Berlitz: Kraków Pocket Guide

• Publisher: Berlitz Travel
• ISBN:
  9781780047409
• Topic: Desarrollo personal
• Subtopic: Viajes

Berlitz Pocket Guide Krakow combines snappy text with full-colour photography to highlight the very best that this surprising city has to offer. The Where To Go chapter details all the key sights that you will not want to miss; from the beauty of the historic centre (a Unesco World Heritage Site), to stunning Wawel Castle and the astounding Wieliczka Salt Mines.

The What to Do chapter explores Krakow's music and theatre scene and opportunities for shopping, whilst the Eating Out chapter investigates the local cuisine and provides a list of recommended restaurants for you to try. Top 10 Attractions and A Perfect Day itinerary give you inspiration for experiencing the very best of the most artistic and cultural city in Poland. Background information about the turbulent history of the city and the character of its people is also provided to help you really understand the culture you have come to experience. Clear and detailed maps plot all the major sights, and the Travel Tips section offers practical advice on how to get there and where to stay.

Where To Go

Most visitors to Kraków are drawn to its Old Town, one of the most beautiful in Europe and the only important historical town in Poland to escape destruction in World War II. The two other main sights, Wawel and Kazimierz, are immediately south of the Old Town, making exploration of Kraków very easy. Off the well-trodden tourist path lie any number of treasures, ranging from some of the city’s best museums to the emerging Holocaust trail in Podgórze, south of the Wisła (Vistula) River. The northeastern district of Nowa Huta provides a snapshot of Poland’s Communist past, while to the west, near the town of Oświęcim, are the former Nazi death camps at Auschwitz. Southeast of the city in Wieliczka are the extraordinary, Unesco-listed salt mines. Further afield, towns such as Tarnów and the mountain resort of Zakopane offer those with time on their hands a chance to experience the region to the full.

The grand Wawel Cathedral

iStockphoto

The Old Town: Rynek Główny

Among Poland’s impressive market squares, Kraków’s immense 200m x 200m (656ft x 656ft) Rynek Główny 1 [map] is the undisputed king. The focal point of Kraków’s wonderful Old Town (Stare Miasto), and an ideal starting point for exploring the city, the Rynek was laid out in 1257, and at the time was the largest square in Europe. Long a thriving centre of commerce, the Rynek retains this commercial bustle, while also being the city’s primary tourist magnet. It offers a host of things to see and do as well as providing a ring of outdoor cafés for sitting and watching the world go by during the summer months.

St Mary’s Basilica

Gregory Wrona/Apa Publications

St Mary’s Basilica

Of the two main sights fighting for supremacy (the other being the magnificent Cloth Hall), the twin-towered St Mary’s Basilica 2 [map] (Kościół Mariacki; Mon–Sat 11.30am–6pm, Sun 2–6pm; charge) in the square’s northeastern corner has a slight edge over its commercial cousin. The Gothic exterior dates from the 14th century, although what really makes this church one of the city’s highlights is found inside. The colour and intricacy of the triple-naved interior is breathtaking; it includes 19th-century murals by Jan Matejko, extraordinary stained glass by Stanisław Wyspiański and a massive late-Gothic altarpiece called The Lives of Our Lady and Her Son Jesus Christ, which was completed between 1477–89 by the German master carver Veit Stoss (Wit Stwosz).

The ornate interior of St Mary’s Basilica

Gregory Wrona/Apa Publications

The view from the northernmost tower (May–Aug Tue, Thur and Sat 9–11.30am and 1–5.30pm; charge) is worth the struggle up the 239 steps. Every day, on the hour, a trumpeter sounds his horn from here. The abrupt pause recalls a legendary watchman who, on sighting Tartar invaders, raised the alarm and was silenced by an arrow.

Next to St Mary’s on Plac Mariacki is St Barbara’s Church (Kościół św. Barbary). Dating from the 14th century, this was the main Polish site of worship in the city under Austrian occupation, when German was still the main language in use in the basilica next door. Just outside the entrance on the left is a 16th-century sculpture of Gethsemane, while inside the main points of interest are the 15th-century stone Pietà and the superb 18th-century painted ceiling.

Browsing the stalls in the Cloth Hall

Gregory Wrona/Apa Publications

Cloth Hall

At the centre of the Rynek is the imposing Cloth Hall 3 [map] (Sukiennice; Mon–Fri 10am–8pm, Sat–Sun 10am–6pm), which started life as a small shed for storing goods around the time the Rynek was laid out in the 13th century. The Cloth Hall’s current appearance owes most to the Italian architect Giovanni il Mosca, who in the 16th century gave it its predominantly Renaissance look. Today’s Cloth Hall is home to a ground-floor market selling folk crafts, jewellery, leather goods and souvenirs, and the superb Noworolski Café. Upstairs is the recently restored gallery of 19th-century Polish paintings (open as Sukiennice; charge), which was Poland’s first national museum and includes work by Poland’s greatest painters, such as Jan Matejko. On the ground floor of the Sukiennice, near the KrakówInfo information office, you will find the entrance to Rynek Underground (Podziemia Rynku; Wed–Sun 10am–8pm, Tue 10am–4pm, closed first Tue in the month; charge, free Mon). This archaeological exhibition opened in 2010 to show the spoils of the recent excavation and renovation of the Rynek and has several interactive displays that both children and adults will enjoy.

Midnight museums

For one night every May, many of Kraków’s museums open until midnight or later, presenting their usual exhibits in an unusual way. Highlights include the amazing Night of the Hassidim in Kazimierz’s Old Synagogue, and a wonderful chance to see the Botanical Gardens in a new light. Tickets can be bought from any KrakówInfo information office, though the queues for the popular ones may be long.

Town Hall Tower

On the other side of the building is a branch of the Kraków Historical Museum, housed inside the Town Hall Tower 4 [map] (Wieża Ratuszowa; May–Oct daily 10.30am–6pm; charge). The tower is all that remains of the 14th-century Town Hall, ravaged by fire and pulled down by the Austrians in the early 19th century. The 68m (223ft) tower is now home to a small collection of old photographs, clothing and a historic timepiece now synchronised with the atomic clock in Mainflingen. A 110-step climb takes you to a viewing platform offering an excellent panorama.

Beside the tower is a striking-looking sculpture of a hollow head, lying on its side, that local children love to climb around inside. This is Eros Bendato, the work of the German-born Polish sculptor Igor Mitoraj (1944–), who studied at Kraków’s Academy of Art. Originally a painter, Mitoraj’s sculptures are all based on the human form and most feature bandages of some description, looking at the same time like fractured contemporary visions and broken statues of antiquity. Two smaller pieces can be seen in the National Museum.

Inside a Gothic cupola in St Adalbert’s Church

Corrie Wingate/Apa Publications

Other Sights in the Rynek

The diminutive St Adalbert’s Church 5 [map] (Kościół św. Wojciecha) is to the southeast of the Cloth Hall. The earliest parts of the building date back to the 11th century, making it older than the Rynek and every other church in the city. It’s a beguiling jumble of pre-Roman, Roman, Gothic, Renaissance and baroque. Inside, just six rows of humble wooden pews are arranged on a floor that sits some 2m (6.5ft) below the surface of the surrounding market square. In the church vaults is a small archaeological exhibition (June–Sept Mon–Sat 10am–6pm, closed Sun and winter months; charge).

Immediately east of the Cloth Hall is the Adam Mickiewicz Monument 6 [map] (Pomnik Adama Mickiewicza), one of the most famous statues in Poland. Strangely enough, the country’s foremost 19th-century Romantic poet never visited Kraków and lived...