| Krakow City Breaks |
Krakow City Breaks
Krakow is the city exactly on the intersection of 20 degrees East and 50 degrees North. According to some cartographers it is the geographical centre of Europe. It not difficult to come to Krakow from different parts of the world. The Krakow international airport at Balice, just 15 kilometres from the city centre, has direct flights to many foreign airports, for instance: Paris, London, Zurich, Frankfurt am Main, Vienna, Rome, Tel Aviv, New York, Chicago. The city is an important railway junction with a regular and reliable train network linking Krakow with other cities both national and international. It is also possible to come to Krakow by coach or car. Our city is linked to the main Polish and European roads and thus the access for a city break is very easy.
Inside the city, close to its centre there are three traffic zones protecting the very centre. You are not allowed to drive into A and B zone. Parking in the C zone is possible after buying a parking card. It is recommended to leave your car in the guarded car parks which let come closer to your destination and have your car protected. The old part of Krakow you can visit on foot or by the public transport system which is quite good and sufficient for the visitors' needs. For those who prefer to travel by taxi, there is no problem to take it just from the street or order by telephone. If you do in the latter way, you are entitled to a discount. The cost of taxi driving within the city depending to the distance is about 30-40 zlotys (about 7-12 euros).
 
It is not a simple task to describe the unique character of Krakow for a city break to those who still have not had the opportunity to visit this city. This uniqueness is primarily due to the rare cultural heritage embodied in the city's wall. Here, in the year 1000 a Roman Catholic bishopric was founded. Here royal castle was built on the Wawel Hill, becoming the coronation and burial place of kings, as Krakow was the capital of Poland from the 11th - 17th century. Here in 1364, the Krakow Academy was established, the first Polish university (today renamed the Jagiellonian University).
The city image has changed during the past centuries. In the Middle Ages Krakow was safe, rich fortified city surrounded by walls with 55 towers (fragments of the city fortification have been preserved to this day). During the Renaissance, Krakow became the centre of new ideas and culture that attracted the most outstanding humanists, writers, architects and musicians. Even a few later, while the city was going through economic decline during the period of Modernism, the whole of the Polish artistic elite found the safe haven. City life focused around the Market Square, the second largest in Europe after St. Mark's Square in Venice.
Tradition interlaces with modern times nearly everywhere you go, and each stone has its own history. There is a multitude of architectural monuments estimated at 6 thousand buildings and other types and forms of structures. This is supplemented by approximately 2.5 million artefacts collected and displayed in museums, churches and archives. Thanks to the extraordinary accumulation of cultural wealth, the city was registered as one of the 12 sites on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
It is impossible to describe or even list all the tourist attractions in Krakow, but, each tourist will discover his own "magical" Krakow. While some will follow the footsteps of Nicholas Copernicus, others will be interested in sites linked with John Paul II. Some will be fascinated by the world-wide unique underground corridors of the Wieliczka salt mine and others will wander round the Kazimierz Jewish district. Many will stand enchanted in front of the Wit Stwosz altar.
Benefiting from its geographical location, Krakow aims at becoming the meeting place of many cultures and nations successfully claims its position as a Central European city break metropolis, a city of culture, art and science. Several universities are located in Krakow. Many world famous representatives of Polish culture reside in Krakow.
 
Krakow is also a city break for tradition where the past meets the present, and the imaginary the real. Krakow is the city of myths, legends and dreams. City traditions are dominated by customs that date from the 13th and 14th centuries, although numerous stories and tales create the colour of this place. Krakow is said to have been visited by Doctor Faustus himself who cooperated with Master Twardowski, a court alchemist in search of the philosopher's stone. Two unique legends are connected with Tartar raid, which broke into the history of Krakow in a very violent way. Every hour you can hear a bugle call whose travel whose sound travels towards the four quarters of the world from the tower of St. Mary's Church. It is dramatically interrupted, as it was in the past when an enemy arrow hit the bugler. The other legend is associated with the fascinating personage "lajkonik". According to the story, it was a Vistula River raftsman in a Tartar disguise on horseback who rode from the battlefield with a message that the "infidel" invasion had been stopped.
 
The fascinating "lajkonik" still rides his wooden horse across the Market Square. Like centuries ago, during St. John's night, the shortest night of the year, Krak`s castle inhabitants come down to the Vistula River. With the imposing castle in the background, they float wreaths down the river, thus recalling the old pagan custom. The celebration is accompanied by a huge open-air show, firework display and performances that bring various events from the city's history back to life. After all, Krakow will always remain a living legend, a stunning city break.
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