubelskie.
Julia, USA
Maciejさん、素敵な、そしてとても貴重な一日を提供していただき、
ありがとうございました！
私は今回初めて東欧諸国を周遊しており、かなり不安と緊張で一杯だったのですが、
同じような日本の学生や観光客の皆さん、そして特に歴史に関心がある方々には、
彼のガイドツアーを強くお勧めします。
まず、今回私はルブリン駅に集合し、マイダネク（中には入らず）→ベウジェッツ→ソビブルの順に第二次世界大戦時ナチによって建設された強制収容所及び絶滅収容所を回りました。
Maciejさんとは常に英語でコミュニケーションをとりましたが、彼の英語は早すぎず、わかりやすく、日本の大学レベルの英語力があれば十分についていけると思います。
さらに、博物館では私が資料を見るのを邪魔することなく、必要な時には展示に説明を加えてくれ、とても適切なコミュニケーションを取ってくれたので、一緒に行動することがとても心地よく感じました。私が最も感動したのは、彼が家族の戦争体験を私に共有してくれたことでした。ほかでは聞けないような話を彼はたくさん持っているので、ツアーに参加する際には沢山質問してみてください！
手作りのサンドイッチやスナック、飲み物、そして素早く連絡を返してくれるところなど、Maciejさんは私に素敵な時間を提供するためにいろいろな努力をしてくださいました。
ぜひ皆さんも参加してみてください。
Maciejさん、本当にありがとうございました！！
Aki, Japan
Other…
Antur (tel. 502/097-263; www.antur.eu) guide Maciej offers personalized tours of Lublin, as well as excursions to Majdanek and Bezec, among others.
https://www.frommers.com/destinations/lublin/organized-tours
frommers.com
I was fortunate enough to have Mr. Maciej a guide, by my side; he was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about the history of all of the sites that we passed throughout Lublin.
http://newyorkjewishtravelguide.com/2017/07/09/jewish-culture-and-heritage-in-lublin-poland/
Meyer Harroch – New York Jewish Travel Guide & New York Jewish Guide
