Krakow has been truly blessed
Krakow is the cheapest city-break destination in Europe, according to the findings of a recent survey. Not that you should use that as a failsafe yardstick for choosing a particular location for a weekend break. Cheap, after all, does not necessarily mean good. But in Krakow’s case, it does. It’s a really lovely city and, a bit like Oxford, it’s a city dominated by spires due to the profusion of churches dotted throughout the centre. Pope John Paul II was Bishop of Krakow, of course, and it’s a city that he loved all his life. To this day, on the anniversary of his death, the people of Krakow light candles in his memory on the lawn near the Bishop’s Palace.
Krakow is one of those cities where you are spoiled for choice when it comes to things to see and do. For some people simply wandering its streets and spending time in its magnificent Rynek Glowny square (the largest in Europe) will be enough. For others, there will be a list of activities to be ticked off the list.
Here’s my choice of the six best things to do if you find yourself in Krakow. 1 Drop your bags at your hotel and head straight to Rynek Glowny, the main square. Here, at one of the many pavement cafes on this 13th century square, you can just sit back and take it all in. Brilliant people-watching territory, but also something of a history lesson because the square is choc-abloc with buildings of huge historical interest, from the 16th-century Cloth Hall, where the textile workers used to ply their trade, to the lovely Gothic St Mary’s Basilica, plus almost 50 other buildings of historical interest. This is the heart of Krakow so whether there’s a musical event, or street theatre or a political protest scheduled, you’ll find them all in Rynek Glowny. 2 Take a walk through the city and climb the hill to
Wawel Castle. A complex of buildings that incorporate the former royal palace and the cathedral (where all the Polish royals were crowned), you can visit the crypt, the treasury, the royal armoury, an art gallery and the gardens. When I was last in Krakow it was May and the gardens were particularly beautiful.
3 Don’t miss a visit to Oskar
Schindler’s factory, now transformed into a museum that marks the history of the Nazi occupation of Krakow during World War II, and celebrates the man who helped save so many Jewish lives during the Holocaust and who was played by Liam Neeson in Schindler’s List. When I visited here it had yet to be turned into a proper tourist attraction. We simply walked through the city, map in hand, on a Sunday morning, getting lost a couple of times before we found the old enamel factory, a rather stark building in what was then not a very salubrious part of the city. We were the only visitors that morning and were led inside by an elderly man who spoke no English. Then up a steep staircase we went to what had been Oskar Schindler’s actual office. His chair and desk were still there, making it both eerie and moving. I’ve heard good reports about the interactive museum that is there nowadays, but I’m glad I saw the place when it was still so authentic and full of the ghosts of the past.
4 Take a trip – just a little way out of the city – to the
Wieliczka Salt Mine. You can’t just pitch up here and wander through the mine – you have to take one of the official tours. It’s well worth it though to see what an amazing labyrinth of rooms and tunnels have been created here. The tour takes about two hours and you do a fair bit of walking. The area open to the public is located at different depths, the deepest being around 135 metres underground. It’s not at all scary, though, and well worth the tour for the chapel alone. This is an underground church, complete with wall art, altarpieces and massive chandeliers – all made of salt. It is truly gobsmacking and it comes as no surprise to discover that it took two men more than 30 years to create this masterpiece.
5 You can’t, in my opinion, visit Krakow and ignore Auschwitz. Is it upsetting? Yes. Is it still worth it? Absolutely. Nothing really prepares you for the residual horror of it, all these years later. The massive, wall-sized glass cabinets full of just human hair, or reading glasses, or suitcases, some of them child-sized, with names painted on them. The names of real people who were simply annihilated here. This isn’t Hollywood’s Auschwitz. This is the real thing. When we all clambered on to the bus after our visit, for the hour-long journey back to Krakow, you could have heard a pin drop in the packed bus. Nobody said a word the whole way back.
6 Spend some time in the city’s
Kazimierz district. Originally the old Jewish quarter you’ll still find a few small synagogues dotted here and there. Nowadays, however, this is a hip part of Krakow, full of cafes, restaurants, antique shops and art galleries. It’s also a popular spot when it comes to nightlife venues. A good place to lift the spirits and something of an antidote to the sadder side of the city.