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Attractions
While every visitor to Krakow makes the Old Town square their first port of call, we would also highly recommend Kazimierz as a must-see destination.
Once Krakow's twin medieval city, now an integral part of Krakow, Kazimierz district is situated just south of the Old Town historic centre and attracts visitors with its landmarks, former Jewish quarter, and a plethora of vibrant nightspots. Strolling down the old narrow streets of the eastern half of Krakow’s Kazimierz district, one still finds the unique atmosphere of the Jewish heritage in this area. A visit to the Museum of Judaism at 24 Szeroka Street is a must. Other interesting places are Isaac's Synagogue, the High Synagogue, Tempel and Remuh synagogues. Remuh cemetery by the Remuh Synagogue at 40 Szeroka Street derives its name from the nickname of the famous 16th-century rabbi and religious writer Moses Isserles. Even today pious Jews still come to pray at his grave and the graves of the other great men who were buried here. The cemetery was used from 1551 to 1800. Its hundreds of old tombstones, dating mostly from the Renaissance, as well as its history and surroundings make the Remuh Cemetery one of Europe's most interesting, on a par with that of Prague's Jewish quarter.
See also InYourPocket web site for more sightseeing ideas when exploring Jewish traces in Kazimierz.
Skalka is Krakow's oldest shrine. It is also Poland's second holiest sanctuary after the Jasna Gora monastery of Czestochowa. It lies mostly undisturbed by visitors, a mere five minute riverside walk down the Vistula river from the more visited Wawel Royal Castle. Here, on a rocky hillock called Skalka, once stood a rotunda church, where king Boleslav II the Bold put to death Krakow's Bishop Stanislav in 1079. The king was exiled and the late bishop worshipped as a martyr who had exposed the excesses of the tyrannical monarch. In 1253 bishop Stanislav was canonized to become the chief patron saint of Poland. Throughout the Middle Ages his cult was pivotal in forming both the Polish nation and the country's political culture with its tradition of the accountability of those in power. As a result Poland’s kings-elects had to come to the Skalka Sanctuary on their coronation to atone for the sins of their predecessors. The present splendid Baroque church of the mid 18th century is the fourth on the site. Nevertheless visitors can still see three dark spots of St. Stanislav's blood on the church wall. Since the 1880s some of Poland's most illustrious luminaries have been posthumously accorded ceremonial burial in its crypt which is open to the public. The church adjoins a 17th-century Paulinite monastery modeled on a Renaissance castle. Every year on St. Stanislav’s day, May 8, a major religious procession led by Krakow bishops gathers Polish notables and immense crowds of the faithful when the saint’s relics are carried from the Skalka sanctuary to the Wawel Cathedral.
Wawel Castle is located picturesquely on a small hill upon the Vistula river is probably Krakow’s main attraction, but despite being visited by thousands of tourists is worth the effort. The castle, once a residence of the Polish kings, is a magnificent Renaissance building with some Gothic and Baroque features. The most fascinating place to visit.
Collegium Maius, the oldest college of the Jagiellonian university, was rebuilt by the end of the 15th century as a splendid late-Gothic edifice around a vast courtyard with surrounding arcades and a well of 1517 in the centre. Professors lived and worked upstairs, while lecturing downstairs. The beautiful college courtyard is accessible free of charge daylong plus on odd evenings when it provides picturesque background for open-air theater or musical events. At 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. the courtyard clock performs little show with wooden figures of kings and famous professors parading to solemn music.
There are numerous tourist attractions in the area around Krakow. Below you will find some of our suggestions.
The Wieliczka Salt Mine which lies about 12 km (8 miles) from the centre of Krakow is a world class tourist attraction. The Salt Mine Museum offers visitors a tour of its underground tunnels the oldest part of the mine.
No visit to Krakow is complete without a trip to Auschwitz concentration camp in nearby Oswiecim. Oswiecim is about 60km (40 miles) west of Krakow. Here during the Second War the Nazis built an infamous concentration camp. Admission to the Museum is free. The Museum is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. till sunset.
Pieskowa Skala is a spectacular castle located about 30 km (20 miles) from Krakow. The Renaissance castle of Pieskowa Skała houses an exhibition of European art of the 15th to 19th centuries. If you go to Pieskowa Skala, make sure you visit Ojcow – a picturesque little town nearby. Please visit their web site for details.
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| Krakow’s Kazimierz district |
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| Skalka monastery |
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| Wawel castle |
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| One of the picturesque streets around the Skalka |
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| Old Town Square |