Top Five Krakow
Wawel Castle
Situated in the centre of Kraków, on the edge of the Old Town, Wawel Castle and its cathedral have experienced over 1,000 years of turbulent history. The castle was the seat of Polish monarchy until the 17th century.
This glorious castle is stuffed with tapestries, Italian Renaissance furniture and Dutch paintings and houses an impressive collection of regalia, jewellery and precious weapons in its Crown Treasury & Armoury, plus Turkish and Persian tents, banners, weapons, carpets, and Chinese and Japanese ceramics can also be found in its Oriental Art permanent exhibition.Standing adjacent to the castle is the Gothic Wawel Cathedral, where most of the Polish monarchy and revered heroes have been laid to rest. The cathedral has 18 chapels filled with art treasures, the most magnificent of which is the Sigismund Chapel.
The Old Jewish Quarter & Schindler’s Factory
The old Jewish Quarter Kazimierz is unmissable place. The main points of interest here are the Old Synagogue, the Remuh Synagogue and the cemetery. Follow the Jewish trail and pay a visit to Oskar Schindler’s Factory in the Podgórze district.
During WWII, Podgorze became the site of the Jewish Ghetto for Kraków’s huge Jewish population, many Germans set up businesses in the area in an attempt to profit from the Nazi invasion of Poland. Oskar Schindler was such a man – however, he went on to save the lives of some 1,100 Jews that worked in his factory, often at great risk to his own life.
Bagels: a Polish invention
Legend has it that the Kraków bagel was a product of the 1683 Seige of Vienna. As the story goes, 17th-century Poland was the breadbasket of Europe, and King Jan Sobieski was the first king not to confirm the decree of 1496 limiting the production of white bread and obwarzanek (bagel like rolls whose name derives from a word meaning “to parboil”) to the Krakówbakers’ guild. This meant that Jews could finally bake bread within the confines of the city walls. Then, when Sobieski saved Austria from Turkish invaders, a baker made a roll in the shape of the king’s stirrup and called it a beugel (the Austrian word for stirrup).
The bakery Pan Beigel – the original bagel bakery in Kraków’s Kazimierz District – opened in 1915 but has long since closed and disappeared. Its successor, Bagelmama – owned by Nava De Kime, an American expat musician and caterer – has opened up in exactly the same location. And so the history of the bagel has come full circle: with a hole in the middle.
Krakow: Socialist City
Take an alternative tour of Kraków in a legendary East German Trabant. This quirky car was forced on half of Europe, and later used by U2 during their Achtung Baby tour. There are also vintage Polski Fiats and Soviet Ladas to choose from.
Travel back in time and visit the district of Nowa Huta, “Stalin’s gift to Kraków”, and discover a centrally-planned Socialist city, complete with steel works and tenement houses built in the Renaissance style of the Soviets. This unique district was meant to be a model communist city, but later came to be one of the centres of revolution and resistance within Poland, leading to the eventual overthrow of the Communist government. It’s a fascinating glimpse into life in pre-1989 Poland. Plonked onto Kraków by the Communist Party in an effort to stamp out the city’s Catholic/Conservative traditions, Nowa Huta had the opposite effect, with anti-Communism here being as strong as anywhere else.
The centre of the satellite town is actually rather pleasant, with its classical 1950s architecture and tree-lined streets, a sort of Communist garden suburb. The central square – Plac Centralny – is a showpiece of socialist town planning.
Learn how the average Pole lived, worked and played under Communism with CrazyGuides.com:. “Eat in a Communist-era restaurant and take a guided visit at our private museum. You’ll get a first hand taste of everyday life in Poland during the 1970s in our exclusive and unchanged genuine Communist apartment. This deluxe tour also includes the rare opportunity to eat pickled cucumbers and toast the “good ol’ days” with our close friend, and Communist relic, Mr. Vieslav. Plus we’ll even let you try your hand at driving the trusty Trabant!”
(See: www.crazyguides.com)
Cloth Hall
Lovers of amber should pay a visit to Kraków’s Old Cloth Hall, which stands in the main Market Square. Traders line the long narrow bazaar, while on the walls, emblems depict the families who have traded here since medieval times. Only these families have the authority to carry on the tradition.
Visitors are met with the bewildering choice of amber with insects trapped within, green amber, honey-golden amber, rough amber, finely polished amber, amber set in silver and gold or just held together by simple elastic thread. Rings, necklaces, braceletsor light-shades, the choice is limitless and prices just as varied. The majority is high quality, and sold much more cheaply here than in the more expensive boutiques dotted around the city, or outside Poland.
The amber stone is a symbol of Poland, and reputed to be highly beneficial to one’s health. The stone warms to body temperature and is light and comfortable to wear. But locals go beyond just wearing the stone – traditions include soaking tiny amber stones in vodka, then, after some time, rubbing the amber-infused vodka into aching joints.
Destination: Poland
