Other sights in Małopolska
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Kantor's Atelier
Even in life it was hard to define Tadeusz Kantor, a master of both performance and visual arts, who blurred the line between genres. Poet, painter, set designer and actor, he delighted and confounded his audiences with his one-man avant-garde extravaganzas. The venue for his performances was the Cricot 2 Theatre - defunct since his death in 1990. But the Crikoteka archive documents his life work, maintaining a collection of set designs, costumes, photographs and videos. Kantor's Atelier is also open to the public, housing a small gallery of pieces that the artist created towards the end of his life.
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Mariacka Basilica
The twin steeples of the Mariacka Basilica tower over the Rynek Główny, acting as a geographic and historic landmark. From here the bugler plays the hejnał every hour, marking the time and remembering the legend of the trumpeter of Kraków. Enter the side door into the church, which is a veritable museum of artistic masterpieces: wall paintings by Jan Matejko; windows by Stanisław Wyspiański and Józef Mehoffer; and the gilded pentaptych altarpiece by Wit Stwosz. You can also climb to the tall tower to get up close and personal with the bugler.
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Schindler's Factory
The massive enamelware factory (made famous by Steven Spielberg) was where Oskar Schindler employed thousands of Jewish prisoners - and eventually saved many of their lives. The factory is as an interactive, multimedia museum of WWII history. The museum features exhibits on the Nazi invasion of Poland, daily life in the ghetto and the Płaszów Camp, as well as a re-creation of Schindler's office. The thought-provoking 'room of choices' encourages visitors to consider the difficult judgments that every person had to make during the war.
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Plac Bohaterów Getta
The centre of the Jewish ghetto was Plac Zgody, now named after the 'heroes of the ghetto'. This was the point of departure for thousands of Jews who boarded the waiting trains to the various camps. Today it is marked with a memorial by Kraków architects Piotr Lewicki and Kazimierz Latak consisting of 70 eerily empty chairs, which represent furniture and other remnants discarded by the deportees. Just south of the square on ul Lwowska is a remaining piece of the ghetto wall with a plaque marking the site.
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St Florian’s Church
This 12th-century church’s location was apparently chosen by the oxen that carried the holy relics of St Florian from Rome. When the beasts of burden would go no further, it was taken as a sign of a holy site. In 1582, the church survived a fire that swept through the city; since then, St Florian has been considered a patron saint of Kraków and of firefighters. The nearby monument celebrates the 1410 Battle of Grunwald, when the Poles defeated the Teutonic Knights.
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Steelworks Complex
You can’t actually go inside the massive steelworks complex at the east end of the suburb, but it’s worth riding the tram to the entrance, which is marked with a huge sign for Huta im Tadeusza Sendzimira. (Originally named after Lenin, the factory adopted the name of this Polish-American inventor in 1989.) The castlelike administrative buildings reflect the Renaissance style that was declared to be Poland’s ‘national form’.
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Bishop Erazm Ciołek Palace
Quaint, cobblestoned Kanonicza is the perfect street to put a palace and fill it with age-old paintings and sculpture. This newish branch of the National Museum contains two exhibits of religious artwork. The Art of Old Poland (12th to18th centuries) includes loads of Gothic paintings, altar pieces and an entire room devoted to Veit Stoss. The second exhibit focuses on Orthodox art, which means iconography, from the eastern regions.
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Castle of Chęciny
From a distance, the Castle of Chęciny looks like a foreboding tri-chimneyed factory. Closer inspection reveals its impressive hilltop location presiding over the quaint town of Chęciny. The view from one of the towers reveals why the site was chosen as an all-seeing defensive position. Visitors can climb the tower to experience a great view of the surrounding region and pleasant town of Chęciny.
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Arka Pana
The beloved Arka Pana was the first church in Nowa Huta, built in 1977 after much controversy. Authorities had intended the suburb to be a church-free zone, and it required protests and politicking by the local bishop (one Karol Wojtyła, who would later become pope) to get the job done. Across the street, a small monument marks the spot where a steelworker was killed while protesting communist rule.
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Defensive Walls
Dating to around 1300, the Florian Gate (Brama Floriańska) is the only gate surviving from the city's defensive walls. To the north, the Barbican (Barbakan) is a powerful, circular brick bastion adorned with seven turrets. This curious piece of defensive art was built around 1498 for additional protection; it was once connected to the gate by a narrow passage running over a moat.
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State Rooms
The castle's official State Rooms, or Royal Chambers, have been restored to their original Renaissance and Baroque styles. The two-dozen 2nd-floor rooms are crammed with period paintings, tapestries and works of art. The highlight is the Hall of Deputies: its fantastic coffered ceiling is studded with 30 individually carved and painted wooden heads staring back at you.
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Church of St Benedict
Tucked into a wooded hillside above Podgórze, this mysterious little church is one of the oldest in Kraków. Historians are not certain of its origin, though archaeologists estimate that it was built in the 12th century. Although the interior has been restored, the church is open only once a year on the first Tuesday after Easter, when the spring festival of Rękawka is celebrated.
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Krakus Mound
Nobody knows the exact origins of the 16m mound that towers over Podgórze. According to legend, it was the burial site of the city's founder, Prince Krak. Excavations in the 1930s could not confirm this story, but they did discover artefacts dating to the 7th century. The mysterious mound offers 360º of panoramic views, including the Old Town, Kazimierz, Nowa Huta and Płaszów.
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Teatr Ludowy
It’s worth a visit to the Teatr Ludowy just to admire the proletarian architecture. Built in 1955, the theatre was known for its experimental, avant-garde productions. Equally innovative, the Łaźnia Nowa has converted an old workshop into an experimental art space, with two stages and plenty of creative juice.
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Open-Air Museum of the Kielce Village
In the village of Tokarnia, 20km from Kielce, is the 80-hectare Open-Air Museum of the Kielce Village. The skansen (open-air museum of traditional architecture) includes many structures complete with interiors. Particularly interesting is the exhibition dedicated to local woodcarver Jan Bernasiewicz (1908–84).
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Synagogue
The Renaissance synagogue built between 1610 and 1618. One of the two side rooms off the main hall was destroyed during Nazi occupation, and the interior stripped of its fittings. The synagogue is the subject of a restoration project. Note the surviving stucco decoration and the reconstructed decorative parapets.
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Botanical Gardens
The botanical gardens of Jagiellonian University are nearly 10 hectares of green and flowery loveliness. Besides the fresh air and beautiful blooms, the gardens offer fascinating exhibits of medicinal plants, endangered species of Polish flora and plants described in the Bible. The amazing orchid collection dates to the 1860s.
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Pharmacy Museum
Set in a beautiful historic town house, this unexpectedly fascinating museum features a 22,000-piece collection of old laboratory equipment, rare pharmaceutical instruments, glassware, stoneware, mortars, jars, barrels, medical books and documents. Several pharmacies from previous centuries have been painstakingly recreated.
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Museum of the Holy Cross Ancient Metallurgy
The Museum of the Holy Cross Ancient Metallurgy was established on the site where primitive 2nd-century smelting furnaces (dymarki) were discovered in 1955. Since 1967 the process of melting iron ore in dymarki stoves has been demonstrated in Nowa Słupia in late August every year.
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Józef Mehoffer House
The 'Young Poland' artist lived in this stately home from 1932 until his death in 1946. The museum preserves the elegant interiors, with many original furnishings and artwork. Look out for work by the artist, including stained-glass windows and portraits of his wife. Be sure not to miss the lovely garden.
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Palace of Fine Arts
The centrepiece of the Art Nouveau Plac Szczepański is this elaborate edifice on its west side. An incredible frieze circles the building (product of Jacek Malczewski), while the busts on the facade honour Polish artists. The building is used for temporary art exhibits; admission price varies.
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Kraków Aquarium
Your kids will love the chance to get up close and personal with dozens of fish, turtles, snakes and lizards. The smallish facility packs more than 130 species into its urban location, with aquatic creatures on the ground floor and reptiles (plus a set of furry marmosets!) upstairs.
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Oriental Art Exhibit
Celebrating Poland's proudest moment, this exhibit shows off the loot from the Battle of Vienna. The collection of 17th-century Turkish banners and weaponry is displayed along with a variety of Persian carpets, Chinese and Japanese ceramics, and other Asian antiques.
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Papal Window
When visiting Kraków, Pope John Paul II used to address his followers from this window of the Bishop's Palace, overlooking ul Franciszkańska. If you look closely, you can almost see the smiling pope waving to the people. No, really.
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Royal Castle at Niepołomice
The Royal Castle at Niepołomice lies 25km east of Kraków. There is only one direct bus to Niepołomice (departing from the main bus station), so you will likely have to make a connection in Wieliczka.
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