Kraków – The Heart of Małopolska

Kraków, situated on the Vistula River, is the cradle of Polish culture and a unique urban phenomenon; the former capital of the country, the site of royal coronations, and later the eternal resting place of Poland’s rulers. It has long attracted scholars—home to the country’s oldest university, artists—drawn by its rich cultural atmosphere, and pilgrims—visiting its sanctuaries and relics of saints.

Tourists are also drawn here by the city’s atmosphere, historic monuments, and recently, its connection to Pope John Paul II. In 1978, Kraków’s Old Town (within the Planty Park) and Kazimierz—the former Jewish district—were inscribed on the inaugural UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List.

Among the many outstanding individuals associated with Kraków are: Pope John Paul II; Nobel Prize-winning poets Czesław Miłosz and Wisława Szymborska; Tadeusz Kantor, founder of the avant-garde Cricot 2 theatre; playwright Sławomir Mrożek; Stanisław Lem, a legend of Polish science fiction; Stanisław Wyspiański—painter, poet, playwright, and designer, creator of the stained-glass windows in the Franciscan Church; and Dr. Feliks Jasiński “Manggha,” founder of the collection of Japanese art now exhibited in the Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology, established by Andrzej Wajda.

Main Market Square – the largest medieval square in Europe (200 m × 200 m), laid out during the city’s founding in 1257. From the original buildings, the Cloth Hall, Town Hall Tower, St. Mary’s and St. Adalbert’s churches, as well as the townhouses surrounding the square, have been preserved.

Royal Route – the former ceremonial path of royal processions. It runs from St. Florian’s Church, past the Barbican and preserved sections of the city walls, through the Florian Gate and Floriańska Street to the Main Market Square, then continues along Grodzka and Kanonicza Streets to the Royal Castle on Wawel Hill. Walking this route allows visitors to see the city’s most valuable churches and most interesting townhouses.

The world of historic cellars – stretches beneath the townhouses of the Old Town. In the Gothic corridors and vaulted cellar rooms, you will find numerous restaurants, clubs, theaters, and cabarets. In the area of the Main Market Square, there are over 100 such cellars – not connected to each other.

The St. Mary’s Basilica hides inside one of the largest Gothic altars in Europe. The polyptych, measuring 11 m × 13 m, was made of linden wood by Veit Stoss – an artist from Nuremberg – between 1477 and 1489. From the St. Mary’s Tower, a bugle call is played every hour. Its sounds suddenly stop: this is in memory of the legendary trumpeter who was shot by Tatars planning to conquer the city.

Sukiennice – a Gothic-Renaissance building decorated with an attic with mascarons, designed by Santi Gucci – were former cloth stalls and today are one of the most popular shopping arcades in Europe. On the upper floor, there is the 19th-century Polish Painting Gallery, and beneath the ground, the tourist route of the Market Underground stretches out.

The defensive walls that once surrounded the entire city of Kraków have survived only in fragments to this day (the longest is about 200 m). From the old fortifications, the 15th-century Barbican, the Florian Gate from 1307, the towers of Pasamoników, Stolarska, and Ciesielska, as well as the Arsenal building, have survived. You can walk along the walls, buy paintings, sculptures, and jewelry beneath them, and in the Barbican, watch knight tournaments and listen to concerts.

The Juliusz Słowacki Theatre is housed in an eclectic building constructed between 1891 and 1893, modeled after the Paris Opera. It was built according to the design of Jan Zawiejski on the site of demolished medieval hospitals. It is one of the most beautiful theater buildings in Poland.

Jagiellonian University – the oldest Polish university, founded in 1364. Among its students were Nicolaus Copernicus and Karol Wojtyła, the future Pope John Paul II. The most famous university buildings are the Gothic Collegium Maius (the oldest preserved university building) and the Neo-Gothic Collegium Novum. The Museum of the Jagiellonian University is located in the former; its most valuable exhibit is the Jagiellonian globe from around 1508, on which America was marked for the first time. Today, the university educates about 30,000 students.

Lady with an Ermine – a famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci depicting Cecilia Gallerani, the beloved of Ludovico Sforza, Duke of Milan. The painting was created on a walnut panel (54.8 × 40.3 cm) at the end of the 15th century. The painting "Lady with an Ermine" is located in the Czartoryski Princes Museum in Kraków, at 15 Pijarska Street.

Wawel Hill (228 m above sea level) houses the most valuable complex of Polish architectural and cultural monuments: the Royal Castle, the cathedral, and the archaeological and architectural reserve Wawel Lost. The Royal Castle at Wawel, rebuilt during the times of the last Jagiellonians (16th century), is famous for its Renaissance cloisters and Flemish tapestries (decorative fabrics). In the western part of the castle, there are fragments of the first Wawel temple from the early 11th century (the rotunda of Saints Felix and Adauctus). At Wawel, you can see one of the most interesting collections of Eastern art in Europe (including tents, carpets, and weapons). The Wawel Cathedral of Saints Wenceslaus and Stanislaus is the sanctuary of Poland’s patron saint – St. Stanislaus the Bishop. Polish kings were crowned here, and rulers, heroes, and national bards were buried here as well. Inside, attention is drawn to the Baroque confession of St. Stanislaus and the Renaissance Sigismund Chapel.

Kazimierz in Kraków is a district that is half Jewish, half Christian. It was once a separate town located beyond the Vistula River, founded by King Casimir the Great in 1335. Here, Christian churches of St. Catherine and Corpus Christi stand alongside the oldest synagogue in Poland, the 16th-century Old Synagogue, as well as the slightly younger Popper Synagogue (around 1620) and Remuh Synagogue (1557). Here you will also find the famous church on Skałka (see p. 24) and the Ethnographic Museum with rich collections of folk art. Today, Kazimierz is one of the most popular districts of Kraków – full of cafes, restaurants, and galleries. The Jewish Heritage Trail allows visitors to learn about the monuments and history of the Jewish community, which once played an important role in the city's life.

Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology Kraków

Kraków is home to the only institution in Poland promoting Japanese culture. The core of the Manggha Museum collection consists of works gathered by the Kyoto–Kraków Foundation of Andrzej Wajda and Krystyna Zachwatowicz-Wajda, donated to the museum in 2006 and 2007. The original, modern form of the building housing the museum is the work of the famous contemporary Japanese architect Arata Isozaki, while the initiator of the museum’s creation was the renowned Polish film director Andrzej Wajda. Despite its modern structural solutions, the building’s character refers to traditional Japanese architecture. The basis of the museum’s collection is the collection of the writer and collector Feliks Jasieński (1861–1929), donated by him to the Kraków National Museum in 1920. Jasieński, fascinated by Japanese culture, was nicknamed Manggha. The vast collection of Japanese art numbers 6,500 exhibits. Additionally, the museum runs a Japanese Language School under the patronage of the Japanese Foundation.

Kraków – serce Małopolski