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Key Attractions Rynek Glowny (Main Market Square) Dating from 1257, this was one of the largest market squares in medieval Europe. The square is currently in the midst of a US$500,000 renovation programme that will make it even more pedestrian friendly. Occupying the centre of the square, the Sukiennice (Cloth Hall) is filled with market stalls in its vaulted ground-floor passages. Along the sides of the building, pavement cafés draw locals and tourists alike. A branch of the National Museum (see below) is upstairs. Surrounding the square are impressive period houses and two of the city’s most important churches. Kosciol sw Wojciecha (St Adalbert’s Church) dates from the tenth century and is the oldest extant church in Cracow, but it is the Gothic Kosciol Mariacki (St Mary’s Church), with its twin spires, that really catches the eye. Within this church is the 15th-century Chapel of Our Lady of Czestochowa and Wit Stwosz’s large stone crucifix and wooden polyptych, The Dormition of the Virgin of 1477-89, the largest Gothic altar in Europe. Above the organ loft, the church also boasts excellent 14th-century stained glass and Art Nouveau works by Wyspianski and Mehoffer. The taller of the two towers was the city’s watch-tower and every hour the heynal is played by the town trumpeter, who cuts off the last note to commemorate the death of a trumpeter by a Turkish arrow. Also on the square is the Wieza ratuszowa (Town Tower) – the only surviving part of the town hall, which dates from the 14th century. St Mary’s Church Rynek Glowny Transport: Tram 10. Opening hours: Mon-Sat 1150-1800, Sun 1400-1800. Admission: Free; Z3 (to see altar). Zamek Krolewski (Royal Castle) From the year 1000, when the bishopric of Cracow was established, Wzgorze Wawelskie (Wawel Hill) has been at the heart of Poland’s history. Located at Wawel, the Royal Castle has been the seat of Poland’s kings from the 11th to the early 17th century. The majority of the castle is Renaissance in style (1504-35), although Romanesque and Gothic elements remain. Today, it is a museum, and among the treasures in the historic interior of the State Rooms is a collection of 16th-century Flemish tapestries, paintings and period furniture. Other separate sections of the castle open to the public include the Royal Private Apartments and the Crown Treasury and Armoury. Also worth a look is The Lost Wawel exhibit, which showcases the excavated remains of Wawel’s original buildings, including the foundations of the oldest known church in Poland, the early 11th-century Rotunda of St Felix and St Adauctus. The Museum of Oriental Art (west wing) has an excellent collection of Near and Far Eastern art, including important 17th-century Turkish items. More whimsical is the Dragon’s Den, a karstic cave reached by a spiral staircase, where Prince Gracchus (Krak) supposedly killed the Wawel dragon. Extensive renovation of the Royal Castle has recently finished and to celebrate the whole complex being open once again, exhibitions on the Polish Royalty are being staged in addition to the permanent displays. Wawel 5 Tel: (012) 422 1697. Fax: (012) 421 1697. E-mail: zamek@wawel.krakow.pl Website: www.wawel.krakow.pl Transport: Tram 10; or a short walk from Rynek Glowny. Opening hours: Wawel Hill: daily 0600-2000 (Apr-Sep); daily 0600-1700 (Oct-Mar). Attractions: Mon 1930-1200, Tues and Fri 0930-1600, Wed and Thurs 0930-1500, Sat 0930-1500 and Sun 1000-1500. Royal Apartments and Oriental Art closed Mon. Dragon’s Den: daily 1000-1700. Admission: Z15 (Royal Private Apartments), Z12 (State Rooms or Treasury and Armoury), Z6 (Lost Wawel or Oriental Art) and Z3 (Dragon’s Den); concessions available. Free Mon (where open) except Dragon’s Den. Katedra Wawelska (Wawel Cathedral) Part of Wawel, this cathedral, also known as the Archcathedral Church of SS Venceslaus and Stanislaus or the Royal Cathedral – is the coronation site and burial place of almost all of Poland’s monarchs. It was built in the early 11th century by King Boleslaw the Brave after Cracow was made a bishopric. Although there are Romanesque elements, the overall impact is determined by the 14th-century Gothic structure. The relics of St Stanislaw, the patron saint of Cracow and Poland, are kept here. Of the many royal chapels, the Renaissance Chapel of King Zygmunt (Sigismund) stands out. It is possible to climb the tower to see the 11-tonne Zygmunt Bell and enjoy the fine view. Wawel 3 Tel: (012) 422 5155. Fax: (012) 421 1697. Transport: Tram 10; or a short walk from Rynek Glowny. Opening hours: Mon-Sat 0900-1700, Sun 1215-1700 (May-Sep); Mon-Sat 0900-1500, Sun 1215-1500 (Nov-Mar). Admission: Z6 (concessions available). Muzeum Narodowe (National Museum) The museum’s large collection is located in a number of separate buildings, including the Czartoryski Museum (see below). The Main Building houses a collection of decorative art, 20th-century Polish art and Polish arms and national colours, in addition to temporary exhibitions. The Gallery in the Cloth Hall, Rynek Glowny 1/3 (tel: (012) 422 1166 or 423 2005) exhibits 19th-century Polish art and temporary exhibitions. aleja 3 Maja 1 Tel: (012) 634 3526. Fax: (012) 633 9767. Transport: Tram 15. Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1530; also Wed until 1800 (Main Building) and Thurs until 1800 (Cloth Hall). Admission: Z8 (concessions available); free Sun. Muzeum Czartoryskich (Czartoryski Museum) A large collection of ancient art from Greece and Egypt, as well as Oriental artefacts, weapons and Turkish carpets can be found here. European paintings and sculpture cover the 13th to 18th centuries – the most famous works here are Leonardo da Vinci’s Lady with an Ermine and Rembrandt’s Landscape with the Good Samaritan. ulica sw Jana 19 Tel: (012) 422 5566. Fax: (012) 422 6137. Transport: A five-minute walk from the Main Railway Station. Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1550 (Fri until 1800). Admission: Z7; concessions available. Muzeum Historyczne Miasta Krakowa (History Museum of the City of Cracow) This museum’s collection is spread over a number of sites. The branch in Rynek Glowny occupies three burgher houses and displays objects from Cracow’s earliest times. Other galleries showcase a collection of portraiture and antique clocks. Krzysztofory Palace Rynek Glowny 35 Tel: (012) 422 9922. Fax: (012) 422 3264. Transport: Tram 10. Opening hours: Tues, Wed, Fri 0900-1530, Thurs 1100-1800. Admission: Z4 (concessions available). Stara Synagoga or Alte Shul (Old Synagogue) Kazimierz was originally a separate town, only merging with Cracow in 1868. Here the memories of the Jewish community who lived in the Kazimierz district for centuries (up until the Holocaust) are collected in physical form. Part of the Historical Museum of the City of Cracow, the Old Synagogue houses a permanent exhibit – Tradition and Culture of Polish Jews. The Synagogue was built in the early 15th century and reconstructed with Renaissance aspects by the Florentine architect, Matteo Gucci, after the fire of 1574. The surrounding area had been largely ignored until Steven Spielberg’s film, Schindler’s List, drew attention to the Kazimierz (there are also a number of sites around the former wartime ghetto, south of the Vistula River, which are included in tours). The only two functioning synagogues in Cracow – the Remuh Synagoga, ulica Szeroka 40, with cemetery attached, and the Isaak Synagoga, ulica Kupa 18, which shows documentary films – are located nearby. ulica Szeroka 24 Tel/fax: (012) 422 0962. Transport: Tram 3, 9, 11 or 13. Opening hours: Wed, Thurs, Sat and Sun 0900-1600, Fri 1100-1800. Admission: Z6 (concessions available). |
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