Stop #6
By far, this is one of the prettiest cities I’ve ever seen. It rivals Prague and Budapest, which are both extraordinary.
Highlights:
- Royal Wawel Castle and Cathedral – Today it is a museum housing the Crown Treasury & Armory, State Rooms, Royal and Private Apartments, Lost Wawel, and Exhibition of Oriental Art. We needed separate tickets for each of them, so we splurged and it was worth it! The State Rooms and the Private Apartments were the best part. The Cathedral was consecrated in 1364! And the original was founded in the 11th century!
- The main square is Rynek Glowny (main square) – Europe’s largest medieval town square (200m x 200m).
- Town Hall Tower – The Tower is the only remaining part of the old Kraków Town Hall (Ratusz,) demolished in 1820 as part of the city plan to open up the Main Square.
- St Mary’s Basilica – The first church was built in the 1220s. The views from the tower are a real highlight and have amazing views of the whole city.
- The Church of Saints Peter and Paul is a Roman Catholic, Polish Baroque church built between 1597–1619. It is the biggest of the historic Churches of Kraków.
- Florian’s Street is one of the main streets in the Old Town.
- On our way out of town, we visited Schindler’s factory, which housed the former enamel factory of Oskar Schindler, the Nazi who famously saved the lives of his Jewish labor force during the Holocaust.
In 2000, Kraków was named European Capital of Culture.
A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this 13th century historic center is a merchant’s town with Europe’s largest market square and numerous historical houses, palaces, and churches with their magnificent interiors. The town’s fascinating history also includes remnants of 14th century fortifications and the medieval site of Kazimierz with its ancient synagogues, Jegellonian University, and the Gothic Cathedral where the kings of Poland were buried.
