Cieszyn sits on the Olza River in southern Poland, pressed directly against the Czech border. For centuries it was one town; since the 20th century it has been split, with Polish Cieszyn on one bank and Czech Český Těšín on the other. That border story gives the place more texture than its small size suggests.
The old town is compact and easy to walk. The market square has the town hall and pastel burgher houses, while Castle Hill keeps the real symbols of Cieszyn: the Romanesque rotunda and the Piast Tower, both reminders of the medieval duchy that once ruled here.
Cieszyn is also a good museum town. The Museum of Cieszyn Silesia is one of Poland's oldest public museums, and the Museum of Typography keeps the town's printing history alive with presses and type. Add a walk across the river into Český Těšín, and Cieszyn makes a rewarding day in a part of Poland many travelers skip.