Krakow—a fascinating city of history and UNESCO World Heritage
Krakow has an exceptional collection of original buildings from many different periods and is one of the world’s great cultural treasures. Below we introduce the principal attractions that can make a visit to the city unforgettable.
A walking tour can begin at the famous Barbican, one of Europe’s finest surviving examples of medieval fortification. Once connected by a walled passage to the nearby Florian Gate, the two structures formed Krakow’s ceremonial entrance, through which kings, envoys and dignitaries entered the city. The Florian Gate is now Krakow’s only surviving city gate and leads directly to lively Floriańska Street and the broad Main Market Square (Rynek Główny).
Covering approximately four hectares, Krakow’s Main Market Square is one of the largest in Europe. It was laid out in 1257 when the city received its charter and for centuries served as the centre of social, economic and religious life. At its heart stand the Cloth Hall (Sukiennice), Krakow’s oldest trading halls. First built in the thirteenth century, they were rebuilt in the Italian Renaissance style after a devastating fire in 1555. Today, the upper floor houses a gallery of the National Museum, while the ground floor contains stalls selling souvenirs and handicrafts.
On the north-eastern side of the square rises majestic St Mary’s Church. Built between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries, it reflects the pride and wealth of the city’s medieval citizens. Its most famous treasure is the late-Gothic winged altarpiece created by the Nuremberg sculptor Veit Stoss between 1477 and 1489. Behind the altar are fourteenth-century stained-glass windows. Two towers of unequal height dominate the west front, and the higher one, once used as a watchtower, is known for the hourly trumpet call.
Opposite stands the Town Hall Tower, the surviving remnant of Krakow’s fourteenth-century town hall, formerly the seat of the municipal authorities and mayor. Its underground rooms once contained a torture chamber and prison, before the cellars became famous for serving beer from Świdnica.
Leave the Main Market Square along Grodzka Street towards Wawel and reach All Saints Square. On the left stands the Dominican Church, whose order arrived in Krakow in 1222. The three-aisled basilica developed over centuries, although repeated fires destroyed much of its original interior, including Gothic furnishings lost in the fire of 1850. Particularly notable is the bronze tomb slab of Filippo Buonaccorsi, known as Callimachus, near the sacristy. It was made in the Vischer workshop in Nuremberg to a design associated with Veit Stoss. The church also contains important Renaissance and Baroque chapels and Gothic cloisters belonging to the adjoining monastery.
On the opposite side of the square, beside the former Wielopolski Palace, now the seat of Krakow’s mayor and municipal administration, stands the Franciscan Church. This imposing Gothic monastery church was founded in the mid-thirteenth century by Duke Bolesław the Chaste. It was also badly damaged by the fire of 1850 and now has a nineteenth-century Neo-Gothic interior. Particularly impressive are the wall paintings in the nave, chancel and transept and the monumental stained-glass windows by the celebrated Polish Art Nouveau artist Stanisław Wyspiański. The Gothic cloister contains a unique gallery of portraits of Krakow’s bishops and fifteenth-century wall paintings.
On the way to Wawel Hill, you pass the distinctive Church of St Andrew with its two characteristic Romanesque towers. During the Middle Ages, it stood at the centre of the settlement of Okół and served as a refuge during the Mongol invasion of 1241.
Continue along Kanonicza Street, which linked Krakow with Wawel Hill from the early Middle Ages. It is lined with residences built from the fourteenth century for canons of the cathedral chapter and is distinguished by architectural details and a unique atmosphere.
Another treasure is the Jagiellonian University, founded in 1364 by King Casimir the Great and the second-oldest university in Central and Eastern Europe after Prague. Renewed by King Władysław II Jagiełło in 1400, it developed into an important centre of mathematics and astronomy. Nicolaus Copernicus studied here in the fifteenth century, and it is believed that the foundations of his heliocentric theory may have been formed in Krakow. Following decline in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the university underwent important Enlightenment reforms. Today, approximately 120,000 students contribute to Krakow’s vibrant academic and cultural life.
The Collegium Maius on Jagiellońska Street is the oldest surviving university building, dating from the fifteenth century. The four-wing complex once contained professors’ accommodation and teaching rooms. It now houses the Jagiellonian University Museum, with treasures including historic rector’s sceptres and the famous Jagiellonian Globe, one of the earliest globes to show America.
The Collegium Novum at 24 Gołębia Street is an impressive Neo-Gothic building erected at the end of the nineteenth century on the site of the former Jerusalem student residence. It now houses the rector’s office and university administration. In November 1939, it was the scene of the tragic Sonderaktion Krakau, during which German occupiers arrested many professors who were later sent to concentration camps.
Another Baroque masterpiece is the Church of St Anne on św. Anny Street. Built at the end of the seventeenth century to designs by Tylman van Gameren, it formerly hosted formal gatherings of professors, doctoral ceremonies and academic inaugurations. The three-aisled basilica in the form of a Latin cross is one of Poland’s finest examples of Baroque art and combines Roman and Polish influences.
Discover Krakow, a city where history remains alive and whose rich cultural heritage captivates every visitor.
Find out more about our school trip to Krakow.
Learn more about our cultural tour to Krakow.
