Krakow, a city with a history stretching back almost a thousand years, has been home to many important figures who influenced not only the fate of the city but also the history of Poland and Europe. They include monarchs, scholars, artists and politicians whose achievements remain significant today.
A central figure in the city’s historical development was Casimir the Great (1310–1370), who reformed and modernised Poland from Wawel Castle. His extensive reforms included settling undeveloped land, introducing Magdeburg municipal law, establishing customs and tax policies and creating secure trade routes. He also granted important privileges to Jews, developed salt mines and codified national law. These exceptional achievements earned him the title “the Great”. Particularly important was his foundation of the University of Krakow in 1364, which rapidly developed into a centre of academic excellence.
Among the university’s students was the historian, diplomat and chronicler Jan Długosz (1415–1480), who left the important twelve-volume Latin work Annales seu Cronicae incliti Regni Poloniae. The university is also connected with Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543), whose monument stands near the Collegium Novum. He studied here with his brother Andreas between 1491 and 1494. In his groundbreaking work De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium, Copernicus presented the heliocentric model that transformed our understanding of the Solar System.
Krakow was always a cosmopolitan city in which many foreigners lived and worked. Filippo Buonaccorsi, known as Callimachus (1437–1497), was an Italian Renaissance humanist and statesman active in Krakow from 1470 who quickly attained considerable influence. His diplomatic missions took him to Constantinople, Venice and Rome. Veit Stoss (1447–1533), one of the leading sculptors of the late Gothic period, came from Nuremberg in 1477 and worked in Krakow until 1496. His masterpieces include the famous high altar of St Mary’s Church, the largest carved winged altarpiece of German Gothic art. Following the death of King Casimir IV, he also worked on tombs in Wawel Cathedral.
Jost Ludwig Dietz (1485–1545), originally from Alsace, played an important role as a diplomat, financial administrator and master of the royal mint under Sigismund the Old. His contacts included figures such as Martin Luther and Erasmus of Rotterdam.
Visitors entering Wawel encounter a monument to Tadeusz Kościuszko (1746–1817), the national hero and general who led the 1794 uprising against Russia and Prussia. Kościuszko also fought alongside George Washington in the American War of Independence and was buried in Wawel Cathedral.
During the nineteenth century, Krakow developed into the cultural centre of Galicia. Joseph Dietl (1804–1878), a physician, politician and mayor, had a major influence on the city’s development and promoted the use of Polish at the university. At the same time, Jan Matejko (1838–1893), one of Poland’s most important painters, created patriotic historical paintings such as The Battle of Grunwald (1878) and Prussian Homage (1882). Stanisław Wyspiański (1869–1907), a leading artist of the Young Poland movement, also shaped the city through paintings, ornament, stage designs and stained glass, including the windows of the Franciscan Church. His plays draw on mythology and Polish history.
Krakow is also a city of literature. The Polish philosopher and science-fiction writer Stanisław Lem (1921–2006) lived and wrote here; his books were translated into 57 languages and sold more than 45 million copies. The poet Wisława Szymborska (1923–2012), winner of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Literature, spent her youth and student years in Krakow and studied Polish literature and sociology at the Jagiellonian University.
Because of its many churches, Krakow is often called “Little Rome”. Only a few kilometres away was born Karol Wojtyła (1920–2005), the future Pope John Paul II. His clerical career developed in Krakow, where he served as priest, bishop and archbishop. Today, monuments, an avenue bearing his name and the grave of his parents in Rakowicki Cemetery recall his connection with the city.
Krakow is closely associated musically with the contemporary composer Krzysztof Penderecki (1933–2020), whose works became part of the avant-garde of Polish music. The British violinist Nigel Kennedy (born 1956) has also lived partly in Krakow. Through his Polish wife, he became involved with local artists and undertook joint projects, including performances with the klezmer band Kroke. From 2002, he served as artistic director of the Polish Chamber Orchestra, a position once held by his mentor Yehudi Menuhin.
Discover Krakow—a city where history remains alive and culture is encountered at every step.
