View of Krakow
published in 1617. The Old Town's skyline changed little since
then.
Old Town Historical District in Krakow
Krakow is Poland’s
prime tourist attraction, a must with few equals in the
entire Central and Eastern Europe. The place has been
settled since the Stone Age at least. In 1038 Krakow became
the capital of Poland and Polish monarchs took up their
residence in its Wawel Royal Castle.
The Old Town
historical district in Krakow’s heart, Stare Miasto in
Polish, is actually the medieval city established in 1257 by
Prince Boleslav V, the ruler of Poland at the time. Its well
preserved original grid of streets with the huge central
Grand Square (Rynek Glowny), Europe’s largest in the Middle Ages, seems
the last stage in the perfection of medieval city planning.
It is also the best example of that art. The Planty ring of
gardens encircles the entire Old Town historic area nowadays -
they have taken the place of the city's fortifications in the
1820s.
In its long history Krakow underwent many ups and downs. The
proud capital city of a mighty kingdom for centuries, it was
turned into a sleepy borderland town of the Austrian empire in
the 19th century. Then it became a vital center of Polish
national awakening at the turn of the 20th century and the
cradle of Poland’s rebirth, only to be reduced to backwater
under communism.
Now Krakow is nearly a million city ripe for restoration to
European status. And the beautiful Old Town area remains its
vibrant hub with numerous landmarks, museums, art galleries,
music venues, theaters, university colleges, etc. on top of
myriad shops, cafes, hotels
and best restaurants in Krakow.
UNESCO entered the whole of Krakow's Old Town in the list of the
world cultural heritage.
Online videos from the Old Town in Krakow
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