Krakow

The old town of Krakow offers a unique and beautiful mixture of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque buildings and is full of bars, small restaurants, atmospheric café bars and shops. It is is one of the oldest and largest cities of Poland, situated on the Vistula River at the foot of Wawel Hill. Not only is Krakow known to have always been one of the leading cultural and scientific centres of Poland but also the former residence of the kings and a national capital for more than 500 years.

There are quite a few interesting sights to visit. Starting in the very centre there are the Italian-style Cloth Hall, the distinctive St. Mary Church with its two different towers and the City Hall Tower are the major sights on the vast market square. From here, the main shopping street Florianska leads north towards the mediaeval Florian Gate completed 700 years ago in 1307.

The massive Wawel Castle is perched on the top of a hill south from the centre at the banks of the Vistula river. The Wawel used to be the seat of the kings and features architecture from various epochs including Mediaeval, Renaissance and Baroque elements. Wawel Cathedral is Poland's national sanctuary and also located on the hill.

A stone throw east from the Wawel is Kazimierz, the old Jewish district of Krakow. It features a number of synagogues as well as a few museums and numerous cafés and restaurants. Further south and across the river, very little reminds of the Jewish Ghetto however the original Schindler factory can still be seen.

The Sunday flea market at northern end of Kazimierz (just off Grzegórzecka street) is well worth visiting. I spent more than 3 hours walking around, looking at valuable antiques as well as used second-hand clothes - the variety of things on display is simply amazing (see "The framed shoelace seller" photo)

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