"Kraków, the historical capital of Poland " a Krakow Travel Page by annase

“To find the soul of Poland, you must seek it in Krakow” -Wilhelm Feldman-

People are enchanted by Krakow's fairy tale filled past that is associated with Poland's national heroes and Polish legends such as the fire breathing dragons. It also used to be the historical capital of the country. Krakow attracts an increasing number of visitors every year and it is filled with vivid reminders of the days when Polish kings were crowned, married and buried in the city. Also the country's patron saint, Stanislaus, rests in a silver tomb in Krakow's Wawel cathedral. He was charged with treason and murdered by King Boleslav the Bold in the 11th century.

It has also been said to be one of the most romantic cities in Poland. Apparently, Krakow is the place to be if you are traveling with your girl or boyfriend, wife or husband. The windy streets in the old town are almost as if they were designed for romantic walks, flowing like rivers and streams though the city without a linear grid in sight.

The town has been set on a rocky point overlooking the Vistula River. The river winds around the city. It actually flowed directly though the city centre during the last century. Its path was moved in order not to risk damage to the old town in case of flooding. You can still see a bridge that crossed the river's old path near Hala Targowa. Take a walk along the river any time of the year you'll see couples in love, walking hand in hand. Along the walkway, there are numerous trees, benches and magnificent bridges.

On a personal level, to be totally honest I was a bit let down by Krakow. My Polish friends had been praising it as THE CITY to go to in Poland. I decided not to go to Krakow during my first trip to Poland in 1999 because I went to the north and spent too much time there. As soon as I got as far in the south as Wrowlaw, where I spent 2 nights, I could no longer cut my way to Krakow, since I was heading to Prague and Czech Republic for the remaining days of my holiday and from where I was scheduled to fly back home. To go to Krakow would have meant that I would have had less time to spend in Prague. It was a fatal mistake to go Prague though, since after being there in 1999, I have not really found a match for the city in the old continent ever since.

Perhaps I'm being a bit harsh on Krakow, since Prague is just so magnificent that you can't really compare anything to it. Also having studied the history of central and eastern European countries from the Great Empires to this day, I should really know that Prague is unique as it had a wealthy background through out the region from very early on due to its industries, whereas all the other countries struggled in poverty and unstable political conditions.