Krakow is the most touristy, beautiful and medieval city in Poland. For a long time it was the capital of the state, and then remained the place of the coronation of Polish kings, it has preserved many interesting historical sights.
The climate here is mild and warm and staying in the city can be uncomfortable only in the hottest summer months, in July-August. In winter, it is mild here, and the temperature is kept around freezing. It is winter and spring that are the most interesting seasons for tourists: Christmas is celebrated in Krakow, and a colorful carnival takes place in early spring. But in summer and autumn, there is always something to do here too, it is a large cultural center and something interesting always happens here.
Districts of Krakow
Administratively, Krakow is divided into 18 districts, and they, in turn, into microdistricts. Of course, tourists are primarily interested in the Stare Miasto area - the historic old town. The following parts can be distinguished in the city center:
- Wawel;
- Stare-Miasto;
- Kazimierz;
- Podguzhe;
- Klepazh;
- Vesola.
Wawel
Wawel is the heart of the Old Town, the hill on which the Cathedral of Stanislaus and Wenceslas and the Royal Castle are located. The first settlement appeared here in the XI century, and the stone fortress was built in the XIII century. Since then, it has been rebuilt several times, but this place itself was the royal residence and the spiritual center of the city, the cathedral was the burial vault of kings, and later simply many famous people (for example, the poet Adam Mickiewicz and the leader of the 1794 Polish uprising Tadeusz Kosciuszko are buried here). To date, it is a large complex of buildings: 7 fortress towers, a bastion, two gates, the royal castle itself, which now houses an exposition of the Historical Museum, have survived, several chapels, except for the Cathedral. Beneath the hill is the famous Wawel Dragon statue, which spews fire when sent by SMS to a specific number.
There are not many hotels here, but if you wish, you can stay almost opposite the castle. There are also restaurants, right in the castle walls and historical basements, for example, Restaurant at Wawel Royal Castle.
Stare Miasto
The historic city center, which has grown up around the Wawel Castle, is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Florianskaya pedestrian street connects the castle with the market square - it is the most crowded and touristy, and it is along it that the main attractions are concentrated. Many palaces and mansions of the XVI-XIX are preserved here.
It is worth paying attention to the university: the Jagiellonian University of Krakow is one of the oldest in Europe, it was founded in 1364, and one of its buildings, Collegium Mayus, has remained almost unchanged, now it houses the University Museum. In this area, the most beautiful and oldest churches: the Church of Peter and Paul in 1635, a beautiful monument of the Polish Baroque, St. Mary's Church, which has preserved the decoration of the 16th century, and others.
Nice horse-drawn carriages and tourist cars with an audio guide ride around the old town. There are interesting specialty shops here: for example, the brand store of the most famous Krakow confectionery factory Wawel, as well as the large shopping center Galeria Krakowska. But the city market on the Market Square is still considered the center of shopping - it has existed since the 13th century. Its adornment is the Renaissance cloth halls, which have been the main trading platform of the city for 400 years. It is here that the Krakow Christmas Market takes place with colorful performances.
The most interesting nightclubs of the city are located here: FRANTIC CLUB, Antycafe Klubokawiarnia Bez Widoków, Base Club, Club Fusion and others. On these streets, the music does not stop all night, so lovers of silence should choose a place farther away.
There are many historic hotels in this part of the city. The oldest is the Hotel Pod Różą (Under the Rose). An inn has existed here since the 16th century, and from the beginning of the 19th it was already a real hotel. Soon it began to be called "Russian": in the winter of 1805, returning home from Austerlitz, the Russian Emperor Alexander I stayed here. It was renamed only in 1864 after the suppression of the Polish uprising. Hotel Wentzl is located on the market square in a 15th century building. Its restaurant is considered the best in Krakow since the 18th century. The only drawbacks of hotels in historic buildings may be small rooms and problems with parking - there are few parking lots in the old part of the city.
Kazimierz
Initially, Kazimierz was a separate city, the eastern part of which was occupied by a Jewish settlement - one of the largest in Poland, it was separated by a wall from the Christian city. After Krakow expanded and absorbed this territory, the neighborhoods were still Jewish.
The Krakow Jewish Museum is one of the largest and most interesting in the world, a branch of the Historical Museum of Krakow. It is located in the building of the 15th century Old Synagogue, destroyed by the Nazis and rebuilt in 1959. There is another synagogue nearby, dating back to the 16th century. It was also badly damaged during the war, was rebuilt in 1957 and is now operational. There is a cemetery adjoining it, the first burials on which date back to 1500, and the last - to the middle of the 19th century. There is a memorial plaque dedicated to the Holocaust next to the cemetery. There is a Jewish cultural center, several more old synagogues turned into exhibition halls and themed cinemas.
Kazimierz still has a large Jewish community, kosher shops and restaurants, and the Plac Nowy Flea Market.
Podgouzhe
A hilly area on the embankment opposite Kazimierz on the opposite bank of the river. It was once the poorest and most remote area of the city. Its famous landmark is the Krak Barrow, a 16-meter high barrow of the 6th century. Tradition says that this is the grave of the legendary Krak, the founder of the city, but archaeological research has not found any burials under it.
An old quarry is located next to the mound. Another corpus of memorable places of this region is connected with it. The fact is that it was in Podgórz in 1939 that the Jewish ghetto was organized. Here is the famous Schindler's factory, now turned into a museum. One of the area's squares is called the Ghetto Heroes' Square. It houses a pharmacy-museum "Under the Eagle" - the only pharmacy operating in the ghetto, whose owner Tadeusz Pankiewicz received the title of "Righteous Among the World." The famous film by S. Spielberg "Schindler's List" was filmed in this area: the remains of the scenery are preserved in the quarry near the Krak mound.
To the east of the ghetto area is the Wojciech Bednarski Park - a pleasant green area with playgrounds and bike paths. The city buildings have not survived here, but there are several villas that were once suburban. It is worth paying attention to the very beautiful neo-Gothic cathedral of St. Joseph, built at the beginning of the 20th century.
In general, this is an inexpensive residential area with urban infrastructure, very quiet and peaceful. There are no noisy discos, no crowds of tourists, hotels are mostly inexpensive, and at the same time all the sights of the city center are nearby.
Klepage
The area to the north of the historical part of the city. It starts from a building called the Barbican - a 15th century tower, the remains of a fortress that once encircled the old city, and the Krakowskie planty park, which arose on the site of a dilapidated and decayed fortress over time.
To the north of the park is the city food market Stary Kleparz. Here you can buy real Krakow homemade sausages, country cheeses, fruit vodka, freshly brewed beer and fruit. There is a small but very beautiful museum of Krakow “shops” and nativity scenes.
There are significantly fewer bars and nightclubs here than in the center, but pay attention to the Zmysly Dance Club. However, in general, this is a very quiet, calm area, with residential and administrative buildings (for example, the building of the Russian representative office is located here), playgrounds, supermarkets. And housing here is not the most expensive (although not the cheapest), so for those who value peace and comfort, and are ready to live a little further from the noisy center, this is an ideal area.
Vesola
The area east of the old town outside the park, the dough is associated with the university. Here is the Department of Anatomy of the Jagiellonian University (the former building of the anatomical museum in 1872), the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 1870 - the Church of the Jesuits, who have always been primarily engaged in educational institutions in Poland. The decoration of the temple was created at the beginning of the 20th century, and its organ is considered one of the best in Krakow.
To the east of this area lies the university botanical garden, created by the Jesuits on the basis of the manor garden of the Czartoryski family. A part of the French regular park, left over from the estate, has been preserved here. Now the garden has greenhouses, a collection of exotic plants and one of the largest collection of orchids in Europe.
The area itself is clean, quiet and very calm, there are inexpensive cafes, budget apartments for rent, so this is one of the best areas of Krakow for a long stay.
