November 2005
Cracking Stuff
Poland's cultural capital is truly a magical place
Every city has a tale or two to tell. But Poland’s cultural capital, Cracow, is built on legends. We headed east to discover whether the Poles merely have extraordinary imaginations, or whether this really is one magical city...
Every day at noon, a trumpeter sounds out his tune from St Mary’s church tower in Cracow. But before he can finish his melody, the music stops, abruptly... It’s a haunting moment—and one that has taken place daily for the past 800 years. The ritual marks the day in 1241, when Cracow came under attack from the Tatar armies. The city trumpeter was the first to spot the enemy approach and hurriedly played his usual tune at an unusual time to warn fellow citizens. When the Tatars realized what he was trying to do, however, they fired arrows at him, one of which pierced the trumpeter’s throat, bringing an abrupt end to his tune.
This is just one of many tales that still breathe medieval life into this otherwise very 21st-century city, considered by many to be Poland’s capital of culture.
Cracow lies in the south of Poland, on the banks of the country’s longest river—the Vistula. The first written records of the city date from 9th–10th-century merchant chronicles, some years before Cracow was pronounced the capital city of the Polish kingdom, in 1038. In the 14th and 15th centuries, the city experienced significant growth, becoming one of Europe’s cultural, trading, architectural and scientific centers. Polish kings were crowned here and thousands of foreign students came to study at Cracow Academy (now called Jagiellonian University), which was founded in 1364 by King Kasimir the Great as the second university in eastern Europe (after Prague). In fact, it was at this time that many of the buildings that can still be admired in the Old Town were built, including the Cloth Hall (Sukiennice), Wawel Castle and the Jewish district Kazimierz. Credit for all these landmarks goes to the Jagiellonian dynasty, which ruled from the end of the 14th until the end of the 16th century and whose presence can still be felt throughout the city. In fact, as this dynasty declined, so too did Cracow’s splendor. In 1609, the elected Swedish king moved the capital city to Warsaw and, at the end of the 17th century, the city was captured by the Swedes. In 1795, as a result of Poland’s partition between the three powers Prussia, Austria and Russia, Cracow became part of the northern Austrian province of Galicia. Until World War I, however, it remained an important cultural axis for Poland, with the country’s first national museum and many cultural groups being established here. After the war, Poland appeared on the map of Europe once again, but in 1939 the Nazis took control of Cracow, occupying the city until the end of World War II. Only after the war was significant industrial, territorial and cultural development possible.
THE OLD TOWN
As one of Poland’s key cultural centers, Cracow’s Old Town was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978 and is still an extremely worthwhile place to visit today. Start your city tour from the distinctive Wawel Hill, which overlooks the Old Town. Here you’ll find the splendid cathedral, which is the resting place of many Polish kings and the home of the second biggest bell in Europe (Sigismund’s). The bell requires up to ten people to set it in motion and produces a deep resonant D flat chime. Wawel Hill also boasts a royal castle—take a look at the treasury and private living quarters of kings—and, another spot for legend lovers, the Dragon’s Cave. Word has it that, hundreds of years ago, trouble broke out on Wawel Hill. From nowhere, there appeared a dragon that devoured not only the cattle and sheep, but also the citizens. Many courageous knights endeavored to vanquish the beast, not only for their own personal fame and glory, but also to win half the kingdom and the hand of the ruler’s daughter. The dragon, it is said, would have swallowed all citizens if it hadn’t been for a local shoemaker, who first killed a sheep, filled it with sulphur and tar and, after stitching the sheep together again, threw it into the dragon’s cave. Having eaten the bait, the dragon felt fire burning in his insides. He went to the Vistula River to quench his raging thirst and drank so much water that he exploded and died. Today, a statue of the dragon still guards the cave, occasionally breathing fire at unsuspecting tourists.
Heading down Wawel Hill towards the town center, you’ll pass along charming streets before arriving at the Main Square with its magnificent edifices—the Cloth Hall (Sukiennice), St. Mary’s Church (Kosciol Mariacki) and the Old Town Hall. The Cloth Hall is a paradise for souvenir shoppers, as it is home to a market where the region’s top craftsmen sell their wares. The 13th-century St. Mary’s Church is a real curiosity, with its two towers of unequal height. According to yet another legend, two architect brothers were commissioned to build a church whose size was to surpass all other existing churches. They divided their work in such a way that each was supposed to erect one tower. The brothers bet as to who would complete his part first and whose tower would be most sophisticated and splendid. Such competition, however, created much sibling rivalry. Having finished his work first, the older brother ridiculed the younger one for his slowness, and in turn the younger scorned the older for the weak construction of his tower. A great quarrel broke out between them, which ended in the older brother piercing his brother’s heart with a knife. The wicked brother was sentenced to death and the murder weapon still hangs suspended on a chain in the Cloth Hall.
The Old Town is surrounded by medieval walls, which made 15th-century Cracow one of the best-fortified cities in Europe. St. Florian’s Gate, which is part of the wall, still serves as the main entrance to the Old Town and, in medieval times, led down the Royal Way (now Florianska Street) to the castle on Wawel Hill. Another part of the fortification—the mighty Barbican—was built right next to the city wall in order to scare off potential enemies. Outside the confines of the walls, be sure to visit Planty—a delightful park, where you can rest under the trees, which no doubt also have many stories to tell...
South of Wawel Hill is Cracow’s Jewish quarter—Kazimierz, which was established in 1335 by King Kasimir the Great as a haven for persecuted Jews. Originally a place of tolerance and prosperity, with fine restaurants, churches and synagogues, Kazimierz experienced many ups and downs throughout its history. The death-knell for Jewish Cracow was sounded in September 1939 with the Nazi invasion—indeed, it was here that Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List was made, documenting the destruction that took place. In the last couple of years, Kazimierz has undergone major changes, with many synagogues and tenement houses being renovated and restaurants reconstructed.
TRAVEL TIPS
To get to know Cracow and its many stories requires a long weekend, though it would be worth spending a few more days if only to sample more of the great Polish, Jewish and international food on offer in the numerous restaurants and bars, which themselves are architectural wonders. Don’t miss the traditional Polish food at Chlopskie Jadlo at Sw. Agnieszki Street 1, which has a truly astonishing interior.
If you’ve time, it’s also worth traveling slightly outside the city. Wieliczka, a small town to the south of Cracow, is home to what was Poland’s oldest salt mine and is now one of the most remarkable salt museums in eastern Europe. The notorious concentration camp Auschwitz, just 70 km southwest of Cracow, is also worth a visit. In addition, the city’s location at the foot of Poland’s highest mountain range, the Tatras, makes it a must for winter sports lovers—try a trip to the range’s capital, Zakopane.
If you are lucky enough to visit in winter, don’t miss the glittering Christmas Cribs competition. In an age-old tradition, local families build model nativity scenes and put them on display in the Main Square of the Old Town on the first Thursday in December. The best are then chosen to go on display in the city’s Historical Museum from December 4 until February 20.
