We took a night train from Prague to Krakow. We had a cabin with basic bunk beds. Sleeping on the rocking train is very restful! A continental breakfast was included before our 7am arrival. We had reserved our room at the Venetian Apartment Hotel starting from the day before, so we could take showers and a nap before we started to explore. The hotel, first photo, is right on the town square, the largest medieval square in Europe. The second photo is a picture of a small portion of the square as seen from our room. Beautiful horse drawn carriages wait to take you for tours.
At 10am the first day we took an excellent 2 1/2 hour tour with Tomek, from Freewalkingtours.com. We learned a little of the history of the city. Krakow was perceived to be a German city by the Nazis so when they invaded, and the Polish army did not defend the city, it was not badly damaged. Similarly, the Germans did not defend the city against the Russians, so the city sustained remarkably little damage. There apparently was one air raid targeting Berlin, that was 100 miles off and accidently struck the city, but again, with no major destruction. This background will be important when we discuss what happened in Warsaw in the next blog.
Tomek’s tour was wonderful, with a lot of humor, that is Tomek in the black tee shirt in the second photo. Note the tethered balloon in the third picture. It is a long way off, and huge. It looks like the gondola can hold about 40 people.
One of our first stops was St. Mary’s Basilica, which is on the square. It was rebuilt in the 14th century. Note the two towers are not equal, there is a story of two brothers where building the towers, and they were in a competition to build them fast and tall. The one was losing, so in the story, he kills his brother and finishes his tower, from which he then jumps. The ceiling inside St. Mary’s is painted blue and decorated with gold stars. It is a gorgeous church. Every hour, from 9am to 9pm, a member of the fire department blows a bugle out the windows of the church, once from each of the four sides. The plaintive tune breaks off in mid-stream, to commemorate the famous 13th century trumpeter, who was shot in the throat while sounding the alarm before the Mongol attack on the city They have been doing this for 600 years, with a gap during WWII and one during part of the Russian Occupation.
One of our tour guides comment was, the Russians liberated us and then forgot to leave for 45 years.
Tomek showed us the Jagiellonian University, first photo below, which dates back to 1364. It is one of the oldest universities in the world and the university was the first in Europe to establish independent chairs in mathematics and astronomy. Nicolaus Copernicus was one of the students. The polish woman, who came to be known to the world as Madame Marie Curie, was turned down for admission, as she was a woman.
The second photo is of the beloved Polish Pope, John Paul II, who they give a lot of credit for their freedom from the Soviet Union. He had spent most of his life and career in Krakow.
The third and fourth photo below shows the Wawel Castle, a fortified architectural complex erected over many centuries. The complex consists of many buildings and fortifications; the largest and best known of these are the Royal Castle and the Wawel Cathedral (which is the Basilica of St Stanislaw and St Wacław). Some of Wawel's oldest stone buildings, such as the Rotunda of the Virgin Mary can be dated to 970 AD. There are also wooden parts of the complex which date to about the 9th century. The castle itself has been described as "one of the most fascinating of all European castles."
Wawel is a place of great significance to the Polish People: it first became a political power center at the end of the first millennium AD and in the 9th century, the principal fortified castrum of the Polish tribe. The first historical ruler Mieszko I (c.965–992) of the Piast dynasty and his successors chose Wawel to be their residences. At the same time Wawel became one of the principal Polish centers of Christianity. The first early Romanesque buildings were erected there including a stone cathedral serving the bishopric of Kraków in the year 1000. From the reign of Casmir the Restorer (1034–1058) Wawel became the leading political and administrative center for the Polish State.
Until 1611, the Wawel was the formal seat of the Polish monarchy; this was because Kraków was the capital of Poland from 1038 to 1569 and of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1569 to 1596. Therefore, the fortress-like Wawel complex which visually dominates the city has often been viewed as seat of power. Wawel Cathedral was not only a place of coronation for the Kings of Poland, but also their mausoleum.
During the 20th century, after the invasion of Poland at the start of World War II, Kraków became the seat of Germany's General Government, and the Wawel subsequently became the residence of the Nazi Governor General Hans Frank.. Following the cessation of hostilities, the Wawel was restored and once again become a national museum, a place of worship and center depicting Poland's complex history
One afternoon we took a trip to the Wieliczka Salt Mine, located in southern Poland. The mine, built in the 13th century, produced salt continuously until 2007. The mine's attractions include dozens of statues and four chapels that have been carved out of the rock salt by the miners. The oldest sculptures are augmented by the new carvings by contemporary artists. About 1.2 million people visit the Wieliczka Salt Mine annually.
The Wieliczka salt mine reaches a depth of 1,073 feet and is over 178 mi long. The rock salt is naturally grey in various shades, resembling unpolished granite rather than the white or crystalline look that many visitors may expect. During World War II, the shafts were used by the occupying Germans as an ad-hoc facility for various war-related industries. The mine features an underground lake; and the new exhibits on the history of salt mining, as well as the 2.2 mile tour route (less than 2% of the length of the mine's passages).
Even the crystals of the chandeliers are made from rock salt that has been dissolved and reconstituted to achieve a clear, glass-like appearance. It also houses a private rehabilitation and wellness complex.
Salt is translucent, so a light behind the statues make them glow. Wood is used for supporting structure, and the wood work is amazing.
We took a taxi to Oscar Schindler’s Factory. The company was originally established by three Jewish entrepreneurs. The partners leased the production halls from the factory of wire, mesh, and iron products with its characteristic saw tooth roofs, and purchased a plot at for their future base. It was then that the enamel shop was built. The facility had a stamping room where metal sheets were processed, prepared and pressed, the deacidification facility (varnishing) where the vessels were bathed in a solution of sulfuric acid to remove all impurities and grease, and the enamel shop, where enamel was laid in a number of layers: the priming coat first, then the color, and finally another protective coat. The factory produced enamel pots, basins, and pitchers , etc. in a familiar white color with blue edges.
The ownership of the company changed a number of times, and its financial situation continued to worsen. In June 1939, the company applied for insolvency, which was officially announced by the Regional Court in Kraków.
On 1st September 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland and the Second World War broke out. On 6th September, German troops entered Kraków. It was probably also at that time that Oskar Schindler, a German who was an agent of the German spy organization the Abwehr, arrived in Kraków. Using the power of the German occupation forces in the capacity of a trustee, he took over the German kitchenware shop. He employed initially Poles and as the Jews' situation grew worse, he hired Jews. He also produced ammunition shells, so that his factory would be classed as an essential part of the war effort. He managed to build a sub camp of the Plazszow work camp in the premises where "his" Jews had scarce contact with camp guards. As a German of high standing, he was able to isolate the Jews who worked for him from what was going on around them, and to ensure they had adequate food to live. His efforts to protect them is credited for their survival. The first photo is Nancy in front of some of the kitchenware produced by the factory.
The second photo is back in the square, watching Nancy’s favorite Polish Blues Band, which we did a couple of nights.
Krakow was a wonderful city. We were fighting colds, so we did not tour it as aggressively as we would have liked. We had a great food tour, also with FreeWalkingTours.Com, which introduced the wonderful food in this country.
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