Population: 741 thousands (1998)
Cracow, belongs traditionally to the leading scientific, cultural and artistic
centres of the country. It was once the capital of Poland and still
undisputably is the heart of Poland, the greatest Polish treasure, cherishing
over a thousand years long tradition.
Cracow is a large centre of education.
Today there are 12 university level institutions with about 10,000
scientists and 51,000 students.
Cracow is also a large centre of local and foreign tourism. Every year the city is visited by more than 2,000,000 tourists.
The history of the town goes back to the days before the formation of the
Polish state, when it was the capital of the Vistulians tribe.
A legend says that the city was founded by the mythical ruler Krak on
Wawel Hill, above a cave occupied by a ravenous dragon. The first
historical records are of Slavic people settling along the banks of
the Wisla River here in the 8th century. By the end of the 10th
century Cracow was a major market centre and it had been incorporated
into the Polish state ruled by the [Piast dynasty]?. In the middle of the
11th century (1038) Cracow became the capital of Poland. Destroyed two
hundred years later by the Tartar raids it was rebuilt in the form
basically unaltered until our times. The period of Cracow's greatest
splendour began with the reign of King [Casimir the Great]? who founded
here in 1364 a university, the Jagiellonian University, the second oldest
in central Europe next to Prague.
The growth continued during the reign of the [Jagiellonian dynasty]?
(1386-1572). As the capital of a powerful state it became the flourishing
centre of sciences and the arts, admired by foreigners and extolled by poets.
It was manifested by the great works of the Renaissance art and
architecture created at that time.
When the royal residence was transferred to Warsaw in 1596, the importance of Cracow began to decline which was accelerated by the pillage of
the city during the Swedish invasion.
Following the partitions of Poland between three neighbouring countries at the
end of the 18th century, Cracow was the incorporated into Austria and the
Polish state disappeared from the map of Europe for more than 120 years. Then
Cracow once again became a national symbol, the centre of Polish culture and
art. Famous painters, poets and writers worked here: [Jan Matejko]?,
[Stanislaw Wyspianski]?, [Stanislaw Ignacy Witkiewicz]?, [[Stanislaw
Przybyszewski]], [Jan Kasprowicz]?, [Juliusz Kossak]? and [[Wojciech
Kossak]]. Cracow became the main centre of Polish modernism (Young Poland),
whose greatest representatives were Wyspianski and Przybyszewski.
Here and
in Warsaw national liberation movements began. During the WWI from Cracow
Legions led by [Jozef Pilsudski]? set out to fight for the liberation of
Poland. In September 1939 the Nazis entered the city.
Soon Germans
started planned extermination of Polish people. The glaring example of German
barbaric politics was deceitfully summoning over 150 professors and scientific
workers of the Jagiellonian University to a meeting and then arresting them and
putting them in a concentration camp where most of them died.
Cracow was the capital of the General Goverment - the puppet Nazi territory
that was ruled from Cracow by a Nazi war criminal Hans Frank.
Many relics and monuments of national culture were destroyed and plundered by
the Germans.
There were several concentration camps near Cracow - Plaszow? and
Auschwitz.
Fortunately thanks to a manoeuvre by Soviet forces Cracow
escaped destruction during World War II and historic buildings and works of
art were saved.
In 1978 UNESCO distinguished Cracow by placing it on the list of the 12
most precious cultural heritage centers.
Over three centuries ago Cracow
acquired the honourable title "totius Poloniae urbs celeberrima", which well
reflected the unique character of the town, the old capital of Poland, the city
of [Nicolas Copernicus]? and Pope John Paul II.
Cracow is rich in architectural styles, mostly Renaissance architecture with
some Baroque and Gothic examples (Collegium Maius of Jagiellonian
University).
The interiors of palaces, churches, old noblemen houses of Cracow are
astonishing in the richness of their architectural details, polychromy,
stained-glass windows, painting and sculptures, furnishings.
Among hundreds of historic
buildings the following especially interesting are : the Royal Castle
and Cathedral on Wawel Hill, the medieval Old Town with one of
Europe's most beautiful squares, Market Square (200 by 200 meters),
dozens of old churches and museums, the 14th century Jagiellonian
University as well as Kazimierz - historical centre of Cracow's Jewish
religious and social life.
The Gothic St Mary`s Church, built in the 14th century, standing by the market
Place. with the famous wooden altar carved by [Wit Stwosz]?.
The entire Old Town complex, surrounded by the green Plant belt, is
bewitchingly rich in architectural styles.
Cracow is a convenient starting point of
excursions to the Salt Mine in Wieliczka?, to the [Tatra mountains]?, to
Czestochowa?, to the former Nazi death camp Auschwitz and
to the Ojcow National Park.
Through centuries only several centres in Europe have had such great influence on the development of European culture and Cracow is among them. There are several theatres are active here, including the most renowned ones :
Every year many artistic events are held in Cracow -
some of international significance (for example festival of Short Feature Films,
Biennial of Graphics). The great cultural traditions of Cracow inspire the
creative efforts of modern Polish artists and a lot of them choose to live
and lead their artists career in this city :
Cracow is a large centre of education. Today there are 12 university level institutions with about 10,000 scientists and 51,000 students.
The most important schools of higher education are :
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