Krakow Travel Guide

by Air
There are regular flights to Krakow from main European capitals,some German and British cities,Tel-Aviw, Chicago and from Warsaw (several times a day).
The most popular airlines are Polish LOT, Lufthansa,SAS, British Airways, Iberia, EasyJet, VolareWeb, RyanAir,AerLingus.
The International Airport Balice is conveniently located on suburbs of the city.
Both cheap and regular airlines use the same terminal.
The airport is connected with the centre by shuttle train, that runs every half an hour till the last flight.
The train stop situated 500 m from the main airport hall you can reach by foot or a free bus.
There is also the local bus stop with two regular lines to the centre.

by Train
the main train station is located near the Old City of Krakow.
Very popular is overnight train both to and from Prague.There are also the direct trains to Berlin and Vienna, but with less convenient travel hours.
There is fast train connection with Warsaw - INTERCITY and Express trains departure almost every hour and the journey takes less than 3 h.
Due to some maintenance work, quite often the departure time varies, so you should always doublecheck the timetable or ask at the station ticket office.

by Coach
the road system in Poland in not well developed,lack of motorways, and the bad roads condition vote for not using the coaches between the cities, as they are slower and less comfortable than trains.
There are a lot of private minibuses used mainly for commuting.

by Car
the least popular choice,mostly because of road system [see note above] however there are car hire companies
Hertz,Avis or Budget, and with the rented car you can see a lot of beautiful Polish countryside.

by Boat
no, not really. Unfortunately the new dams made the water traffic on river Vistula impossible.
But having more time for travel you can consider the ferry boat from Scandinavian country ( Sweden,Denmark,Finland ) or one of Baltic Republics (Latvia,Lithuania,Estonia) to Polish port in Gdansk, then 7h train or air flight to Krakow.

...the Royal City

for more than 6 centuries Krakow was the residence of Polish Kings and Queens, and even when they finally moved to Warsaw,
it was the Wawel Cathedral where were held Royal Weddings and Coronations. Now the Cathedral is still the active church, but with possibility to see the tombstones of royalty and famous people,and and the tower with the famous 13 tonnes weight bell Sigismund from 1520 yet still in use.
When Poland lost independence 200 years ago the royal insignia were stolen from Treasury and destroyed (melted back to gold and silver),
but still many precious items are preserved in Royal Treasury and Armory, like 'Szczerbiec' - the coronation sword.
As there are no royal families in present country, the Wawel Castle is the big museum with several exhibitions, besides Treasury
the most impressive are the State Rooms, with preserved interiors 16-17th centuries. In the throne room you can admire 'Arras' tapestries from
the big collection ordered from Brussels by Polish King Zygmunt August between 1550-1560.

and still Krakow is

...the cultural capital of Poland

with plenty of art galleries, museums, theatres, jazz clubs, exhibitions.
There are many of places where you can try Polish soups: Red Beetroot - Barszcz, white Zurek, Bigos from sauerkraut with pork chop- 'Schabowy' , or ravioli-like Pierogi dumplings. Numerous garden cafes and restaurants, around the Market Square, allow you to sit in tranquility and just watch the people passing by.
The full list of Krakow museums is too long to present here.
Besides Wawel Castle the most important is Czartoryskich museum, with famous 'Lady with the Ermine' by Da Vinci, and other great works by Rembrandt,Peter Breughel or Lucas Cranach.
The museum exhibits also the collection of Egyptian mummies Etruscan saarcophagases, Greek and Roman art, and Polish Memorabilia.
The big collection of sciencific tools, (some of them used by Copernicus) on display in the Jagiellonian University museum in Collegium Maius
reminds us that Krakow is

...the university town

with more than 160 thousand of students , and 12 Universities Krakow is definitely the young, vivid city.
Students bring colorful noise to pubs and cafes, crowd local theatres and exhibitions, the student club 'Pod Jaszczurami' is the cradle of Polish Jazz, with more than 50 years of 'Zaduszki' Jazz Jamboree tradition.
They have to study sometimes though, and you can study almost everything in Krakow, from Fine Arts and Music Academies, through heavy industry oriented Academy of Mining and Metallurgy. To the worldwide recognized Jagiellonian University founded by the King Kazimierz in 1364.

The same king with establishing of the town Kazimierz started the tradition of Krakow as

...the Jewish Heritage Place

Since 1335 Jews settled in Kazimierz were the part of Polish folklore and tradition. Kazimierz was the refugee for the Sephardic Jews from Spain , and Askhenazy from Russia.
About two hundred years ago the town began the part of Krakow, and started to grow more rapidly bringing in 1939 the total number of 65 thousand Jews,
that was around 40% of whole Krakow's population before the WWII. The traces of Kazimierz past are in blog Kazimierz.
The new emerging district Podgorze is the place connected with Jewish Holocaust, here was the Ghetto during WWII, and still are remains of Oskar Schindlers factory where Spielberg in 1993 shoot the movie 'Schindlers List'.
Going through old Jewish streets
it is hard to remember that Krakow is also

...the city of Saints and Churches

Beloved by John Paul II, who stayed more than three decades here, the city features roughly 160 working churches and chapels,with regular mass services at least on Sundays.
On the Old Market Square inside of the churh of Saint Mary the most impressive is the gothic, wooden altar by Wit Stwosz finished in 1382.
From the vast number of local saints we want to mention St.Stanislaw and St. Queen Jadwiga buried in Wawel Cathedral, St.Stanislaw Kazimierczyk from fabulous Corpus Christi church and St.Faustyna with the new Divine Mercy Sanctuary.
The copy of Shroud from Torino is on exhibition in St.Francis of Asissi church, worth seeing also for its architecture and the interior,

made by the greatests artists from Krakow's

...the big Art Nouveau centre

At the end of 19th century Krakow still under Austrian occupation, became the important centre of 'Mloda Polska' movement
of poets, writers and painters who used to meet in cafe 'Jama Michalika' the place of first political cabaret in Poland.
The works of two most popular artists Mehoffer and Wyspianski are on exhibition in 'Nowy Gmach' National gallery. Art nouveau is present in the churches
like the Wawel cathedral,St.Mary's and the best example - church of St.Francis of Asissi with the polichromy and stained glass windows ('Creation of the World' 1906).
Among the buildings created during that period the most spectacular is secession Slowacki Theatre from 1893.

Thinking about the past, please notice that Krakow is

...NOT a communist city

and never was, in spite of continuos efforts by Communists to make it that way.
As a punishment to nasty Krakowians the new steel mill has been built - Huta imienia Lenina.
Soon around the mill the new district has been created - Nowa Huta.
It was ideal communist city with no parking space for cars ( symbol of bloody capitalism)
but miles of long promenades peole could walk in big marches to celebrate Labor Day
and other national feasts.You can still see ugly buildings from the time of creating the new order, go around the steel mill to admire the size
of one of the biggest in Europe steel production complex.
In Nowa Huta you can find the 'Ark of God' church famous for battle to protect the wooden Cross, during the time of building.
The church built due to effort of citizens and bishop Karol Wojtyla ( further Pope) has also been the cradle of 'Solidarity' movement, second to Gdansk's shipyard.

last but not least, Krakow is located

...near Auschwitz and Wieliczka

There are many of interesting places around Krakow, here are two most important, both on World Heritage List of UNESCO.
Auschwitz-Birkenau
The well known name of the Nazi camp, changed now into the Museum of Holocaust is located about 60 km from the centre of Krakow.
Wieliczka Salt Mine with 700 years of tradition gives you the possibility to see the traces of excavation work of the miners from different centuries, features also the underground lake, the active church with dozens of sculptures made in salt, and the tennis court unfortunately recently changed into the underground restaurant.

Tilll XIII Century

50 000 years ago - traces of settlements on the Wawel Hill

IX century AD - first fortress - like construction on the Wawel Hill. In the second part of the IX century Krakow became part of the Wislanie State, later on, the State lost its independence for Swietopelk. At the beginning of X century there was a slight dependence from the Czechs.

965 - first written information on Krakow that comes from Ibrahim ibn Jakub, merchant and traveller from Muslim Spain

990s - Krakow becomes part of Polish State

1000 - bishopric of Krakow was announced, in the XI century the first cathedral was built on the Wawel Hill and started the construction of the second one

1040 and later - after invasion Czechs that destroys western part of Poland Prince Kazimierz settles down in Krakow with his court - Krakow becomes the capital of Poland

1079 - Polish King Boleslao kills Krakow Bishop Stanislas (canonized in Asisi in 1253), due to the murder the King loses the throne of Poland and is obliged to escape to save his life

XIII-XIV centuries

1222 - first information on St. Mary' s Church

1240s - destruction of Krakow due to the Tartar invasions

1257 - Prince Boleslaw settles down new city of Krakow with its huge Market Square, Cloth Hall and chessboard - shape streets - of course, there are some streets and buildings that confirm the existance of Krakow before this date (e.i. St. Mary's Church, St. Adalbert's Church, Grodzka Street, Miko%u0142ajska Street), and gives to the city many privileges

end of XIII/beginning of XIV century - city walls with towers and gates

1320 - the first royal coronation in the Wawel Cathedral - Ladislas' the Short; beginning of construction of a new Cathedral

1333 - King Ladislas dies - first royal funeral in the Wawel Cathedral

1333-1370 - reign of Casimir the Great - who made build two cities - Kazimierz (1335) and Kleparz (1366) - from the end of XVIII century up till now parts of Krakow - and founded the first Polish University in 1364

1386 - the future Saint Jadwiga becomes the King of Poland, Prince Jogailla of Lithuanian origins is baptized and obtains new christian name - Ladislao, those two get married and Ladislao becomes King. This event gives birth to Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth that is going to last until 1795

XV, XVI, XVII centuries

1477 -89 - Veit Stoss works on Main Altar for Saint Mary's Church

beginning of XVI century - construction of new renessaince castle starts

1503 -05 - first renessaince masterpiece in Royal Cathedral made by Francesco Fiorentino

1517-1518 - arrival of Bartolomeo Berrecci - Italian artist with invented name who continued with works in Royal Castle, made project and built Sigismund Chapel - the best renessaince masterpiece ever known out of Italy

1520 - the bell called Sigismund made in Nurnberg by Hans Beham arrives to Royal Cathedral

1525 - Prince Albert Hohenzollern comes to Krakow to give homage to the Polish King Sigismund the Old, the event takes place on the Main Market Square

1555 - big fire, construction of the new Cloth Hall

1550s - Flemish tapestries arrive to Royal Castle

1595 - big fire in Royal Castle - this event is considered one of the reasons of the decision later taken by King Sigismund III that consisted in moving to Warsaw in 1596

1596 - beginning of construction of St Peter and Paul's Church, the first Baroque building in Poland

1655 - Swedish invasion, serious destruction of Krakow

XVIII,XIX centuries

1734 - last royal coronation in the Wawel Cathedral

1794 - insurrection organized by Kosciuszko against Russians

1795 - the third and the last partition of Poland, Prussian troops arrive to Krakow

1797 - Austrians take place over Prussians

beginning of XIX century - there was taken a decision about destroying a huge part of city walls

1815 - during Vienna Congress there was decided to create Free City of Krakow that lasted till 1846

1855 - great fire that lasts ten days and causes destruction of 160 houses, 4 churches and two convents

1866 - Joseph Dietl becomes first Krakow president and promotes the construction of acqueducts, schools, houses for poor people and orphans

1879 - inauguration of National Museum in the Cloth Hall

1893 - inauguration of Slowacki Theatre

XX century

1918 - Poland reobtains independence after more than 100 years of partitions and Krakow comes back to Poland

1939 - beginning of WWII, 6.11.1939 - Sonderaktion Krakau due to almost 200 Krakow professors were arrested

1941-43 - Ghetto in Podgorze District created for Krakow Jews

1945, January - Russian troops enter Krakow

1951 - Nowa Huta, new city created for workers is incorporated to Krakow

1978 - Krakow and Wieliczka Salt Mines enter first ever created UNESCO Heritage List, Krakow Bishop Karol Wojtyla becomes Pope JPII

2004 - Czeslaw Milosz, poet and Nobel Prize winner living in Krakow, dies

2007 - 750th anniversary of Krakow location

Karol Wojtyla - pope John Paul the Second

Mikolaj Kopernik (Copernicus) - astronomer

Jan Matejko - one of the most famous Polish painters, known for paintings of notable historical Polish political and military events.

Stanislaw Wyspianski - playwrighter, painter and poet, as well as interior and furniture designer.

Józef Mehoffer - painter

Slawomir Mrozek - writer

Czeslaw Milosz - writer, Nobel prize in literature 1980

aftet the war moved to Paris and later on to the States where from 1961 to 1978 he was a professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures at the University of California, Berkeley. After a collapse of Communist moved to Krakow, where he spend last years of his life.

Wislawa Szymborska - poet essayist and translator, Nobel prize in literature 1996
born 1923 in Kornik ,in 1931 moved with family to Krakow,where lives ever since.

Stanislaw Lem - writer

Andrzej Wajda - film director, Oscar
founder of Japanese Culture Centre in Krakow

Roman Polanski - film director, Oscar

his childhood Polanski spend in Podgórze part of Krakow, where during the WWII Nazis created the ghetto. He survived the war hidden by the catholic family. After the war moved to study in Lodz.

Oskar Schindler made famous by Steven Spierberg in 1993 'Schindler's List'.

Helena Rubinstein - Cosmetics Empress one of the world's richest women
born in Krakow in 1870, in her twenties emigrated to Australia, later on to France and finally to America.

Nigel Kennedy violinist and violist
born in Brighton, England, after marring his second wife from Poland moved to Krakow

Marek Grechuta singer

Robert Kubica the top F1 racer now in BMW Sauber team

Brian Scott The first Polish black journalist, born in Gujana, now lives in Krakow.


Kroke - the Klezmer Band from Krakow


Agnieszka Radwanska - the tennis player born and lives in Krakow