• News
• About us
• Our products
• Top Cities
• About Poland
• Download
• Contact

Krakow is a very compact city – all the important sights are within a walking distance. It is easy to remember the medieval urbain plan of the centre. To be honest - after one walk around the Old Town you feel you know this city by heart! No wonder, that Krakow seems to be the most tourist friendly city in Poland! Follow our guide to discover all the highlights. Because the atmosphere of the Old Town, with lots of nice restaurants and cafe gardens in summer make most of the visitors lazy – we suggest visiting Krakow step by step, with a coffee break meanwhile in one of the local cafes – to get the real spirit of the place!

Medieval City

Krakow is one of the best preserved medieval cities in Europe. For this reason in 1978 it entered UNESCO World Heritage List together with the first twelve sites in the world that were chosen by the UNESCO Commette! The landmark of Krakow is the largest medieval square in Europe (200m x 200m) that till today is the living heart of the city. One of the most unique values of Krakow is its medieval urbain plan (the square and the paralell streets) that dates back to the middle of the 13th century. In 1257 the Great Charter took place – Krakow was given the official title of the City, what was connected with various trading privileges, new administration and the modern local authority. Then the Market Square was designed together with the streets around. Some of them however show the older history of the city – Grodzka Street or Bracka Street are not symmetrical, as they follow older roads leading toward the Wawel Hill. The archaeological excavations in the Square relate the history of the city back to the 10th century.

The Main Square

The Main Square (Rynek Glowny) is a living heart of Krakow. Here we celebrate all the important events, here the parades, concerts or New Year's Eve parties are organized. And this is the place where all the ways of Krakow's people cross. No wonder that it is the most busy place in Krakow. It is especially picturesque in summer time: it is surrounded with the open air gardens of the cafes, with numerous street musicians or the living statues entertaining the visitors and the locals.
In the past the Square used to be the main trading centre with its countless stall shops, the Town Hall (the seat of the local authorities) with the prison in the cellars. In the beginning of the 19th century most of the wooden stalls were destroyed, the Square stopped being used as the trading place and was change into pedestrian area. Today the Main Square in Krakow is a landmark of the city, together with the famous Cloth Hall and St. Mary's Basilica.

The Cloth Hall

The Cloth Hall (Sukiennice), the remarkable building in the centre of the Square has become the landmark of Krakow and the best place for the souvenirs hunters! In the beginning it was a kind of small street lined up with the stalls. In the 14th century the stone building was built. Its beautiful silhouette is a result of the activity of the varoius artists (Master Pankracy, Giovanni Maria Padovano) who rebuilt the Cloth Hall after the fire in 1555. Don't miss the famous maskarons designed by Santi Gucci (16th c.) crowning the attic! Some changes were introduced also in the 19th century. The Cloth hall was used by the merchants selling wool and linen (cloth), what gave the name of this building. Inside there are the small stall shops with Polish souvenirs - they still give us the sprit of this place in the Middle Ages.

The Town Hall Tower

The clock tower (Wieża Ratuszowa), 70m high, is the only remain of the huge Town Hall that used to be the seat of the local authorities. Unfortunately the magnificent 14th century building was destroyed in 1820 and only the gothic tower was left. On the ground floor (today Tourist Information Office) you can find the unique set of cachets with a date 1444 carved in a wall – it is a kind of signature of the architects working here then. If you are not afraid of the number of medieval steps leading to the top of the tower – visit the top floor to admire the beautiful view of the Old Town (there are lunettes there!). In the celler of the tower, where in the past torturia was (place for torturing convicted offenders) there is the theatre Scena Pod Ratuszem. In the foot of the tower there is a modern sculpture Eros Bendatto, designed by Polish artist Igor Mitoraj.

Town Hall-Historical Museum of Krakow opened: April-October, Mon-Sun 10.30 Am-6.00 PM

St. Mary's Basilica

Being in Krakow you can't miss St. Mary's Basilica (Kościół Mariacki) the most spectacular church in the city and the great symbol of its history. Today it is the most remarkable monument of the Old Town. It used to be the parish church in the medieval city, and was founded by its inhabitants, between 13th -15th c. on the place of an older church. The gothic building is a real treasury of art pieces: 14th c. stained glass windows (in the presbytery), medieval sculptures (see the Crucifixion by Veit Stoss, 15th c. in the southern nave), renaissance benches (16th c.), baroque altars with the paintings by Giambattista Pittoni, one of the best known 18th century Venetian painters. The wall paintings date back to 1890-92 (painted by Jan Matejko) recall the spirit of the medieval church, which was splendid and glittering. It was the pride of the city – it was to show not only the religiousness of the locals but also their richness... The most impressive art piece in the church is the great altar – the largest one in Medieval Europe.

Church opened for visitors: Mon-Sat: 11.45 AM – 17.45 PM, Sun 2.00 AM – 17.45 PM

The largest medieval altar (St. Mary's Basilica)

The main altar in St. Mary's Basilica is definitely one of the wonders of Krakow. It was made by Veit Stoss between 1477-89 and is the largest medieval altar in Europe (11x13m). It is carved in oak wood, the figures in lime wood. The altar illustrates life of Our Lady what relates to the name of the church – St. Mary's. The main scene shows the Falling Asleep of Our Lady and is based on one of the medieval legends. According to it Our Lady died without suffering, just fainting, surrounded by the Disciples and then was taken to heaven by Jesus Christ. The whole altar is crowned with the scene of the Coronation of Our Lady as the Queen of Heavens. One of the most striking features of this art piece is its incredible realism, characteristic for the Veit Stoss' art. Approach the altar to see all the details carved in wood: the wrinkles on the faces, stained muscles, or even vains in the bony legs of the old Apostles. The altar was stolen during World War II by the Germans. It was given back to the Basilica in 1957.

 Every day at 11.50 AM the ceremony of the opening of the altar takes place. It is worth seeing! Unfortunately in summer time the church is usually packed in this time, make sure to be a bit earlier to stand close to the altar! Just after the ceremony outside the church you can here the famous trumpeter playing bugle.

Attention! Bugle is being played!

Without listening to the bugle you can't really say that you visited Krakow. Playing bugle is one of the oldest tradition of the city. It is played hourly (24 h a day!) from the northern tower of St. Mary's Basilica. In the Middle Ages the tower was the highest one in Krakow and was a perfect viewpoint. It belonged to the local authorities. The city guard in the top of the tower could play bugle any time the danger appeared in the city. In the 13th century the Tatars invaded the city. When the guard in the tower noticed them approaching Krakow he started playing the trumpet to warn the citizens. But suddenly Tatars' arrow cut his throat and the melody unexpectedly stopped... To remind this legend every time the bugle is played the melody is interrupted. It is played on hour 4 times, toward the cardinal points.