The city of Krakow is the capital city of the Malopolskie (Lesser Poland or Little Poland) province in the southern region of Poland. It covers both banks of the Wisla river (or Vistula) river. Uplands region at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains. It is Poland's third largest city, with a population of 756,000 in 2007.
Kraków is one of the oldest cities in Poland, with evidence showing settlements there since 20,000 BC. Legend has it that it was built on the cave of a dragon whom the mythical King Krak had slain. However, the first official mention of the name was in 966 by a Jewish merchant from Spain, who described it as an important centre of trade in Slavonic Europe.
Through trade with the various rulers of Europe, it grew from a small settlement in 1000AD to a large wealthy city, belonging to the Vistulans. However, through the 9th and 10th centuries, it fell under the influence of the Great Moravians, then the Bohemians, before being captured by the Piast Dynasty of Poland. In 1038, Kazimierz the Restorer made Krakow the capital of Poland.
In 1241, the city was almost entirely destroyed by Tatars. It was rebuilt to a design that remains largely unchanged to the present day. However, after more successful attacks by the Mongols in the late 13th century, Kazimierz the Great set about defending the city. Walls, fortifications, and the original Wawel Castle were added. The University was also established. King Kazimierz established the district of Kazimierz for Jews to live in free from persecution. This area remained mainly Jewish for centuries until the Nazi occupation.
PLACE TO VISIT
The Old City (Stare Miasto).
The Rynek Glowny (Main Marketplace) — One of the biggest medieval squares in the world is at the heart of the Old City, currently being repaved and beautified, full of churches, restaurants, and bars.
Wawel Castle, — Ancient seat of the Polish kings and now a major museum. They have a very odd pricing structure, requiring you to pay to get in to different bits of the castle at particular times of day, but during other times these appear to be free.
Kazimierz — The former Jewish district south of Wawel. More than 40,000 Jewish residents of Krakow and surrounding areas died in the Holocaust. Now there are very few Jewish residents of Krakow, but synagogues and other signs of Jewish culture remain in Kazimierz, which was the scene of many of the events in Schindler's List.
Many of Krakow's state museums have free admission on Sunday and are closed on Monday.
Czartoryski Museum is a former townhouse of one of Poland's great families and proud owner of the famous da Vinci portrait, Lady with an Ermine.
Bunker of Modern Art (Bunkier Sztuki Wspolczesnej), — Gallery of contemporary art very near city center. There is also a book shop and nice cafe in the "bunker".
Centre of Japanese Art & Technology (Manggha-Centrum Sztuki I Techniki Japonskiej), — Houses the National Museum's Japanese artifacts, consisting mostly of the fabulous 6,500-item collection of local legend Feliks Jasienski (1861-1929) who adored Japan. It is located across the river from Wawel castle.
All over Old Town you can find campus parts of the third oldest university in the world: Jagiellonian University. You are free to enter (and leave) all buildings at your leisure (mind the students milling around every day of the week).
Theater — The main building housed the Teatr Wielki from 1833-1834, the Rozmaitości Theatre from 1836 to 1924 then the National Theatre, the Reduta Theatre from 1919 to 1924, and from 1928 to 1939 the Nowy Theatre, which staged productions of contemporary poetical drama, including those directed by Leon Schiller.
Galicja Jewish Museum — The Galicja Museum in Kazimierz houses an exhibition of photographs with explanations in Polish and English. These are recent photographs of locations around Poland associated with the Holocaust. Some are places where massacres occurred; most show old synagogues and Jewish cemeteries with comments about how respectfully (or not) these places are now preserved. The museum also has a bookstore and coffee shop and arranges coach trips to Auschwitz.
Gallery of 19th Century Art (one of several national museums/Muzeum Narodowe in Krakow) — This is one of the best collections of 19th century paintings in Poland. The collection's usual home upstairs in the Sukiennice is undergoing refurbishment until 2009. Until then, the collection is on display in the castle in the town of Niepolomice about 20km away. Minibuses go from the stop on ul. Starowislna opposite the main post office.
WHAT TO DO
Krakow, the old royal capital, is acclaimed for its many precious architectural monuments and a unique friendly atmosphere. There are many things to do:
Walk the entire Royal Way, from St. Florian's Gate, down Florianska, across the Rynek Glowny, down Grodzka to the Wawel castle.
Listen to the Hejnal Mariacki (Trumpet Signal) while sipping a coffee in the Rynek Glowny. The signal is played live every full hour and is cut suddenly in memory of a trumpeter shot and killed by a Tatar arrow in 1241.
Walk around the Planty, a large park that surrounds the entire Old Town. See the dragon breathe fire and the Dragon's Lair near the Wawel castle.
Spend an afternoon lounging and taking in the sun on the banks of the Vistula river, then take a cruise down the river.
Wake up early on Sunday and go shopping at Plac Nowy's open air market.
HOW TO REACH
By plane - Balice Airport (KRK) is the main airport, about 12km to the west of the centre. It is the second biggest airport in Poland, with frequent domestic and international charter and scheduled flights. There are several direct arrivals every day from all over Europe, including London, Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Belfast, Milan, Cologne, Berlin, Dublin, Edinburgh, Frankfurt, Rome, Vienna, and Zürich. Services also fly from Chicago and New York in the USA and there are summer flights to more destinations, including Morocco, Tunisia, and Turkey. The main flight companies operating in the airport include British Airways, LOT (the Polish national airline), Air France, Alitalia, Aerlingus, Austrian Airlines, and Lufthansa. There are also lots of budget airlines operating here, including Central Wings, easyJet, German Wings, Jet 2, Ryanair, Sterling, and SkyEurope. Alternatively, you can fly to Warsaw for a connecting flight.
By train - Dworzec Glowny PKP is the central station in Krakow, and is located just outside of the Old Town. It is connected to other cities in Poland and the rest of Europe. Every hour between 6 AM and 8 PM there is either Express (EX) or Intercity (IC) train between Krakow and Warsaw that do not stop on the way and journey takes less than 3 hours. It is by far the most convenient way of traveling between Warsaw and Krakow. Prices as following:
IC trains cost 89-95 PLN per adult, 65-72 for person under 26 years (age is enough to get a discount). First class tickets are about 25% extra to this, and offer greater leg room.
By car - Getting to Krakow is fairly easy, mainly from the East on the A4; driving from Warsaw (300 km) is more difficult as there is no highway connection between these cities yet.
By bus - There are Europe-wide coach services operating into Krakow. However, it is cheaper and much quicker to fly, providing you book at least six weeks in advance. The journey time by coach from London, for example, is around 24 hours. It's pretty uncomfortable, and not recommended for anybody other than the desperate or enviornmentally conscious.
Within Poland, coach travel is not that much cheaper than going by train. However, it is much more awkward, and not recommended for traveling between cities. During the Summer, there are often services without air conditioning. Take plenty of water.
Rail connections from the Baltic countries into Poland are non-existent, making bus travel a more serious alternative for travelers arriving from the north.
