Photo Album: Images From my Trip to Krakow

Images From my Trip to Krakow
April 18, 2003
Images From my Trip to Krakow
Photos in Album: 110

The two historical centers of Poland was Krakow and Warsaw. While Warsaw was leveled during the war, Krakow, like Praha (Prague), was preserved. Krakow is much smaller than Praha or Budapest, with a population of about 770,000 (that is less than back home in Honolulu.) The earliest records date Krakow back to the 600's ad. While in Krakow I stayed at the Elektor Hotel. It is a beautiful old hotel whos foundations date to the early 1400's, and has been the host of royalty from all over the world. I reccommend that you stay at the main hotel and not the Aneks (Annex). The rooms are more expensive, but the location is better and the rooms are superb.

This is the dining area where you can have breakfast etc. Note the beautiful tapestries.

These photos start in the old town square (Rynek Glowny.) This large building is the historical Cloth Hall.

This is Saint Mary's Church (Kosciol Mariacki). The first church built on this spot dates to the 1200's. Interestingly enough, the gold ball above the gilded crown on the taller of the two towers contains the written history of Krakow. The crown dates to 1666. Every hour, from the taller tower, the Hejnal (Bugle Call) is played on a trumpet to the four directions. The call consists of only five notes, and was played in the middle ages as a warning call. It interrups in the middle of the call, a memorial to the Tartar invasions, during one of which the bugler had his throat pierced by a Tartar arrow while trying to warn the town.

More photos around the old town square

This is Saint Adalbert's church. The church dates back to the 900's. During the summer you can take a tour down to the basement where they have archaeological finds excavated from the square, including the medieval wooden sewage pipes and a 12th century tomb complete with skeleton.

This is the church of Saints Peter and Paul, the oldest baroque church in town. It was founded by the Jesuits who came in 1583 to help fight the reformation.

This is Saint Andrew's Church. Built in the late 1000's, it is one of Krakow's oldest churches in the romanesque style.

This is Wawel, where almost all of the Polish rulers were coronated (19 kings and one queen.)

The legend is that there was a powerful prince named Krakus, who built a castle on a hill named Wawel on the bank of the Vistula and named the town after himself. The problem was that there was a dragon living below the castle. The creature was ravenous, eating much of the surrounding wildlife, including a young maiden or two. The prince ordered a sheep's hide to be filled with sulphur, which was cast into the den where the dragon immediately ate it in one gulp. Once the dragon started feeling the sulphur burining in its stomach, it rushed to the river and drank and drank. The dragon drank so much water it exploded, giving the villagers a fireworks display. This statue has been placed on where the dragon's den once stood.

Next we went to the Jagiellonian University, Poland's oldest university founded in 1364.

Here in the university courtyard the clock, similar to that in Praha's Stary Mesto, has music that is played and characters that circle between the two doors. The lighting was bad due to the clock being directly under an overhang, but I tweaked it as much as I could.

Here we are back at the main town square.

Next we went to Kazimierz, the city's old jewish district. Sadly, due to the nazis, there are reportedly only about 100 jews left living in Kazimierz.

This is a picture of the wall in the waiting area of the Elektor hotel, where you can see on the wall pictures of several notable guests, including the Queen of England.