Curious places of CRAKOW

The historic centre of Cracow is situated at the foot of the Wawel Castle - the former residence of Polish kings. It was built in Reinassance style during the reign of Sigismundus I and his Italian wife Bona Sforza. After the fire that consumed the majority of the castle, Wawel was rebuilt in Baroque style.

Worth seeing on the Wawel Hill are: the Gothic Cathedral where Polish kings are buried, Royal chambers, Sigismundus’ Bell, treasures and armaments.

The Market Square, the largest one in the medieval Europe, is framed by tenement houses, palaces and churches with their magnificent interiors.

The Cloth Hall (Sukiennice) houses plenty of shopping stalls and cafes. On the first floor there is the Gallery of Polish nineteenth-century art that shows a rich collection of paintings and sculptures.

Next to the Cloth Hall there is the Town Hall Tower (Wieza Ratuszowa) - the only surviving part of the medieval Town Hall which was destroyed in the early 19th century. It houses a small exhibition of photographs documenting the town history (open in summer only).

St. Mary’s church with its two beautiful towers is the most imposing building of the Market Square. It is famous for the magnificent late Gothic wooden altar made by Wit Stwosz. The church functioned for a long time as a municipal watch-tower. For centuries a bugle-call (Hejnal) has been played every hour from its windows into the four quarters of the globe; its melody stops abruptly in memory of the death of a watchman hit by a Tartar arrow (Pl. Mariacki 5, opening hours: Monday-Saturday 11.30 am - 6 pm, )

Further evidence of the town's fascinating history is provided by the remnants of the 14th-century fortifications and the medieval site of Kazimierz (the former Jewish district) with its synagogues in the southern part of town.