We spent the end of this year in Krakow, and we felt that we had made the right decision from the moment we arrived. After checking into our hotel room, we didn’t waste any time and immediately set off to explore the city. Our first stop was a modest, friendly little restaurant, where we ate fantastic pierogi. This filling lunch gave us just the right amount of energy to continue.
From there, we threw ourselves straight into the hustle and bustle of the downtown Christmas market. Although the crowd was huge, we didn’t mind at all, because the atmosphere captivated everyone. You could feel the excitement of the festive preparations and the anticipation of the end of the year in the air. We visited the most important sites, admired the cathedral on the main square and the huge market hall. We walked in the parks surrounding the city, and finally went up Wawel Hill. We really enjoyed every minute we spent here.
According to legend, the city was founded by Prince Krak on the banks of the Vistula River after defeating a dragon living in a cave. Kraków became an important trading center in the early Middle Ages, thanks to its favorable geographical location. At the end of the 10th century, it became part of the Polish state and soon became the seat of the rulers. Wawel Hill began to develop as the center of secular and ecclesiastical power at that time.
The golden age of the city began in the 14th century, when King Casimir the Great founded the university and granted the settlement significant privileges. Kraków became one of the cultural and scientific capitals of Europe during this period. During the reign of the Jagiellonian dynasty, the city flourished, when the dominant buildings of the main square and the Renaissance parts of the palace were built. The arts and trade flourished within the walls to an unprecedented extent.
At the beginning of the 17th century, the capital was moved to Warsaw, which brought a slow decline in the life of the city. Later, during the partition of Poland, Kraków came under Austrian rule, but it retained its cultural significance. In the 19th century, it remained one of the most important bases of Polish national consciousness and freedom aspirations. Despite the repression, the university and theaters continued to transmit domestic values.
The tragedies of the 20th century left a deep mark on the city, especially the Nazi occupation and the destruction of the Jewish community. Fortunately, the historic buildings escaped complete destruction, so the old town has been preserved almost intact for posterity. In the decades after the war, socialist industrialization tried to transform the area, but the residents preserved their civic and religious traditions. The spiritual strength of Kraków was clearly demonstrated by the fact that the future Pope John Paul II also started his journey from here.
Today, Kraków is a modern and vibrant European metropolis that proudly cherishes its rich heritage. The UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Old Town attracts millions of tourists from all over the world every year.
