Krakow Tourism

Kraków (IPA: ['krakuf] (help·info)) or Cracow (also known by alternative names) is one of the oldest and largest cities of Poland, with a 2004 population of 780,000 (1.4 million, counting adjacent communities). The historic city is situated on the Vistula River at the foot of Wawel Hill in the Lesser Poland region. It has been the capital of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999; previously it was the capital of Kraków Voivodeship since the 14th century.

Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading scientific, cultural and artistic centres of the country. The former residence of the Polish kings and a former national capital, the city is considered by many to remain the spiritual heart of Poland due to its history of more than a thousand years. Kraków is also a major centre of local and international tourism, attracting seven million visitors per year.

Etymology

The name of Kraków is traditionally derived from the legendary ruler Krakus. The city’s name in full is Royal Capital City of Kraków (Polish: Królewskie Stołeczne Miasto Kraków). Kraków has been known in Latin as Cracovia, in French as Cracovie, and in German as Krakau.

History

Medieval

The earliest known settlement on the present site of Kraków was established on Wawel Hill, and dates back to the 4th century. Legend attributes the town’s establishment to the mythical ruler Krakus, who built it above a cave occupied by a ravenous dragon, Smok Wawelski.

Before the Polish state existed, Kraków was the capital of the tribe of Vistulans, subjugated for a short period by Great Moravia. Kraków’s first appearance in historical records dates back to the 8th century, and notes that the prince of the Vistulans was baptized there. The first mention of the city’s name dates to 966, when Abraham ben Jacob mentioned it as a notable commercial centre.

After Great Moravia was destroyed by the Hungarians, Kraków became part of the Kingdom of Bohemia. By the end of the 10th century, the city was a leading center of trade. Around that time, it was incorporated into the holdings of the Piast dynasty of Poland. Brick buildings were being constructed, including Wawel Castle, Romanesque churches, a cathedral, a basilica, and the St. Felix and Adaukt Church.

In 1038, Kraków became the seat of the Polish government. In 1079 on a hillock in nearby Skałka, the Bishop of Kraków, Saint Stanislaus of Szczepanów, was slain by the order of the Polish king Bolesław II the Bold.

Kraków was almost entirely destroyed during the Tatar invasions. It was rebuilt in 1257, in a form which was practically unaltered, and as such received city rights under Magdeburg law. In 1259 and 1287 the city was again destroyed by the Mongols. The year 1311 saw the Rebellion of wójt Albert against King Władysław I the Elbow-high, which involved mostly German-speaking citizens of Kraków. The rebellion cost Poland the city of Gdańsk, which was taken over by the Teutonic Knights, but the German-speaking minority lost their political ambitions in the process and began to Polonize.

Kraków rose to new prominence in 1364, when Casimir III of Poland founded the University of Kraków, the second university in central Europe after the University of Prague. There had already been a cathedral school under the auspices of the city’s bishop since 1150. The city continued to grow under the joint Lithuanian-Polish Jagiellon dynasty (1386-1572). As the capital of a powerful state, it became a flourishing center of science and the arts. Many works of Renaissance art and architecture were created there during that time.

Kraków was a member of the Hanseatic League, leading many craftsmen to settle there, establish businesses, and form craftsmen’s guilds. City law, including guilds’ depictions and desciptions, were recorded in the Balthasar Behem Codex; this codex is now featured at the Jagiellonian library.

In 1475 delegates of Duke George of Bavaria came to Kraków to negotiate the marriage of Jadwiga Jagiellon, the daughter of King Casimir IV Jagiellon to George. Jadwiga traveled for two months to Landshut in Bavaria, where an elaborate marriage celebration, the Landshut Wedding took place in St. Martin’s church (Landshut).

Some of Europe’s oldest synagogues were built in the adjoining Jewish quarter of Kazimierz. The most prominent of them, the Old Synagogue, now serves as a Jewish museum.

Renaissance

In 1468 the Italian humanist Filip Callimachus came to Kraków, where he worked as the teacher of the children of Casimir IV. In 1488 the imperial Poet Laureate and humanist Conrad Celtes founded the Sodalitas Litterarum Vistulana (“Literary Society at Vistula”), a learned society based on the Roman academies. In 1489 Veit Stoss of Nuremberg finished his work on the Great Altar of the St. Mary’s Church. He later also wrought a marble sarcophagus for Casimir IV. Numerous other artists, mainly from Nuremberg and Italy (Francesco Florentino, Bartholommeo Berecci, Santi Gucci, Mateo Gucci, Bernardo Morando, Giovanni Baptista di Quadro), worked in Kraków. By 1500, Johann Haller had established a printing press in the city.

In 1520, Johan Behem made the largest church bell in Poland, named the Sigismund Bell after King Sigismund I. At the same time Hans Dürer, younger brother of Albrecht Dürer, was Sigismund’s court painter. Hans von Kulmbach made the altar for the Johannis Church.

In 1572, King Sigismund II died childless, and the throne passed to Sigismund III of the Swedish House of Vasa. Kraków’s importance began to decline, accelerated by the pillaging of the city during the Swedish invasion, and an outbreak of plague that left 20,000 of the city’s residents dead. Sigismund III moved his capital to Warsaw in 1596.

After the partition of Poland

In the late 18th century, the weakened Polish state was partitioned by its more militarized and politically expansionist neighbors, Russia, the Habsburg Austria, and Prussia. Kraków became part of the Austrian province of Galicia. In 1794 Tadeusz Kościuszko initiated a revolt, the Kościuszko insurrection in Kraków’s market square. The Prussian army put down the revolt, and looted Polish royal treasure kept in the city.

When Napoleon Bonaparte of the French Empire captured what had once been Poland, he established the Duchy of Warsaw (1809) as an independent but subordinate state. The Congress of Vienna (1815) restored the partition of Poland, but gave Kraków independence as the Free City of Kraków. The city again became the focus of a struggle for national sovereignty in 1846, during the Kraków Uprising. The uprising failed to spread outside the city to other Polish-inhabited lands, and was put down, resulting in Kraków’s annexation by Austria.

After the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, Austria granted autonomy to Galicia, making Polish a language of government and establishing a provincial diet. As this form of Austrian rule was more benevolent than that exercised by Russia and Prussia, Kraków became a Polish national symbol and a center of culture and art, known frequently as the “Polish Athens” (Polskie Ateny) or “Polish Mecca” to which Poles would flock to revere the symbols and monuments of Kraków’s (and Poland’s) great past. Several important commemorations took place in Kraków during the period from 1866-1914, including the 500th Anniversary of the Battle of Grunwald in 1910, in which world-renowned pianist Ignacy Paderewski unveiled a monument. Famous painters, poets and writers of this period include Jan Matejko, Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, Jan Kasprowicz, Juliusz Kossak, Wojciech Kossak Stanisław Wyspiański, and Stanisław Przybyszewski. The latter two were leaders of Polish modernism.

20th century

Fin de siècle Kraków was famously the center of Polish nationalism and culture, but the city was also becoming a modern metropolis during this period. In 1901 the city installed running water and witnessed the introduction of its first electric streetcars. (Warsaw’s first electric streetcars came in 1907.) The most significant political and economic development of the first decade of the 20th century in Kraków was the creation of Greater Kraków (Wielki Kraków), the incorporation of the surrounding suburban communities into a single administrative unit. The incorporation was overseen by Juliusz Leo, the city’s energetic mayor from 1904 to his death in 1918. Thanks to migration from the countryside and the fruits of incorporation from 1910 to 1915, Kraków’s population doubled in just fifteen years, from approx. 91,000 to 183,000 in 1915. Russian troops besieged Kraków during the first winter of the First World War, and thousands of residents left the city for Moravia and other safer locales, generally returning in the spring and summer of 1915. During the war Polish Legions led by Józef Piłsudski set out to fight for the liberation of Poland, in alliance with Austrian and German troops. The Austro-Hungarian and German Empires lost the war, but the terms of the Treaty of Versailles (1919) established the first sovereign Polish state in over a century.Between the two World Wars Krakow was also a major Jewish cultural center, and the Zionist movement was releatively strong among the city’s Jewish population.

Poland was partitioned again in 1939, at the outset of the Second World War. The Nazi German forces entered Kraków in September of that year. It became the capital of the General Government, a colonial authority under the leadership of Hans Frank. The occupation took a heavy toll, particularly on the city’s cultural heritage. On one occasion, over 150 professors and other academics of the Jagiellonian University were summoned to a meeting, arrested and dispatched to the concentration camp at Sachsenhausen (see also Sonderaktion Krakau). Many relics and monuments of national culture were destroyed and looted. The Jewish population was first ghettoised, and later murdered. Major concentration camps near Kraków included Plaszow and the extermination camp of Auschwitz, to which many Polish Jews were sent. Specific events surrounding the Jewish ghetto in Kraków and the nearby concentration camps were famously portrayed in the film Schindler’s List, itself based on a book by Thomas Keneally entitled Schindler’s Ark.

Thanks to a military manoeuvre by advancing Soviet forces, Kraków escaped destruction during the German withdrawal and much of the historic buildings and works of art were saved. After the war, the government of the People’s Republic of Poland ordered the construction of the country’s largest steel mill in the suburb of Nowa Huta. This is regarded by some as an attempt to diminish the influence of Kraków’s intellectual and artistic heritage by industrialization of the city and by attracting to it the new working class.

The city is regarded by many to be the cultural capital of Poland. In 1978, UNESCO placed Kraków on the list of World Heritage Sites. In the same year, on October 16, 1978, Kraków’s archbishop, Karol Wojtyla, was elevated to the papacy as John Paul II, the first non-Italian pope in 455 years.

21st century

Kraków’s population has quadrupled since the end of the war. Offshoring of IT work from other nations in recent years has become important to the economy of Kraków and Poland in general. The city is the key center for this kind of business activity. There are about 20 large multinational companies in Kraków, including Google, IBM, General Electric, Motorola, and Sabre Holdings, along with British and German-based firms. [1][2]

Main sights

The old town district of Kraków (Stare Miasto) has rich historic architecture, mostly Renaissance with some examples of Baroque and Gothic. Kraków’s palaces, churches and mansions display variety of color, architectural details, stained glass, paintings, sculptures, and furnishings.

Among the most notable of the city’s hundreds of historic buildings are: the Royal Castle and Cathedral on Wawel Hill, where King John III Sobieski is buried; the medieval Old Town with its beautiful square; Market Square (200 meters on each side); dozens of old churches and museums; the 14th-century buildings of the Jagiellonian University; as well as Kazimierz, the historical centre of Kraków’s Jewish religious and social life.

The Gothic St. Mary’s Basilica (Kościół Mariacki) stands by the market place. It was built in the 14th century and features the famous wooden altar carved by Wit Stwosz. Every hour, a trumpet call, the hejnał mariacki, is sounded from the church’s main tower. There is a legend connected with this melody, which ends unexpectedly in the middle. The story goes that it was played during Tatars’ invasion in 13th century by a guard who set up to warn citizens against the attack. He was shot by a Tatar warrior while playing. Since that day the melody breaks off at the moment he died.[3]

Kraków hosts many annual artistic events, including those of international significance, such as the Festival of Short Feature Films, Biennial of Graphic Arts, and the Jewish Culture Festival (see: Culture of Kraków for a more complete list). There are several renown theatres, including:

* National Stary Theatre, a.k.a. The Old Theatre
* Juliusz Słowacki Theatre
* Bagatela Theatre
* The Ludowy Theatre, a.k.a. The People’s Theatre
* Groteska Theatre of Puppetry
* Kraków Opera
* Kraków Operetta

An ugly landmark much talked about is an incomplete and abandoned high-rise called Szkieletor.

Nearby points of interest include the royal Wieliczka salt mine, the Tatra mountains to the South, the historic city of Częstochowa, the former Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz, and Ojcowski National Park.

Kraków has 28 museums and art galleries, among them the National Museum (Kraków) and Czartoryski Museum (Muzeum Czartoryskich) featuring works by Leonardo, Raphael, and Rembrandt.

Historic districts

The oldest parts of Kraków, united in late 18th century are:

* Old Town (Stare Miasto) – the area once contained within the city walls, now encircled by a park known as Planty
* Wawel – a limestone hill south of the Old Town, the site of the Royal Castle and the cathedral
* Stradom and Kazimierz – south of Wawel; the latter was once divided into Christian and Jewish quarters
* Kleparz – north of the Old Town

Areas added in the 19th and 20th centuries include:

* Podgórze – built across the Vistula by the Austrians in the 19th century
* Nowa Huta – built east of Kraków by the Communist regime after the Second World War

Administrative districts

* I. Stare Miasto
* II. Grzegórzki
* III. Prądnik Czerwony
* IV. Prądnik Biały
* V. Łobzów
* VI. Bronowice
* VII. Bieńczyce
* VIII. Zwierzyniec
* IX. Dębniki
* X. Łagiewniki
* XI. Swoszowice
* XII. Wola Duchacka
* XIII. Prokocim-Bieżanów
* XIV. Podgórze
* XV. Czyżyny
* XVI. Mistrzejowice
* XVII. Grębałów
* XVIII. Nowa Huta

Politics

Members of Parliament (Sejm) elected from Kraków constituency:

Andrzej Adamczyk, PiS; Bogusław Bosak, PiS; Barbara Bubula, PiS; Kazimierz Chrzanowski, SLD; Jerzy Feliks Fedorowicz, PO; Marek Bolesław Kotlinowski, LPR; Jacek Krupa, PO; Ireneusz Raś, PO; Jan Maria Rokita, PO; Monika Ryniak, PiS; Tomasz Szczypiński, PO; Zbigniew Wassermann, PiS; Zbigniew Ziobro, PiS

Education

Kraków is a major centre of education. Today there are 18 university-level institutions with about 10,000 faculty and 170,000 students, and several dozen other schools of higher education. It is home to the Jagiellonian University, the first Polish university and one of the oldest and most prominent universities in Central Europe. Apart from the local population, the schools of Kraków provide education for inhabitants of the region of Southern Poland.

Among the most notable schools in Kraków are:

* Jagiellonian University
* AGH University of Science and Technology
* Kraków University of Economics [4]
* Academy of Music in Kraków
* Akademia Pedagogiczna w Krakowie [5]
* Agricultural University of Kraków (Akademia Rolnicza) [6]
* Academy of Fine Arts (Akademia Sztuk Pięknych)
* Academy for the Dramatic Arts (Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Teatralna) [7]
* The Pontifical Academy of Theology (Papieska Akademia Teologiczna) [8]
* Kraków University of Technology (Politechnika Krakowska) [9]

Culture

Kraków is considered by many to be Poland’s capital of culture.[1] The city boasts one of the best museums in the country and a number of famous theaters. It has counted among its residents two Nobel Prize winners in literature: (Wisława Szymborska and Czesław Miłosz). It is also home to one of the world’s oldest and most distinguished universities. Kraków was named a European City of Culture in 2000.

Parks

Jordan Park

The Jordan Park is situated at the Avenue of the 3rd May. It was founded in 1889 by dr Henryk Jordan and organized by Bolesław Malecki on both sides the watersides of the river Rudawa. Pavilions, swimming pools and stations were built inside the park and 46 busts of Polish poets and writers were erected (nowadays only nine remained). The park was destroyed during World War II by the Germans. Nowadays the park is smaller, only 31.5 ha and has some playing grounds, a pond, a concert place, a fitness club and some restaurants. They are regularly visited by students from the nearby dormitories.

Park Krakowski

The Park Krakowski was founded in 1885 by Stanisław Rehman with a restaurant, cafés, a zoo, a concert place, a bowling site, a swimming pool, an ice and a bicycle rink and a summer theatre. After World War I its area was reduced to 5 ha and sculptures of S. Borzęckiego, A. Hajduckiego, W. Kućmy, J. Sękowskiego and J. Sieka have been erected since 1974.

Kraków by night

One may find plenty of places to drink, eat, and have a good time in Kraków. They are situated mostly in the city’s historic Old Town district. Recently more trendy spots have been launched in the nearby Kazimierz quarter.

Notable Kraków restaurants:

* Wierzynek restaurant – The oldest Polish restaurant (1364)
* Wentzl restaurant
* Hawełka restaurant

Kraków night clubs: Kraków has a lively club scene with Friday and Saturday nights being the high point of the week. Kraków’s clubs are rather cozy and few places can seat more than 100. Some Kraków DJs enjoy local fame and those from other parts of Poland and abroad spin occasionally in the city. Live entertainment fits all tastes. Jazz remains surprisingly popular and there is no lack of places for fans of rock, modern pop, ballads, etc. Plenty of places are also available for an older audience to enjoy themselves.

source: self + wikipedia