Krakow dates back to the 7th century and has traditionally been one of the leading centers of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life. It was the capital of Poland from 1038 to 1596. After checking in to our hotel we went for a walk to the Main Market Square (the largest Medieval square in Europe), got our bearings, and set out to explore.
The tower in the center of the square is the Town Hall Tower. The Tower is the only remaining part of the old Town Hall demolished in 1820 as part of the city plan to open up the Main Square. Its cellars once housed a city prison with a Medieval torture chamber. The students were super interested in THAT fact.
Mr. Plank and a few of the kids went up the tower while I went shopping.
I enjoyed browsing in the Renaissance Sukiennice or old cloth hall where there are local merchants selling their wares. One of the things Poland is famous for is their amber, so it was fun to look at all the amber jewelry. This was a nice way to shop...in the shade with seemingly authentic shop-keepers.
By this point, I was really missing Wyatt, so I enjoyed seeing all the children in Krakow. Wyatt would have loved scaring the pigeons!
One of the main attractions in the square is St. Mary's Basilica It is a brick Gothic church re-built in the 14th century. It is particularly famous for its wooden altarpiece carved by Veit Stoss.
On every hour, a trumpet signal—called the Hejnał mariacki—is played from the top of the taller of St. Mary's two towers. The tune breaks off in mid-stream, to commemorate the famous 13th century trumpeter, who was shot in the throat while sounding the alarm before the Mongol attack on the city.
Paul and I walked around looking into the many churches and building we thought looked interesting. This one is St. Florian's Church. Here is a short video clip I took outside just for the ambiance. I enjoyed hearing the clock bells.
http://youtu.be/TSFl-CKTNLA
We stumbled upon the Collegium Witkowski, a Jagiellonian University building erected in 1908-11. The building's style mixes elements of Gothic-revival, Romanesque-revival and Art Nouveau architecture. We walked through this cool tunnel into the Philosopher's garden. A nice spot.
Medieval Kraków was surrounded by a 1.9 mile defensive wall complete with 46 towers and seven main entrances leading through them. Of course, only parts of the wall are still standing, but it is a really cool walk to go around the old town on the path and see parts of the wall and the beautiful garden, statues, and fountains that are there now.
Medieval Kraków was surrounded by a 1.9 mile defensive wall complete with 46 towers and seven main entrances leading through them. Of course, only parts of the wall are still standing, but it is a really cool walk to go around the old town on the path and see parts of the wall and the beautiful garden, statues, and fountains that are there now.
The Kraków barbican is a fortified outpost once connected to the city walls. It is a historic gateway leading into the Old Town. The barbican is one of the few remaining relics of the complex network of fortifications and defensive barriers that once encircled the royal city.
After a long day of travel and taking in the sights we went back to the hotel for dinner and saw this sight from our room. Here is a short video of that sight as well.
2 comments:
So beautiful. Did you ever read "The Trumpeter of Krakow"? It is a very old Newbery winner. I don't remember much of it except I liked it. It might be fun for you to read now that you've been there and seen some of those old parts of the city.
Thanks, Diane. I heard about it while I was there, but it slipped my mind. I will read it directly!
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