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Template:Infobox Poland

Cracow's Historic Centre

UNESCO World Heritage Site
Criteria	Cultural: iv
Reference	29
Inscription	1978 (2nd Session)

Kraków (IPA: Audio file "Krakow.ogg" not found) or Cracow, also known by its alternative and foreign names, is one of the oldest and largest cities of Poland, with a 2004 population of 780,000 (metropolitan area:1.4 million). This historic city is situated on the Vistula River at the foot of Wawel Hill in the Lesser Poland region. It was the capital of Poland until 1596 and the capital of Kraków Voivodeship from the 14th century to the year 1999. It is now the capital of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship.

Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading scientific, cultural and artistic centres of the country. As the former residence of the Polish kings and the former national capital, for many the city remains the spiritual heart of Poland, with a history stretching back over a thousand years. Kraków is also a major centre of local and international tourism, attracting seven million visitors annually.

Etymology of name

The name of Kraków is traditionally derived from the legendary ruler Krakus (Krak, Grakch), the founder of Kraków and the ruler of the tribe of Lechitians (Poles). Krak's name is sometimes attributed to a pre-Slavic word "krakula", meaning judge's staff, or a pre-Slavic word "krak", meaning an oak, a sacred tree, most often associated with the concept of genealogy. The first mention about prince Krakus (then written as Grakch) dates back to 1190.

The full city's name (used only on ceremonial occasions) is Royal Capital City of Kraków (Template:Lang-pl). Kraków is also known in Latin as Cracovia, in French as Cracovie, in German as Krakau and in Hungarian as Krakkó.

History

Early Kraków

The earliest known settlement on the present site of Kraków was established on Wawel Hill, and dates back to the 4th century. Legend attributes the town's establishment to the mythical ruler Krakus, who built it above a cave occupied by a ravenous dragon, Smok Wawelski.

Before the Polish state formed, Kraków was the capital of the tribe of Vistulans, subjugated for a short period by Great Moravia. Kraków's first appearance in historical records dates back to the 8th century, noting that the prince of the Vistulans was baptized there. The first mention of the city's name dates to 966, when Abraham ben Jacob mentioned it as a notable commercial centre.

After Great Moravia was destroyed by the Hungarians, Kraków became part of the Kingdom of Bohemia. By the end of the 10th century, the city was a leading center of trade. Around that time, it was incorporated into the holdings of the Piast dynasty of Poland. Brick buildings were being constructed, including Wawel Castle, Romanesque churches such as St. Adalbert's, a cathedral, and a basilica.

The city was almost entirely destroyed during the Tatar invasions. It was rebuilt in 1257 in a form which was practically unaltered, and as such adopted the city rights under Magdeburg law. In 1259 and 1287 Kraków was again destroyed by the Mongols. The year 1311 saw the Rebellion of wójt Albert against King Władysław I the Elbow-high, which involved mostly German-speaking citizens of the capital.

The city rose to new prominence in 1364, when Casimir III of Poland founded the University of Kraków, the second university in central Europe after the University of Prague. There had already been a cathedral school under the auspices of the city's bishop since 1150. The city continued to grow under the joint Lithuanian-Polish Jagiellon dynasty (1386–1572). As the capital of a powerful state, it became a flourishing center of science and the arts. Many works of Polish Renaissance art and architecture were created there during that time.

Kraków was a member of the Hanseatic League, leading many craftsmen to settle there, establish businesses, and form craftsmen's guilds. City laws, including guilds' depictions and desciptions, were recorded in the Balthasar Behem Codex; now featured at the Jagiellonian library.

Some of Europe's oldest synagogues were built in the adjoining Jewish quarter of Kazimierz. The most prominent of them, the Old Synagogue, now serves as a Jewish museum.

15th – 16th century

In 1468 the Italian humanist Filip Callimachus settled in Kraków and worked as the teacher of the children of Casimir IV. In 1488 the imperial Poet Laureate and humanist Conrad Celtes founded the Sodalitas Litterarum Vistulana (Vistula Literary Society) based on Roman academies. In 1489 Veit Stoss of Nuremberg finished his work on the Great Altar of the St. Mary's Church. He later also carved a marble sarcophagus for Casimir IV. Numerous other artists, mainly from Nuremberg and Italy lived and worked in Kraków, i.e. Francesco Florentino, Bartholommeo Berecci, Santi Gucci, Mateo Gucci, Bernardo Morando and Giovanni Baptista di Quadro. By 1500, Johann Haller had established a printing press in the city.

In 1520, Johan Behem made the most famous church bell in Poland, named the Sigismund Bell after King Sigismund I. At the same time Hans Dürer, younger brother of Albrecht Dürer, was Sigismund's court painter. Hans von Kulmbach made several altars and other pieces for Kraków's churches.

In 1572, King Sigismund II died childless and the Polish throne passed on to Sigismund III of the Swedish House of Vasa. Kraków's importance began to decline, accelerated by the pillaging of the city during the Swedish invasion, and an outbreak of a plague that left 20,000 city residents dead. Sigismund III moved his capital to Warsaw in 1596.

Late 18th – end of 19th century

In the late 18th century, the weakened Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was partitioned by its neighbors, Russia, the Habsburg empire, and Prussia. Kraków became part of the Austrian province of Galicia. In 1794 Tadeusz Kościuszko initiated a revolt, the Kościuszko insurrection in Kraków's market square. The Prussian army put down the revolt, and looted Polish royal treasure kept in the city.

When Napoleon Bonaparte captured what once had been Poland, he established the Duchy of Warsaw (1809) as an independent but subordinate state which Kraków was a part of. However, the Congress of Vienna (1815) restored the partition of Poland, at the same time granting Kraków partial independence as the Free City of Kraków. The city again became the focus of a struggle for national sovereignty in 1846, during the Kraków Uprising. The uprising failed to spread outside the city and was put down, resulting in Kraków's annexation by Austria.

After the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, Austria granted a degree of autonomy to Galicia. As this form of Austrian rule was more benevolent than that exercised by Russia and Prussia, Kraków became a Polish national symbol and a center of culture and art, known frequently as the "Polish Athens" (Polskie Ateny) to which Poles would flock to revere the symbols and monuments of Poland's great past. Several important celebrations took place in Kraków during the period from 1866 to 1914, including the 500th anniversary of the Battle of Grunwald in 1910. Famous painters, poets and writers of this period include Jan Matejko, Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz, Jan Kasprowicz, Juliusz Kossak, Wojciech Kossak, Stanisław Wyspiański, and Stanisław Przybyszewski. The latter two were leaders of Polish modernism.

20th century to the present

Fin de siècle Kraków turned into a modern metropolis. In 1901 running water and electric streetcars were introduced to the city. The city became the centre of Polish national movement and culture during that period. In 1910 Kraków and surrounding suburban communities were incorporated in a single administrative unit Greater Kraków (Wielki Kraków) thanks to Juliusz Leo, the city's mayor. As a result, Kraków's population doubled in just fifteen years, to 183,000 in 1915.

Russian troops besieged Kraków during the first winter of the First World War. Thousands of residents left the city, returning in the spring and summer of 1915. During the war Polish Legions led by Józef Piłsudski set out from Kraków to fight for the liberation of Poland. Soon the Treaty of Versailles (1919) established the first sovereign Polish state in over a century. Between the two World Wars Krakow was also a major cultural center of Polish Jews, with Zionist movement relatively strong among the city's Jewish population.

The Nazi German forces entered Kraków in September 1939 and turned it into the capital of the General Government, a colonial authority headed by Hans Frank. The occupation took a heavy toll, particularly on the city's cultural heritage. Over 150 professors and academics of the Jagiellonian University were arrested and sent to Sachsenhausen and other concentration camps. Many relics and monuments of national culture were destroyed or looted. The Jewish population was first confined to a ghetto, and later murdered. Major concentration camps near Kraków included Plaszow and Auschwitz in Oświęcim, to which many Jews were sent.

Kraków escaped destruction during the German withdrawal and much of the historic buildings and works of art were saved. After the war, as part of the Six-Year Plan, the communist government of the People's Republic of Poland ordered the construction of the country's largest steel mill in the newly-created suburb of Nowa Huta. The mill was regarded by some as an attempt to diminish the influence of Kraków's intellectual and artistic heritage by industrialization of the city and by attracting to it the working class.

Geography and climate

Kraków lies in the Southern part of Poland on the Vistula River (Template:Lang-pl) in a valley at the foot of the Carpathian Plateau, Template:M to ft above the sea level, between the Jurassic Rock Uplands directly to the north (Template:Lang-pl) featuring Ojców National Park, and the Tatra Mountains Template:Km to mi to the south. The city centre is situated on the left (northern) bank of the river. Kraków lies in a region of temperate climate. The annual temperature fluctuates between 6° to 10°C (43°–50°F). The number of days of below-freezing temperatures is between 23 and 58 per annum.

Districts

The oldest neighborhoods of Kraków, which were incorporated into the city until the late 18th century include:

• Old Town (Stare Miasto)—the area once contained within the city defensive walls and fortifications such as the Florian Gate. The Old Town district is now encircled by a park known as Planty
• Wawel—the site of the Royal Castle and the cathedral
• Stradom and Kazimierz—south of Wawel; the latter originally divided into Christian and Jewish quarters
• Kleparz—north of the Old Town district

Major districts added in the 19th and 20th centuries include:

• Podgórze— until 1915 a separate town in Galicia, on the southern bank of the Vistula
• Nowa Huta—built east of Kraków by the People's Republic of Poland government after the Second World War

Administrative districts

Main sights

The Old Town district of Kraków (Stare Miasto) is home to about six thousand historic buildings and more than two million works of art. Its rich variety of historic architecture include Renaissance, Baroque and Gothic buildings. Kraków's palaces, churches and mansions display variety of color, architectural details, stained glass, paintings, sculptures, and furnishings.

Among the most notable of the city's hundreds of historic buildings are: the Royal Castle and Cathedral on Wawel Hill, where many Polish kings are buried; the medieval Old Town with its beautiful Main Market Square (200 meters square); dozens of old churches and museums; the 14th-century buildings of the Jagiellonian University; as well as Kazimierz, the historical centre of Kraków's Jewish religious and social life.

The Gothic St. Mary's Basilica (Kościół Mariacki) stands in the market place. It was built in the 14th century and features the famous wooden altar carved by Wit Stwosz. Every hour, a trumpet call, the hejnał mariacki, is sounded from the church's main tower. There is a legend connected with this melody, which ends unexpectedly in midstream. The story goes that the tune was played during a Tatars' invasion in the 13th century by a guard who wanted to warn the citizens against the attack. He was shot by a Tatar warrior while playing. Since that day the melody breaks off at the moment he died.

Kraków hosts many annual artistic events, some of international significance, such as the Festival of Short Feature Films, Biennial of Graphic Arts, and the Jewish Culture Festival (for an expanded list of festivals see: Culture of Kraków). There are several renowned theatres, including:

• National Stary Theatre, a.k.a. The Old Theatre
• Juliusz Słowacki Theatre
• Bagatela Theatre
• The Ludowy Theatre
• Groteska Theatre of Puppetry
• Kraków Opera
• Kraków Operetta

Nearby points of interest include the royal Wieliczka salt mine, the Tatra mountains (to the South), the historic city of Częstochowa, the former Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz, and Ojcowski National Park with Pieskowa Skała Castle.

Kraków has 28 museums and public art galleries, among them the National Museum in Kraków and Czartoryski Museum, featuring works by Leonardo, Raphael, and Rembrandt.

Transport

Public transit is based around a fairly dense network of tramway and bus lines operated by a municipal company, supplemented by number of private minibus operators. Local trains connect some of the suburbs.
The bulk of the city’s historic area has been turned into a pedestrian zone with rickshaws and horse buggies; however, the tramlines are within a three-block radius.

Rail connections are available to many Polish cities. Trains to Warsaw depart every hour. International destinations include Berlin, Prague, Hamburg, Lvov and Kiev. The main railway station is located just outside the Old Town and is well served by public transport.

Airport (John Paul II International Airport Kraków-Balice, Template:Lang-pl) is located 11 km West of the city. Direct trains cover the route between Kraków Główny train station and the airport in 15 minutes. Among airlines serving the airport are Air France, Alitalia, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, CSA Cargo, El Al, Eurolot, LOT, Lufthansa, Malev, SAS-Scandinavian, Styrian and Swiss Airlines.

Economy

Kraków is one of Poland's most important economic centres and its population has quadrupled since the end of World War II. Following the collapse of communism, history and tradition intermingled with the general trend toward market economy. There's a growing private sector. Offshoring of IT work in recent years has become important to the economy of Kraków and Poland in general. There are about 20 large multinational companies in Kraków, including Google, IBM, General Electric, Capgemini, Motorola, and Sabre Holdings, along with British and German-based firms. The unemployment in Kraków was 9.7% in December 2006, below the national average of 14.9%

The city budget, which is presented by the Mayor of Kraków on the 15th of November each year, in 2006 had a projected revenue of 2,150 million złoty. The sources of revenue were as follows: 14% from the municipal taxation on real estate properties as well as on the use of amenities, 3% in taxes collected by Collections Office, 7% from sale and lease of city-owned properties, 30% in transfers from the national budget based in federal income tax, 34% in state subsidies, 3% in union fees, 1% from tax on liquor sales permits, and 8% from vehicle registrations, passport fees and others. Projected expenditures, to the total amount of 2,339 million złoty, included: 79% in city maintenance costs, and 21% in city development costs. The maintenance costs were divided as follows: 39% toward education and childcare, 9% for the city infrastructure and lighting, 31% toward social services, 4% for culture and recreational facilities, 3% for mortgage repayments, 1% in transfers to poorer districts and 13% for other expenses including city administration. City of Krakow development costs were divided as follows: 41% toward road building, transport and communication, 25% — city's infrastructure and environment, 2% for social housing, 8% for modernization of cultural facilities including museums, 15% for sports facilities, and 9% for hospitals, daycare centres and schools.

Government

Local

See List of mayors of Kraków.

National

Members of Parliament (Sejm) elected from Kraków constituency (2005 election):

Andrzej Adamczyk, PiS; Bogusław Bosak, PiS; Barbara Bubula, PiS; Kazimierz Chrzanowski, SLD; Jerzy Feliks Fedorowicz, PO; Marek Bolesław Kotlinowski, LPR; Jacek Krupa, PO; Ireneusz Raś, PO; Jan Maria Rokita, PO; Monika Ryniak, PiS; Tomasz Szczypiński, PO; Zbigniew Wassermann, PiS; Zbigniew Ziobro, PiS

Demographics

According to the 2001 census, the population of Kraków comprised about 2% of the population of Poland and 23% of the population of the Kraków Voivodeship. The number of inhabitants reached 740,737 with up to 9 million in a 100 km radius. The median age of Cracovians is 37.5 with 60% of the population below the age of 45. Selected demographic indicators are presented in a table below.

Education

For a list of universities in Kraków see: Education in Kraków

Kraków is a major centre of education. Today there are 18 university-level institutions with about 10,000 faculty and 170,000 students, and several dozen other schools of higher education. It is home to the Jagiellonian University, the first Polish university and one of the oldest and most prominent universities in Central Europe.

Among the most notable institutions for higher education in Kraków are:

• Jagiellonian University
• AGH University of Science and Technology
• Kraków University of Economics
• Academy of Music in Kraków
• Pedagogical University of Cracow
• Agricultural University of Kraków
• Academy of Fine Arts
• Ludwik Solski Academy for the Dramatic Arts
• The Pontifical Academy of Theology
• Kraków University of Technology

Culture

Kraków is considered by many to be the cultural capital of Poland. It was named the European Capital of Culture for the year 2000 by European Union. The city has some of the best museums in the country and several famous theaters. It became the residence of two Polish Nobel laureates in literature: Wisława Szymborska and Czesław Miłosz. It is also a home to one of the world’s oldest universities, the Jagiellonian University of Kraków. For a more detailed list of Kraków’s museums, national art galleries, festivals, theatres and music, see: Culture.

In 1978, UNESCO placed Kraków on the list of World Heritage Sites.

Parks

Jordan Park is situated along the May 3rd Avenue (Aleja 3go Maja). It was founded in 1889 by dr Henryk Jordan and co-organized by Bolesław Malecki on the banks of the Rudawa river. Pavilions, swimming pools and gazebos were built in the park. 46 busts of Polish poets and writers were erected (only nine remain today). The park was destroyed during World War II by the Germans. Nowadays the park is smaller, only 31.5 ha with a few playgrounds, a pond, a concert bowl, a fitness club and some restaurants frequented by students from nearby dormitories.

Park Krakowski was founded in 1885 by Stanisław Rehman with a restaurant, cafés, a zoo, a concert bowl, a bowling alley, a swimming pool, an ice and bicycle rink and a summer theatre. After World War I its area was reduced to 5 ha. Sculptures by S. Borzęcki, A. Hajducki, W. Kućma, J. Sękowski and J. Siek have been erected since 1974.

Sports

One of the most popular games locally, and in Poland as a whole, is football (soccer). Kraków has a number of popular sport teams. Among those with considerable following are Cracovia Kraków (formed in 1906) and Wisła Kraków (formed in 1906), two of Krakow's top rivals, with Wisła Kraków being the Polish Cup winner four times. Both teams have been the Polish League Champions repeatedly.

• Cracovia Kraków: Polish League Champions; 1921, 1930, 1932, 1937, 1948.
• Wisła Kraków: Polish League Champions; 1927, 1928, 1949, 1950, 1978, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005. Polish Cup winners: 1926, 1967, 2002, 2003.

Other football (soccer) clubs include Hutnik Kraków, Wawel Kraków, Garbarnia Kraków and Juvenia Kraków (soccer and rugby team). Kraków is also home of ice hockey with the six-time Polish Champion Cracovia Kraków team, and women's basketball (Wisła Kraków) division.

Increasingly popular Cracovia Marathon is being held in the city annually since 2002.

Symbols

The city's official symbols are the coat of arms, the flag (see top of this page), the seal and the banner. In addition to these, a number of semi-official and unofficial symbols, such as the "Cracovia" logo used in the Kraków's promotional materials or an image of the Wawel dragon wearing a Kraków cap, are also used.

Twin cities

Krakow is twinned with: Bordeaux; Bratislava; Curitiba; Cuzco; Edinburgh; Fes; Florence; Frankfurt; Gothenburg; Innsbruck; Kyiv; La Serena; Leipzig; Leuven; Lviv; Milan; Niš; Nuremberg; Orléans; Pécs; Rochester, NY; Seville, Solothurn, Vilnius and Zagreb.

References

1. "About Krakow, [[Jagiellonian University]]". Retrieved 2007-05-18. {{cite web}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)
2. "Cracow, one of the major centres of Polish culture". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
3. "Krak or Krakus? (Polish) at www.historycy.org". Retrieved 2007-06-10.
4. "KRAK, Krakus, Gracchus, Grakch". encyklopedia.interia.pl. Retrieved 2007-06-10.
5. "History of Krakow, Archaeological findings". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
6. "A Very Short History of Kraków". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
7. "Slavic tribe of the Wiślanie". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
8. "History of Cracow". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
9. "The royal castle". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
10. "The Old Town gradual development". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
11. "Tartar raids". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
12. "Krakow's Oldest Known City Charter". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
13. "The establishment of a university". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
14. "Krakow Jews History". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
15. "Veit Stoss altarpiece for Krakow's Basilica of Virgin Mary". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
16. "The Golden Age: artists and scholars". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
17. Template:Pl icon DZWON ZYGMUNTA on the pages of Pedagogical University of Cracow.
18. See Albert Durer by T. Sturge Moore and Painting in Poland - A brief summary by Janusz Wałek
19. See biographies at Web Gallery of Art, Wawel Royal Castle or Getty Museum
20. "Zygmunt III administrative capital, the tiny village of Warsaw". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
21. "The Polish struggle for freedom". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
22. "Krakow under the Habsburg rule". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
23. "Franz Joseph I granted Krakow the municipal government". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
24. "Fin-de-Siecle In Krakow (Polish)". Retrieved 2007-05-18.
25. "Jewish population of Cracow till 1939". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
26. ""Worker's paradise" of concrete". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
27. "Geography of Cracow at www.worldroom.com". Retrieved 2007-05-14.
28. "Kraków climate at www.magma.ca". Retrieved 2007-05-14.
29. "Monthly Averages for Kraków, Poland". The Weather Channel Interactive, Inc. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
30. Poland in Pictures by Jeffrey Zuehlke. Published by Twenty-First Century Books. Pg. 72.
31. "History of Hejnał mariacki in Misplaced Pages". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
32. "Stary Teatr w Krakowie, homepage in Polish". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
33. "Varied Means of Transportation". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
34. "World Airports Guide". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
35. "www.sabre-holdings.com/aboutUs". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
36. "www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
37. Level of unemployment in Poland by region, 31 December 2006 (Polish)
38. Bulletin of Public Information for the City of Kraków. Publisher: Wydział Strategii i Rozwoju Miasta, 2005-05-04. Author: Wojciech Piątkowski, inspector
39. Biuletyn Statystyczny Miasta Krakowa, published online by BIP Kraków
40. "Statistical Bureau of Kraków 2001 census". Retrieved 2007-05-15.
41. "Data from local real estate office (Polish only)". Retrieved 2007-05-15.
42. "Kraków University of Economics website". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
43. "Akademia Pedagogiczna w Krakowie, homepage". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
44. "Akademia Rolnicza, homepage". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
45. "Państwowa Wyższa Szkoła Teatralna, homepage". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
46. "Papieska Akademia Teologiczna, homepage in English". Retrieved 2007-05-12.
47. "Krakow Travel Guide on IExplore.com". Retrieved 2006-10-16.

External links

• Magical Kraków—city's official website
• Krakow Festival Office: official information on cultural events
• Template:Wikitravel

50°03′41″N 19°56′14″E / 50.06139°N 19.93722°E / 50.06139; 19.93722 Template:Poland

• Kraków