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Welcome to the heart of Poland

6  Photos
The eastern half of the artificially lit Main Market Square proudly demonstrates its Christmas lighting at pre-dusk. The bottom left-hand corner is taken by the roof of the Cloth Hall. A tall Christmas tree is standing to its left in front of the uneven-towered St Mary’s Church. A large expanse of the city spreads behind a line of bright façades of Main Market Square mansion to its right, reaching the horizon behind which the Sun has just set.
Kraków’s Main Market Square
Two almost identical small three-storied white buildings with red roofs flank a low gate of masonry topped by two white lions, huddling between two taller buildings. The name “Ariel” displayed on all the three central structures is that of a popular Kazimierz restaurant. A group of tourists standing outside on the pavement under a tall leafless tree are greeted in its door by a waiter.
Kazimierz: district of Kraków
Pork ribs garnished with chilis, cherry tomatoes, and lamb’s lettuce leaves, are arranged on a wooden board, its Polish highland ornamentation partly covered by ramekins with sauce. A corner of a cloth-lined basket with some cutlery was caught in the top left-hand corner of the shot.
Spareribs, highlander delis, Witowianka Restaurant, Witów
The massive round body of the brick barbican in the foreground sports seven green-spired turrets. On the right it is reached by a lowered drawbridge. Its neck extends towards St Florian’s Gate visible among the lush greenery of the Planty Garden Ring that replaced former moats and most of the fortifications. The background consists of the roofs of houses and spires their perimeter used to defend. The skyline merges into a vividly blue though slightly overcast sky.
Rondel: Kraków’s barbican
The whole of brightly sunlit Wawel Hill seen from a drone. A wavy line of buildings and walls roofed with brick-red tiles are standing among the greenery, to reach the Cathedral with its green-spired towers in the centre, just left from the imposing body of the Castle. The city centre with its numerous churches makes up the background.
Wawel Hill from above the river, Kraków
A bird’s eye view of Wawel Hill. The brick and limestone walls of the cathedral with its towers boasting tall patinised spires dwarf both the Gothic houses of the same material on the left, and the wing of the castle plastered white under a tall dark red roof on the left. The distant plane consists of the mottle of buildings under a dusky sky with sandy, blue, white and almost black clouds.
The Cathedral and Castle on Wawel Hill, Kraków

Welcome to the heart of Poland

 

When choosing your holiday destination abroad, apart from the obvious desire for comfort, you look for unique and fascinating architecture, delicious cuisine, and a lavish treasury of stories, ranging from ancient legends, via tales of great historical moments, to gems of information about the lives of the locals, whether famous or ordinary, Małopolska and its capital Kraków are here for you. More

Małopolska, with an increasing number of sites recognised as part of the World Heritage by UNESCO, has waited for you for at least ten centuries, preparing an especial welcome for you in recent years.

Our region is not only compact and very well connected, but also boasts a perfect accommodation base and many people with vast local knowledge who are eager to help you. Apart from the obvious tourist guides, you’re likely to find aficionados of local culture among, e.g., the bartenders. Some, like you, were attracted to the city from far away. And they have decided to stay. We, the locals, attribute this to the genius loci – the spirit of the place.

Speaking of the spirit, there are many who believe that the steep limestone rock on which Wawel Castle was built contains a very special stone: one of the seven chakram of the world radiating soothing energy and lavishly bestowing it upon people coming within its range. And like stones – it has been here forever. Waiting for you.

Built on that rock known as Wawel Hill are Wawel Castle and the Cathedral – the heart of Polishness and the key to understanding Poland. There were times when the local dynasty, now buried here, commanded a quarter of Europe from this very place. And that’s only the beginning of your history lesson…

You’re probably interested in the most recent additions to the city: they include the full range of hotels, from five-star chains, boutiques and spas to accommodation preferred by students. You are also certain to find your preferred fare as, apart from delicious local cuisine, the region offers a range of international tastes and – believe it or not – English breakfasts with dishes as alien to the Polish palette as fried tomatoes and baked beans in tomato sauce.

May we suggest?

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A view up the hill, whose slope is due taken up by rows upon rows of simple nameless graves with roofed wooden crosses. The tower of the cemetery chapel visible at the top of the hill in the background is surrounded by a cluster of trees.

Echoes of 1914–18: visiting First World War heritage.

War made nobody great but the war of 1914 was deemed one to put an end to all the wars anywhere around the world. This is perhaps why it was soon dubbed “world war” and, when time proved the assertion wrong, was renamed the First World War. In 1914–18, thousands of British soldiers were spilling blood in the fields of Western Europe, as commemorated by plaques and regimental flags in nearly all parish churches. Many of the bloodiest and most prolonged battles raged on the Eastern Front that long ravaged eastern Małopolska. More

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A young man standing behind a sophisticated camera is holding a cordless mike, perhaps asking a question. Groups of people sitting on deck chairs in front of a white tent form the background.

Mastercard OFF CAMERA: Message Matters.

The 17th Mastercard OFF CAMERA International Festival of Independent Cinema is slated for 26 April – 5 May 2024. Which means that this international festival has evolved for the last sixteen years. In all that time, it’s remained faithful to its purpose: to present and comment on global developments. Thus, it’s only to be expected that this year’s edition will touch upon the current wars and pushbacks. More

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All the walls inside a wooden church are decorated with lush colourful murals, and various types of pews stand on its floor. Both the side altars are concealed behind large fabrics showing scenes from the Way of the Cross. The third one is suspended from the rood beam in the centre of the church.

Medieval history glimpsed through the Lenten veil.

In the Middle Ages, Lent, known especially in the East as the Great Fast, was a time of deep reflection and mourning, as people focused on the Passion of Christ. All forms of entertainment were prohibited, organs in churches fell silent, flower decorations were forbidden, as were weddings and other celebrations of joy. Many communities adopted the practice of visually separating the congregation from the most sacred spaces of the church. More

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A colourful procession is going up Grodzka street. The person in the centre is walking among a crowd of people and carrying a large colourful star on a tall pole. There are some buildings on the left, and Wyspiański Pavilion and a huge Christmas tree on the right.

Following the Yonder Star.

The Feast of the Epiphany on 6 January, known in Poland as the Three Kings’ Festivity – Święto Trzech Króli – has sparked many customs in Małopolska. Recently, their number has been joined by big parades in the cities and towns. And Kraków boasts as many as three of them each year. More

Małopolska has more to offer. Look and see:

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delicious local food
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incredible adventures
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wellness and relaxation
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meetings
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tour operators