Krakow Factoids
The Cloth Hall
06/24/2012 10:57
The Cloth Hall, or “Sukiennice,” hunkers down precisely in the middle of the old town square like a big, lazy creature. You can’t go anywhere without navigating around it or through it. Built 700 years ago, and given a Renaissance facelift in the mid-1500s, it seems to care little for the swarms...
The Beskid Niski
06/23/2012 11:02
Before I write about the Beskid Niski, I'd just like to say hello to all of the readers of the blog. When I first started writing these entries, I did so mainly because I wanted my cousins Bern, Bob and his wife Mary to have some information about Poland and Krakow before our upcoming trip. Also,...
St. Adelbert's Church
06/22/2012 16:19
There is a very tiny building on the main square that often goes unnoticed by may tourists. It seems fairly insignificant when compared to the large Mariacki Cathedral or the Cloth Hall nearby. Nevertheless, this building has a history that predates many of the oldest structures in town. This is...
Pope John Paul II and Krakow
06/21/2012 10:09
If you’re a fan of Pope John Paul II, a trip to Krakow can be very much like a holy pilgrimage. If you’re not, it is still informative, fun, and maybe even inspiring to see where JPII lived prior to assuming the papacy in 1978. His influence and presence certainly seem to be everywhere. Your...
Janusz Muniak's Bar
06/20/2012 09:30
I always regretted the fact that, living in Trevorton, I never got the chance to hang out in stinky gin joints and jazz bars listening to musicians at close range. That all changed when I lived in Krakow. One night, with not much else to do, I saw a sign for a cellar bar called “U Muniaka,” or...
Krakow Churches
06/19/2012 13:38
The churches of Krakow are really some of the most beautiful that I’ve ever seen, and many visitors consider them to be the highlight of their trip. These churches, including the Mariacki and Wawel cathedrals, are interesting not only for their architectural and historical value, but also because...
The Planty
06/18/2012 10:00
When you look at Kraków from above, you’ll see a green belt encircling the area of town near where we will be staying. This is called the Planty. Though it’s green now, it actually is the site of the old city walls that protected the town during medieval times. So, everything inside the Planty is...
Volkswagen Festival
06/17/2012 11:37
Good timing for our VW loving crowd from Milford! As Bob and Mary know very well, VWs have a worldwide following. In Poland, it’s no different. On the first weekend when we’re there, Polish VW enthusiasts are holding a weekend rally just a few minutes outside of Krakow. Actually, on Saturday the...
Two New Museums
06/16/2012 10:14
There is a large number of museums and galleries in Krakow, far too many to see over the course of one short visit. I will probably point a few of them out in later blogs, but I did want to call attention today to the two fairly new ones below. I thought that I’d mention these because not only do...
Wawel Castle
06/15/2012 09:18
You can find tons of information on Wawel Castle online, so I won’t go into its history in any detail. We will definitely spend some time here, though. As you know, Kraków used to be the capital of the country before moving to Warsaw several hundred years ago. When it was still the seat of...