Krakow
KRAKOW- HISTORY CLOSED IN TOWN WALLS.
Krakow is an amazing city. It is not easy to explain the uniqueness of
the city to those who have not seen it yet. The uniqueness is mainly connected
with the extraordinary cultural heritage. Kraków is one of the 12 Polish sites
of the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is not possible to describe all the
city’s attractions. One thing is certain, though – visitors will find their own
‘magic’ Kraków. Krakow is a capital of Malopolska Voivodeship, formerly
capital of Kingdom of Poland ( XI-XVII w ). It is recognize as major
educational and cultural centre. City of European Culture of 2000, center of
advanced technologies. Features History and heritage „written in every wall”,
multicultural, full of beautiful architecture. In Krakow you can see amazing
connection of the old and new.
More about Cracow (Krakow)
In full Royal Capital City of Krakow is one of the oldest and largest cities of
Poland, with a 2004 population of 780,000 (1.4 million, counting adjacent
communities). This historic city is situated on the Vistula River (Wisla) at
the foot of Wawel Hill in Lesser Poland region (Malopolska). It is the capital
of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship (Województwo malopolskie) since 1999. Previously,
it was the capital of Krakow Voivodeship from the 14th century. Krakow has
traditionally been one of the leading scientific, cultural and artistic centers
of the country, the former residence of the Polish kings and a national
capital, considered by many to remain the spiritual heart of Poland due to its
history of more than a thousand years. Krakow is also a major centre of local
and international tourism, attracting seven million visitors per year.
Oldest history
The earliest known settlement on the present site of Krakow was established on
Wawel Hill, and dates back to the 4th century. Legend attributes the town's
establishment to the mythical ruler Krak, who built it above a cave occupied by
a ravenous dragon. Before the Polish state existed, Krakow was the capital of
the tribe of Vistulans, subjugated for a short period by Great Moravia. Krakow's
first appearance in historical records dates back to the 8th century, and notes
that the prince of the Vistulans was baptized. The first mention of the city
name dates to 966, when Abraham ben Jacob mentioned it as a notable commercial
centre. After Great Moravia was destroyed by the Hungarians, Krakow became part
of the kingdom of Bohemia. By the end of the 10th century, the city was a major
center of trade. Around that time, it was incorporated into the holdings of the
Piast dynasty of Poland. Brick buildings were being constructed, including the
castle, Romanesque churches, a cathedral, a basilica, and the St. Felix and
Adaukt Church. In 1038, Kraków became the seat of the Polish government. In 1079
on a hillock in nearby Skalka, the Bishop of Kraków, Saint Stanislaus of Szczepanow,
was slain by the order of the Polish king Boleslaw II the Bold. The city was
almost entirely destroyed during the Tatar invasions. It was rebuilt in 1257,
in a form which was practically unaltered, and as such received city rights
under the Magdeburg Law. In 1259 and 1287 the city was again destroyed by the
Mongols. The year 1311 saw the Rebellion of wojt Albert against Polish King
Wladyslaw I. It involved mostly German-speaking citizens of Krakow. The rebellion
cost Poland the city of Gdansk, which was taken over by the Teutonic Order, but
the German-speaking minority lost their political ambitions in the process and
began to Polonize. Krakow rose to new prominence in 1364, when Casimir III of
Poland founded the University of Krakow, the second university in central
Europe after the University of Prague. There had already been a cathedral
school under the auspices of the city's bishop since 1150. The city continued
to grow under the joint Lithuanian-Polish Jagiellon dynasty (1386-1572). As the
capital of a powerful state, it became a flourishing center of science and the
arts. Many works of Renaissance art and architecture were created there during that
time. Krakow was a member of the Hanseatic league and many craftsmen settled
there, established businesses and formed craftsmen's guilds. City Law,
occupational guild depictions and descriptions were recorded in the Balthasar
Behem Codex. This codex is now at the Jagiellonian library. In 1475 delegates
of the elector George the Rich of Bavaria came to Krakow to negotiate the
marriage of Hedwig, the daughter of King Casimir IV Jagiello to George the
Rich. Hedwig traveled for two months to Landshut in Bavaria, where an elaborate
marriage celebration, the Landshut Wedding (Landshuter Hochzeit) took place.
Newest history
Poland was partitioned again in 1939, at the outset of the Second World War. The
Nazi German forces entered Krakow in September of that year. It became the
capital of the General Government, a colonial authority under the leadership of
Hans Frank. The occupation took a heavy toll, particularly on the city's
cultural heritage. On one occasion, over 150 professors and other academics of
the Jagiellonian University were summoned to a meeting, arrested and dispatched
to the concentration camp at Sachsenhausen (see also Sonderaktion Krakau). Many
relics and monuments of national culture were destroyed and looted. Major
concentration camps near Krakow included Plaszow and Auschwitz, to which many
Polish Jews were sent. Specific events surrounding the Jewish ghetto in Kraków
and the nearby concentration camps were famously portrayed in the film
Schindler's List, itself based on a book by Thomas Keneally entitled
Schindler's Ark. Thanks to a military maneuver by advancing Soviet forces,
Krakow escaped destruction during the German withdrawal and much of the
historic buildings and works of art were saved. After the war, the government
of the People's Republic of Poland ordered the construction of the country's
largest steel mill in the suburb of Nowa Huta. This is regarded by some as an
attempt to diminish the influence of Krakow's intellectual and artistic
heritage by industrialization of the city and by attracting to it the new
working class. The city is regarded by many to be the cultural capital of
Poland. In 1978, UNESCO placed Kraków on the list of World Heritage Sites. In
the same year, on October 16, 1978, Krakow's archbishop, Karol Wojtyla, was
elevated to the papacy as John Paul II, the first non-Italian pope in 455
years. Krakow's population has quadrupled since the end of the war. Offshoring
of IT work from other nations in recent years has become important to the
economy of Krakow and Poland in general. The city is the key center for this
kind of business activity. There are about 20 large multinational companies in
Kraków, including centers serving IBM, General Electric, Motorola, and Sabre
Holdings, along with British and German-based firms.