Krakow City Travel Guide Business & Tourist Travel Information
Krakow sightseeing Krakow attractions Krakow history Krakow restaurants Krakow clubs Krakow nightlife Krakow accommodation Krakow hotels Krakow weather
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Krakow History & Overview
The first documented evidence of Krakow's existence is given the records of a merchant in the 10th century. Shortly after this the its Slavs and a Polan tribe living to the northwest of Krakow formed the first Polish state. At first the capital city was Gniezno but because of various conflicts there Krakow was designated the states capital.
In the next two hundred years many Romanesque buildings were built in Krakow and some examples of this architecture survive today. In the 13th and 14th centuries the city adopted western european influences including streets laid in grid form and Gothic architecture. In 1364 the original University of Krakow was founded.
By 1596 Poland and Lithuania had become one country and Warsaw became the Polish capital. Krakow remained the centre for religion and education in Poland. In the 17th century Poland's sovereignty whittled away as its nobility tried to appease invading countries.
By 1795 Poland had been dissolved between Austria, Prussia and Russia and Krakow became part of the Austrian Hungarian Empire. Between 1815 and 1846 it was declared a 'free city' and during this time the medical city walls were taken down and the surrounding moat turned into the Planty ring garden which survives today.
20th Century Krakow
In 1918 -1919 the Treaty of Versailles gave Poland back its sovereignty and a regenerated Krakow grew fast and once against gained international fame for art and education. During WW2 Krakow like Prague was spared the fate of being razed to the ground as happened in Warsaw.
Oddly enough, many older locals believe that post war communism was more of t a threat to their life style by segregating the working and middle classes. It tried to do this by developing Nowa Huta on the outskirts of Krakow as the main industrial area and housing its workers in dozens of concrete housing blocks nearby. However the fall of communism affirmed that nothing is set in stone!
Krakow City Guide - Business & Tourist Travel Information
Sightseeing & Attractions in Krakow
This enchanting city dates back to the Middle ages when it was surrounded by a wall and protected by 55 towers. Some section of this remain today. For several hundreds of years it was the Capital of Poland and often referred to as the seat of Kings.Its very differing architecture reflects this history there is the Gothic Church - St Mary Basilica and from the Renaissance The Royal Castle (Wawel) to mention just two. It is estimated that Krakow has over 6,000 buildings of distinct architectural interest and in its Churches and Museum there are over two million artifacts. It is listed as 1 of 12 cities on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
It is a very religious city - religious shrines can be found all over the city often beautifully decorated with flowers and candles. It is profoundly proud of the fact that the Late Pope John Paul came from Krakow. Many of its cultural festivals are religiously linked - The Lajkowik and Rekanka Festivities are the celebration of religious dates. Further information and advice on visiting Krakow can be found using the National Tourist Board link and Official Krakow City Tourist Office link - both of these are at the top of this page.
Close By: Wieliczka Saltmine
Krakow is a good base for visiting the Wieliczka Saltmine which is about a 90 minute drive away. Amazingly, this clinically clean establishment has carved out its own church come cathedral hundreds of feet underground which in itself makes the long walking tour worthwhile.
Restaurants in Krakow
The centre of the city is Market Square which is the second biggest square in Europe. (St Marks in Venice is the biggest). In and around the square are dozens of cafes and good restaurants where you buy meals from 5 - 15 euro for two people. The only thing that is expensive is the Guinness where available.
Especially notable and more expensive places to eat include: The Cherubino (Tomasza 15) which offers a rare mixture of Tuscan & modern Polish Cuisine. La Fontaine (Slankowska 1) a french restaurant famous for it snails in four specialist dishes and its exceptional deserts of which the creme brulee is a joy to sample. Pod Aniolami - Home of The Angel (Grodzka 35) is a good example of the more celebrated type of Polish food - including grilled cheese made out of sheep's milk.
Crime and Personal Safety & Security In Krakow
Violent crime is rare Be aware of street crime, pick pockets and avoid walking alone late at night in badly lit streets as there have been isolated incidents of muggings in areas popular with tourists
.As credit card fraud is on the increase do not let your cards out of sight. Some tourists are approached by criminals posing as plain cloth police officers who ask for credit card detail as proof of ID.
Thieves hang about ATMs, and on public transport especially at main railway stations.Many thefts occur when you board or leave a train. There is also a high risk of theft on sleeper trains. Do not accept food or drinks from strangers as they may be spiked in order to rob you.
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Krakow's Favourite Son The Late Pope John Paul - A Saint In Waiting
Poland will always remember Pope John Paul 11. Born in Krakow in 1920 he was studying at university when the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939 who sentenced him to hard labour in a stone quarry. At night in 1942 he secretly studied to become a priest. A year after Poland's liberation and the horror of nearby Auschwitz was discovered he was ordained. In 1964 he became Arc bishop of Krakow. In 1979 he was elected Pope and he moved to Rome. As Pope, he was an enigma he will be remembered for his refusal to approve of the use of condoms in the battle against aids and his rejection of the ordination of women as priests.
Eight months after becoming the 264th Pope he returned to Poland and advised Poles that their 'future was in their own hands'. The following year he repeatedly expressed his support for the Solidarity Movement which was born shortly after that visit. The communist rule of Poland was doomed but his support of Solidarity Movement resulted in a KGB assassination attempt in 1981. He forgave his assassin. Undeterred he criticised the 'Godliness of communism and the materialism of the west' which he described as the 'entrapment of the human spirit'.
His influence in Poland and neighbouring countries is viewed as being instrumental in the fall of communism which subsequently echoed around eastern europe. Throughout his papacy he actively promoted reconciling the divisions between different cultures faiths especially between Christians, Jews and the Palestinians. Catholicism in Poland is ;a very important part of the country's culture but in Poland Pope John Paul's death is not just a spiritual loss - it is also the loss of one of their greatest national hero's.
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