Sights in Małopolska
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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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Basilica of St Francis
Duck into the dark basilica on a sunny day to admire the artistry of Stanisław Wyspiański, who designed the fantastic Art Nouveau stained-glass windows. The multicoloured deity in the chancel above the organ loft is a masterpiece. From the transept, you can also enter the Gothic cloister of the Franciscan Monastery to admire the fragments of 15th-century frescos.
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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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Museum of Pharmacy
Museum of Pharmacy is one of the largest museums of its kind in Europe and arguably the best. Accommodated in a beautiful historic town house worth the visit alone, it features a 22,000-piece collection, which includes old laboratory equipment, rare pharmaceutical instruments, heaps of glassware, stoneware, mortars, jars, barrels, medical books and documents.
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Corpus Christi Church
Founded in 1340, Corpus Christi was the first church in Kazimierz. Its interior has been almost totally fitted out with Baroque furnishings, including the huge high altar, extraordinary massive carved stalls in the chancel and a boat-shaped pulpit. Note the surviving 15th-century stained-glass window in the sanctuary and the interesting crucifix hanging above the chancel.
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Synagogue
The only synagogue to survive of the 38 that functioned before WWII is in an early 20th-century building, which bears no distinguishing features of a synagogue. It contains a modest exhibition of old photographs, books in Hebrew and ritual objects. Enter the gate from the street and take the door on the right leading upstairs to the 1st-floor synagogue.
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Florian Gate
The Florian Gate is the only one of the original eight gates in the city’s mury obronne (defensive walls) that was not dismantled during the 19th-century ‘modernisation’. It was built around 1300, although the top is a later addition. The adjoining walls, together with two towers, have also been left standing.
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Archdiocesan Museum
This 14th-century town house holds a collection of religious sculpture and painting, dating from the 13th to the 16th centuries. Most visitors come to see where Karol Wojtyła (the late Pope John Paul II) lived from 1952 to 1967. The exhibit includes plenty of personal paraphernalia, such as the papal skis, as well as a treasury of gifts that he received.
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Church of Ss Peter & Paul
The first Baroque building in Kraków, the Church of SS Peter & Paul was erected by the Jesuits. Designed on the Latin cross layout and topped with a large skylit dome, the church has a refreshingly sober interior. The elaborate facade contrasts dramatically with the austere Romanesque exterior of the Church of St Andrew next door.
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St Barbara’s Church
The 17th-century St Barbara’s Church is 1km south of the monastery. Its location is believed to have been determined by the spring that emerged here when the Black Madonna needed to be washed after it was vandalised (it’s still bubbling away behind the church). This legend is depicted on the vault of the chapel.
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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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Chapel of Our Lady
In the oldest part of the complex, the Chapel of Our Lady contains the revered Black Madonna. The picture is ceremoniously unveiled at 6am and 1.30pm (2pm Saturday and Sunday) and veiled at noon and 9.20pm (1pm and 9.20pm Saturday and Sunday). Be sure to note the walls displaying votive offerings brought by pilgrims.
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Church of St Andrew
Built towards the end of the 11th century, Church of St Andrew is one of Kraków’s oldest, and has preserved much of its austere Romanesque stone exterior. As soon as you enter, though, you’re in a totally different world; its small interior was subjected to a radical Baroque overhaul in the 18th century.
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Piłsudski Mound
Within the confines of Wolski Forest, the 35m Piłsudski Mound is the tallest of the four city mounds. Using soil taken from WWI battle sites, it was erected in honour of the marshal Józef Piłsudski after his death in 1935. The mound is about 1km north of the zoo; otherwise, walkers can follow a well-marked trail from the Kościuszko Mound.
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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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Krzysztofory Palace
The palace at the corner of the Rynek Główny is the headquarters of the History of Kraków Museum. Once an aristocratic town house, the building now recounts the city's history from 1257 to WWII. The museum features a bit of every- thing related to the city's past, including armour, paintings, folk art and costumes.
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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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National Museum - Main Building
The so-called Main Building of the National Museum in Kraków houses three permanent exhibitions - the Gallery of 20th-Century Polish Painting, the Gallery of Decorative Art, and Polish Arms and National Colours - plus various temporary exhibitions. The excellent painting gallery includes art from 1890 until the present day.
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Plenipotentiary's Villa
On your way to the Education and Museum Centre, you may see a striking wooden building that looks something like a Swiss chalet. This Plenipotentiary's Villa was built in the late 19th century as a rendition of the 17th-century gates that once led to the Zamoyski's menagerie. It now houses Roztocze National Park Management.
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Oriental Art Exhibition
The Oriental Art Exhibition features a collection of 17th-century Turkish banners and weaponry, captured after the Battle of Vienna, displayed along with a variety of old Persian carpets, Chinese and Japanese ceramics, and other Asian antiques. The entrance is from the northwestern corner of the courtyard.
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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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Monastery of Camaldolese Monks
The mighty Monastery of Camaldolese Monks sits atop Silver Mountain, overlooking the Vistula (Wisła) River. Men can visit the church and crypt any day, but women can enter the complex only on certain feast days. From Salwator take any westbound bus except 100; you can also follow the marked trail 1km south from the zoo.
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Zwierzyniec Brewery
Near the church is the Zwierzyniec Brewery, established in 1806 and still producing excellent beer today, predictably named 'Zwierzyniec'. The brewery itself is not open to visitors, but the small bar at the entrance sure is. It should be mandatory for breweries to be situated in such close proximity to walking trails.
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