KRAKOW HOTEL DEALS

KRAKOW BREAKS

Krakow is a city in the beautiful country of Poland that makes a nice place to travel to, and an even better abode to live in. Recently, Krakow’s tourists and visitors have been notably increasing, especially after Poland joined the European Union.

Krakow was Poland’s capital city until the end of the sixteenth century, when Warsaw was made the capital. Today, it is the fourth largest Polish City in terms of land area. It is a peaceful and fascinating city with an interesting history and a rich cultural heritage. It also has a wide display of Gothic and Baroque architectural structures. The influence of the period of Renaissance to Krakow’s architecture is very evident in the city’s mansions, churches, paintings and sculptures.

The Old Town of Krakow, or better known as Stare Miasto is where travelers usually start their Krakow experience. It has recently been declared as one of the World’s Heritage Sites. The Rynek Glowny or the Main Square is one of the most prominent features in the Stare Miasto of Krakow. It is, by far, the biggest town square in the continent Europe. The Rynek Glowny houses the famous St. Mary’s Church. It is a gothic basilica which stands as the marketplace of Krakow’s old town. The church is famous for its 14th century wooden altar, which was sculptured by Polish artist, Wit Stwosz. The hejnal mariacki, or the trumpet call resonates from the church’s top tower hourly, which never fails to fascinate religious devotees and visiting tourists. Other attractions that can be found on the old town are the Sukkienice, the Polish Gallery of Art; a defense tower called Barbakan; and the regal castle of Wawel, an old palace of kings, which overlooks Poland’s Vistula river.

Szkieletor, the almost a hundred meter high skyscraper in Krakow is oddly beautiful. It rests near the Krakow University of Economics and was supposedly built to be the Naczelna Organizacja Techniczna’s headquarters in 1975. But six years later, due to financial insufficiency, the construction was ceased. In fact, the unfinished building’s given name, Szkieletor, was derived from Skeletor, a villain from a cartoon series which was famous in the 1980s, connoting the structure’s skeleton-like appearance.

Other tourist spots in the city include the former concentration camp of the Hitler Regime at Auschwitz, Ojcowski National Park, Wieliczka salt mine, Czestochowa historic city and Tatra mountains.

A vacation to Krakow will also definitely be a highly educational one. The city is in fact known as the Student’s City of Poland. At the present, there are about 170,000 students and 10,000 teachers from 18 universities. It is the home of the world famous Jagellonian University. The oldest art school in Poland, the Academy of Fine Arts is located in Krakow too. At the Bunkier Sztuki Gallery of Contemporary Art, various exhibits and live cultural performances are staged. The place is definitely a hit among tourists and travelers. Dubbed as the Cultural Capital of Poland, Krakow hosts a number of regular art festivals, including internationally renowned art gatherings. Examples of this are the Jewish Culture Festival, a handful of international short film festivals and the Biennial of Graphics.  Other famous cultural houses and theaters are the historic Old Krakow Theater, Slowacki theatre, Krakow Opera and Krakow Operetta. Overall, the city has a total of 28 art galleries and museums, including Muzeum Czartoryskich and Krakow National Museum.

By night, Krakow transforms itself from a traditional city of history and culture into a fun abyss of clubs and restaurants. In Krakow’s Old Town districts, one can find a handful of places wine, dine and have good time. In the neighboring Kazimierz quarter, several trendy spots have been opened in the last decade.

The Wierzynek restaurant for example, has been in the business for almost seven centuries, passing on the Polish passion for food to countless generations. There are also the equally famous Hawelka and Wentzl restaurants.

On weekends, Krakow’s nightlife rings a bell too. The city is known for having cozy and large night clubs, accommodating a hundred people or more. Disc Jockeys even have celebrity status in Krakow, which only goes to show how frequented the city’s night clubs are. Most clubs caters to different musical genres; Jazz being the most prevalent. But there’s no need to worry for fans of Ballad, Rock and Pop, because there are bars that cater to these kinds of music as well.

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