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The city of Krakow is a place that must be top of the list for any visit to Poland. It has been European City of Culture and when you have been there you can see why. Every hour, the Hejnal (hey-now) is sounded by a trumpeter from the tower of the Church of the Virgin Mary in the city square.
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| The Church of the Virgin Mary, Krakow Town Square |
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The city was lucky to survive the ravages of the war that devastated much of Poland. The Royal Castle at Wavel survived and is well worth a visit. Wavel looks like the fairytale castle that you read about as children, it even has a legend involving a Dragon! Once through the massive perimeter walls, it turns into a Palace complete with Cathedral. The artwork and furnishings are to be admired, and the views across the River Vistula breathtaking.
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| Outside the walls of the impressive Royal Castle at Wavel |
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Outside the city walls, there are some beautiful areas only a walk away. The old Jewish sector has some magnificent buildings and synagoues.
South across the Vistula River, you come to where the WWII Jewish Ghetto existed. If you have a good guide book and a local map, you can find the Schindler factory, the Plasow Camp area, and a crumbling remnant of the Ghetto wall.
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| Oscar Schindler's Factory |
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The city square is bordered with many bars and cafes that allow customers to sit and savour the sounds of the many musicians that play around Krakow.
During the summer evenings, sitting drinking a beer, listening to the sounds of a Polish folk band, and watching the world go by is a magical experience and something I try to do at least once each time I visit Poland.
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| A traditional Krakow folk musician |
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The entire old city was surrounded by a wall, and a certain section has survived in it's original condition, including the barbican. The wall is worth seeing, just to look at the fantastic collection of paintings hanging each day that are for sale!
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| The wonderful city walls painting market! |
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I must mention these two gentleman. One plays the keyboard and the other plays a trumpet. They play some haunting tunes and are remarkably talented.
The trumpet player is the best I have ever heard, and it seems that the more Vodka he has had the better he gets... sad, but I think true. They sell tapes and CDs of their tunes and having bought one, I can vouch for the quality.A lasting memory was one evening, with a full moon, we sat in outside one of the cafes in the square and listened to them playing "Ave Maria", it was beautiful.
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