To walk down a street of the old Polish capital means breathing the air of the town that has determined Polish faith for millennia and to feel the heartbeat of Polish culture and history. Krakow, a town of many faces. Each of them a representative of a rich heritage and vivid present. A town, Poles are proud of and with a very good reason. But they are not only proud of the city and its history, but also of the contribution the vity has made to the history of Europe.
The Florien street leads straight up to the town square, the Rynek Głowny know also as Rynek Krakowski, in the very center of the old town, that’s been the heart of the city ever since 13th century forward. With its 40.000 m2 this huge space was the biggest medieval town square in whole of Europe. The central part oh the square is the »Sukiennice«, the covered market place that got its name by the textile they have been trading here in the past. Today we here all sorts of souvenir shops, galleries, and above all tourists that come here to buy a little momentum from their visit to this medieval town. The most sought after is naturally the famous Polish amber, but you should take care at purchase, to see if they have the certificate or not. The square is surrounded by marvelous buildings, such as the town hall, the church of St. Mary (famous for its tall gothic altar), and other historic buildings that transform into street cafés during the sunny days, from where you get to enjoy the beat of the city. Many Slovene visitors coming to Krakow for New Year also know the Rynek Głowny square as an excellent outdoor New Year’s Eve party place.
On the Wawel hill, just a few hundred yards from the city center is the pride of Polish royal history. The royal castle with a cathedral dominates the landscape on both banks of river Visla. King Kazimierz, also known as the rebuilder, has made the hill that has been settled since prehistoric times into the royal city in 1038, when he turned it into the center of his political power. Thus Krakow became the capital of the kingdom of Poland. During the Jagiellon dynasty the gothic castle was transformed into one of the most stunning central European castles. Although the Polish capital has moved to Warsaw in the 16rh century, the cathedral of Wawel remained the setting of royal coronation and royal burial. The building still remains a church by its function, with burial tombs underneath, where many Polish kings, heroes and poets rest eternally.
Kazimierz is one of the most interesting and best visited historic locations of Krakow. It used to be a town of its own, that Kazimierz the Great – the king of two religions – founded in the 14th century. With its town hall and walls it was competing with Krakow in regards of wealth. The king realized the Jewish population was quite wealthy and educated, thus he invited them to settle in this town. This made Kazimierz the leading Jewish center of culture from the 15th century right up to the Second World War, when some 65.000 Jews lived in Krakow – mostly in Kazimierzu that by that time became a part of the city. There were 9 Synagogues there, including the Old Synagogue dating back to the 15th century – making it the oldest Synagogue in Poland. During WWII, there was the Krakow ghetto on the other bank of Visla, from where most of the 50.000 Jews (from Krakow and nearby places) have been sent to the concentration camp Awschwitz-Birkenau. Some had help and have survived, and probably the most famous story of those survivors is the Oscar winning film by Steven Spielberg: The Schindler’s List. It is a less known fact that Roman Polanski was also among the survivors of the Krakow ghetto. In Kazimierz itself only one Synagogue remains in its original function, while seven of them have survived. The Old Synagogue for instance has been turned into a museum. There are some 1000 Jews remaining in Krakow, but due to the anti-Semite pressures (also under Communism) most of them hide their heritage, but the situation is turning for the better and many Jews are returning to Kazimierz in search for their roots. A festival of Jewish culture, held in June and July for the past 18 years, is greatly contributing to this. It’s the biggest festival of Jewish culture in the world, where authentic interpreters of Jewish culture present their skills. Interesting enough, all the organizers of this event are of non-Jewish heritage. Every year the programme of concerts, theatre shows, culinary workshops, Jewish singing workshops… attract thousands of visitors who wish to sample some of the Jewish culture. This is a successful attempt of Polish organizers to cope with the phantom pain, which occurs if a person looses a limb, yet still feels its pain. The phantom pain is probably the bast way of describing the void that is felt in the Polish culture since the end of the WWII, when the 700 years of integration of Jewish culture have been uprooted.
Today the city attracts more and more young people. Students come here to the renouned university and to enjoy the vivid city life, which Krakow offers. The city is famous for having the most bars per a square meter of streets, and is proud of its night life. Many are fascinated by the fact that Krakow remains a somewhat undiscovered city, where massive tourism still hasn’t left its mark. Another side of the city are huge shopping centers that attract masses of people. The opening hours are in the service of consumerism, which has swept the nation of economic growth. The centers are open from 10am to 10pm when even the most unrighteous consumers leave them. The shops just don’t end and the pressure upon your valet is enormous. It is hard to resist not to return home without a shopping trophy and mine were the leather shoes I haven’t been able to found in any shoe store back home. Still, I have to warn you, the prices are about the same, or maybe even higher than back home, thus you could even purchase some thing by European manufacturers at a lesser price back home. This undermines yet another stereotype, the one about Poles being poor. All of this has convinced me that the list placing Krakow among the most modern cities of the world was not wrong after all. It’s a city of charm and culture, a historically rich city, yet full of new energy inspiring creativity and growth. I’m not in a least surprised at the results of Urban Audit Perception Survey (a part of EU Flash-Eurobarometra) where 95% of people from Krakow proclaimed they are contemned to live here. This made Krakow the most desirable city to live in, in entire Europe. Even I was contempt, if only to enjoy its hospitality for a few days.
It’s a city with the second oldest university in this part of Europe, University Jagielonska was once known as the “pearl of all knowledge.” Apart from famous astronomer, mathematician, lawyer, doctor and economist Nikolai Copernicus, Karol Wojtyla – the formem pope – also studied here and lived in Krakow (the city of his birth) until 1978 when his pontification started.
ATTENTION PEDESTRIANS! The only down side to Krakow are the reckless drivers. They are speeding through the city, not minding the pedestrians, so never hesitate crossing the street and always be careful. Even pedestrian crossing aren’t a safe place, for nobody will stop and let you pass. Crossing the street in Krakow can put your life in danger.
Helena Rubenstein, the founder of the cosmetic line bearing her name, was born in a Jewish family in Kazimierz. People can still visit her birth house in Szeroka street.
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