The South
Poland’s second city also stands on the banks of the River Wisla (Vistula), but far to the south in the wooded foothills of the Tatra Mountains. It still retains its charming medieval air, having largely escaped destruction during World War II; it is one of UNESCO’s 12 most significant historical sites. In the middle of the central Market Square – the largest in Europe – is the Cloth Hall, which was reconstructed in the 19th century from 14th-century merchants’ stalls; this houses the art and sculpture galleries of the National Museum. Opposite is St Mary’s Church with its world-famous wooden altar carved by Wit Stwosz. The Jagiellonian University, founded in 1364, is one of the oldest in Europe. After many years of neglect, Kraków’s former Jewish quarter, Kazimierz, is reviving; the Old Synagogue (1557) is the oldest surviving in the country. Also in Kazimierz is the country’s largest Ethnographic Museum. Kraków was Poland’s capital until 1596. Overlooking the city is Wawel Castle, with its marvellous 16th-century tapestries and, beside it, the Gothic Cathedral, where many Polish kings are buried. The Czartoryski Palace houses the city’s best collection of ancient art, European paintings and crafts.
Another of Poland’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites is the cathedral-like salt mines at Wieliczka, 13km (8 miles) from Kraków. The subterranean route spans 4.5km (2.8 miles) leading to the oldest part of the mine through 14th- and 15th-century chapels and crystal caves. 70km (43 miles) from Kraków lies the site of the Oswiecim-Birkenau (Auschwitz-Birkenau) concentration camp in which 4 million people were killed by the Nazis. The camp area has been designated as a memorial monument and a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Other important nearby locations include the Bledowska Desert, perhaps the only true desert in Europe; Wadowice, the birthplace of Pope John Paul II; and the Icon of the Black Madonna in the huge Jasna Góra monastery complex at Czestochowa, 100km (60 miles) north of Kraków (reputed to have been painted by St Luke). Bieszczadski National Park is part of the Carpathian mountain range and contains the surviving fragments of the Great Bieszczady Forest, home to the brown bear, lynx and wildcat.
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