Krakow, Poland
Second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland, situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, Karkow dates back to the 7th century.
Krakow was the official capital of Poland until 1596 and has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, economic, cultural and artistic life.
As one of Europe’s most beautiful cities, its Old Town was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978, along with Wavel Castle and the Kazimierz district.
In 1978, Karol Wojtyła, archbishop of Kraków, was elevated to the papacy as Pope John Paul II — the first Slavic pope ever, and the first non-Italian pope in 455 years.
Rynek (meaning “market” in Polish) is the principal urban space located at the center of the city.
It dates back to the 13th century and is one of the largest medieval town squares in Europe.
The center of the square is dominated by the Cloth Hall (Sukiennice), rebuilt in 1555 in the Renaissance style.
On one side of the cloth hall is the Town Hall Tower and rising above the square are the Gothic towers of St. Mary’s Basilica.
Sukiennice hosts craft shops and collections of the museum of fine arts devoted to the late 19th century.
Saint Mary’s Basilica is a brick Gothic church adjacent to the Main Market Square.
Built in the 14th century, its foundations date back to the early 13th century and serve as one of the best examples of Polish Gothic architecture.
Saint Mary’s Basilica also served as an architectural model for many of the churches that were built by the Polish diaspora abroad.
Wavel Castle
The Wawel Castle is a castle residency located in central Krakow, Poland.
The castle, being one of the largest in Poland, represents nearly all European architectural styles of medieval, renaissance and baroque periods.
In 1978 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Historic Centre of Krakow.
