55 years ago, the inhabitants of Wola Justowska built a concert shell in Park Decjusza. The Krakow amphitheatre had approximately 1,300 seats. In addition to a large stage and a base for artists in the basement, a summer cinema was also organized there on a regular basis.
Let the film screenings take place again in “Muszla”!
The fame of “Muszla” did not last long, the space was deteriorating over the years. It was only in 1995 that the @Autorska Galeria Bronisław Chromego, one of the most recognizable Krakow sculptors, was established in this place.
Today, the Foundation Bronisław Chromego, who looks after the Gallery, decided to supplement the cultural offer of the place by restoring the activities of the Summer Cinema “MUSZLA”.
How is “MUSZLA” supposed to work?
Free outdoor movie screenings
Weekly screenings in July and August 2021.
Possibility of communing with art
A space for relaxation and entertainment
Do you wanna vote? 🙂
Would you like a screening in “MUSZLA” – vote in the Civic Budget and restore the cinema in Wola Justowska! Vote for MUSZLA project no. 22, District VII Zwierzyniec
The 65th anniversary of the Piwnica pod Baranami Cabaret is celebrated on the birthday of Piotr Skrzynecki, on September 12, 2021. On that day, from the tower of St. Mary’s Church, after the bugle call at noon, the cellar hymn “Our youth” will sound, and in the evening the artists will perform on the stage of the Teatr im. Juliusz Słowacki in Krakow.
A symbol of Krakow
“We do not set up any a priori programs. Freeing ourselves from old patterns, not accepting new ones, is probably our greatest dream. But first of all, to understand and get to know ourselves” – said Piotr Skrzynecki in an interview in 1956. Over the next six decades, cabaret became a cult artistic center and an informal symbol of Krakow, and the songs sung there permanently entered the history of Polish literary song.
Some of them will resound on September 12. “Blue Frying Pan”, “We come, go,” Baczyński’s “Poems of war”, “Ballad about the miraculous birth of Bolesław Krzywousty” or “Moja Litania”, as well as other unforgettable songs from the repertoire of Piwniczne performers will be heard by the guests of the Piwnica pod Baranami concert, which on Sunday at. 18 will start at the Słowacki Theater. There will also be “Desiderata”, but there will also be premiere songs, specially prepared for this evening. In this way, the band will celebrate its 65th anniversary.
The concert will be a sentimental journey after the 65th anniversary of Cabaret. We will refer to songs that were written from the 1950s to the present day. So we cannot forget about such people as Ewa Demarczyk, Leszek Długosz, Krzysztof Litwin and Mietek Święcicki.
says Bogdan Micek, director of Piwnica pod Baranami
Everyone – 4 generations! – will be there 🙂
During the concert, the whole, almost 30-person band of Piwnica pod Baranami will perform. It is a total of four generations of Piwniczna, including Ewa Wnukowa, Kamila Klimczak, Dorota Ślęzak, Ola Maurer, Tamara Kalinowska, Agata Ślazyk, Beata Czernecka, Tadeusz Kwinta, Miki Obłoński, Maciej Półtorak, Leszek Wójtowicz, Rafał Jędrzejczyk, Krzysztof Janicki, Czesław Wojtała, Jakub Zuckerman and Alosza Awdiejew. They will be accompanied by such musicians as Agata Półtorak, Michał Półtorak, Michał Chytrzyński, Paweł Kuźmicz, Paweł Pierzchała, Tomasz Kmiecik, Adrian Konarski and Jerzy Wysocki. Guests will also appear on the stage – Joanna Słowińska and Sergiusz Orłowski. The concert will be not only a musical feast, but also an opportunity to trace the artistic phenomenon of Piwnica pod Baranami.
Outstanding texts, a developed repertoire, musical pieces, fascinating stage personalities, humility for art and, at the same time, great respect for the audience – all this allowed Piwnica to act artistically for these 65 years. Thanks to this, it is still a magical, cult place, frequented and known almost all over the world. With this jubilee, we want to show what was and is the most beautiful in Piwnica – emphasizes the director of the Kabaret.
Piwnica Pod Baranami – History
The artistic cabaret Piwnica Pod Baranami was founded in 1956 by Piotr Skrzynecki with the participation of students from Krakow’s universities, including Bronisław Chromy and Krzysztof Penderecki. The Cellar quickly became an important artistic center of the city’s cultural life. Zbigniew Preisner, Grzegorz Turnau and Jacek Wójcicki made their debuts at Piwnica. There were also jazz legends, such as: Krzysztof Komeda, Jan Ptaszyn Wróblewski, Jerzy Matuszkiewicz, Andrzej Kurylewicz, Wojciech Karolak, Zbigniew Namysłowski, Tomasz Stańko, Wanda Warska and Jarosław Śmietana. Skrzynecki said about the unique cabaret and the people who create it: “We are an island in a sea of bestiality, dullness, stupidity, villainy, cynicism, intolerance and violence.”
Saint Mary’s Basilica (Kosciol Mariacki) has always been a symbol of Krakow. A Symbol containing multiple other Krakow Symbols, like The wooden carved altar by Veit Stoss or the Bugle Call Tower with its Hejnal or The Legend of the 2 Brothers. After Tartar raids in the 13th century left the original church in ruins, St. Mary’s Church was rebuilt in Gothic style on the existing foundations and consecrated in 1320. In the early 15th century the towers took the iconic form they have today when the northern tower was raised to 80m high and made into a watchtower for the city. From that watchtower, the Bugle Call plays every day, every hour, no matter rain or shine!
How can one visit the Bugle Call Tower – Mariacki Church?
The Tower cannot be visited during all the months of the year, so make sure you don’t plan to visit it during wintertime as it is closed then. There is always a chance of frost on the stairs so only the Bugle Call player gets to go on top. But! During the summer months, it is always open for visitors and you can check the schedule below.
From July to October (except religious holidays) Monday — closed from Tuesdays to Saturdays 10.00 a.m.- 6.00 a.m. Sundays – 1.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m.
January, February, March, November, December — closed
The ticket price, as of July 2021 is 15 Zloty per person or 10 for 7 to 18 years olds.
Things you should know about the tour
Children up to 7 years old are not allowed to go – due to the steep steps (danger ahead!)
There is a limited amount of tickets everyday. You cannot book/buy tickets in adavnce. Just for the same day. Tickets can be bought at the ticket office only (Plac Mariacki 7).
Children between 7 and 18 years old get a discount.
People with walking dissabilities cannot get to the top as there is no elevator or method to pull up any wheelchairs 🙁 sorry for that 🙁
In case of bad weather the tour (just like the Eiffel Tower, in Paris) gets closed down.
The Tower entrance is located on the side of Mariacki Church, from Florianska Street.
A group of no more than 10 people can enter every 30 minutes.
Did you know?
That the Bugle Call (Hejnal) players are actually firemen? They stay there (up in the tower) on shifts that are 12 hours long! They need to “get to work” by climbing the 271 steps, every day, and they play the Hejnal every hour, for their 12-hour shift. Before the stairs were built, there was no way to get on top except with the help of a very tall ladder (wooden). Thank God they don’t use that anymore!
Yours always truly,
The Twisted Red LadyBug that loves views from the top (of the world)
It will be a unique opportunity to see the panorama of Kraków and Małopolska from the top of the Kościuszko Mound at sunset. On June 21, Kościuszko Mound will be open to visitors longer. This is a special action organized on the occasion of Kupala Night, on the longest day of the year.
Kościuszko Mound is a unique place with a beautiful panorama of the city and its surroundings. We know that there are people who would like to stay longer at the Mound, watch the sunset, and Krakow at night. That is why we decided to make it possible.
Leszek Cierpiałowski, director of the office of the Kosciuszko Mound Committee in Krakow
Kupała Night & the special ticket from Kościuszko Mound
On Monday, June 21, the sun will set at 8:53 pm. The mound will then be open to tourists until 21.30. During this time, it will also be possible to visit the Kościuszko Museum and the multimedia permanent exhibition “Kościuszko – a hero still needed”. On this day, from 7 p.m., a promotional ticket price will apply – tourists will visit the Mound on the basis of reduced tickets (PLN 14).
We encourage you to come to the Mound earlier and take advantage of all the attractions available in the ticket.
Leszek Cierpiałowski, director of the office of the Kosciuszko Mound Committee in Krakow
In addition to the modern exhibition, you can also visit an educational route devoted to the private life of Kościuszko and an exhibition of wax figures, see a model of the Kościuszko Mound and the Kościuszko garden and take a walk along charming alleys on the way to the Mound. Children can enjoy the playground with a miniature of the Kościuszko Tower and a special sightseeing path at the core exhibition.
On June evenings, music lovers will have the opportunity to listen to organ concerts in the space of Krakow’s churches, after a two-year break, the International Summer Organ Concerts Festival returns.
Until June 20th, fans of sacred music can listen to the most beautiful Krakow organs located in the historic interiors of historic churches, after a two-year break, the International Summer Organ Concerts Festival returns to Krakow.
The concerts take place in the basilica of Carmelites “On the Sand” (“Na Piasku”), the Basilica of St. Michael the Archangel, and St. Stanislaus the Bishop, Pauline Fathers “Na Skałce” and the Church of the Holy Cross, where virtuosi from all over the world will present pearls from the rich literature dedicated to the organ.
Wednesday, June 2 at 20.00, St. Michael the Archangel and St. Stanislaus the Bishop oo. Pauline Fathers “Na Skałce”, ul. Skałeczna 15
Sunday, June 6 at 7.00 p.m., Church of the Holy Cross, ul. Holy Cross 23
Wednesday, June 9 20.00, Basilica of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Carmelites “Na Piasku”, ul. Karmelicka 19
Friday, June 11 at 7.00 p.m., Church of the Holy Cross, ul. Holy Cross 23
Sunday June 13 at 7.00 p.m., Church of the Holy Cross, ul. Holy Cross 23
Wednesday, June 16 at 20.00, St. Michael the Archangel and St. Stanislaus the Bishop oo. Pauline Fathers “Na Skałce”, ul. Skałeczna 15
Sunday, June 20 at 7.00 p.m., Church of the Holy Cross, ul. Holy Cross 23
Admission to all concerts is free, but the number of places is limited. If you wish to read more about the program (in the English language) do click here.
Krakow mounds are elements of the landscape that definitely distinguish our city from other metropolises. 4 built-up structures have dominated the landscape of Krakow for many years. Almost all Cracovians know what Krakow’s mounds look like today. How many mounds actually existed in Krakow, what is their history, what did they look like years ago and how were they built? The photos below are taken from the National Digital Archives.
The History
The oldest mound in Kraków is the Wanda Mound. Located near Huta im. Tadeusz Sendzimir is 14 meters high, it was probably built in the 7th century. According to legend, it is the grave of Wanda, the daughter of Prince Krak. There is a sculpture of an eagle on the top.
A little later, the 16-meter Krakus Mound was to be built, which is located in the Podgórze district of Krakow, near the Liban quarry. Before World War II, the mound was dug up, examined by archaeologists, and then rebuilt. During the works, for many months, the mound looked like a volcano cone with a magnificent crater. Until the post-war years, the mound was surrounded by fortifications, which, unfortunately, have not survived to our times.
In the 19th century, another Krakow mound was created, which was called the Kościuszko Mound. Piled on the hill of St. Bronisława measures over 30 meters, it contains the lands from the battlefields of the Kościuszko Uprising. In the mid-19th century, the mound was surrounded by a fortification, which now houses, among others, a museum, a chapel and the seat of the RMF radio.
5 meters higher than the Kościuszko Mound is the Piłsudski Mound. It was erected on the Sowiniec hill in the Wolski Forest in the 1930s. Its construction has been perfectly captured in the photographs (please see the one above).
5, 6, 7, or…even 8 mounds?!
There are still, or have already been removed, slightly smaller mounds in Krakow. The several-meter-high Esterki Mound was to be located on the present premises of the Wawel sports club at ul. Glowacki. The Mound of the Republic of Krakow, which was located in the Planty Park at the entrance to the underpass leading to the Main Railway Station, has also disappeared from the map of Krakow. According to historians, there was still a so-called The Wawel Mound, which was removed by the Austrians at the beginning of the 19th century.
In 1997, the 7-meter high mound of John Paul II was built in Dębniki. Thus, we now officially have 5 mounds in Krakow.
A perfect walk for spring & autumn weather
If you wish to track and have a really nice walk, there is an Youtube video on that topic.
Virtual hike: Entrance to the 4 mounds of Krakow, Poland
🏞️ Route: Wanda Mound (226 m a.s.l; 50.070149, 20.068030 ) – Krakus Mound (245 m a.s.l; 50.038039, 19.958403) – Kościuszko Mound (293 m a.s.l; 50.054789, 19.893408) – Piłsudski Mound (355 m a.s.l; 50.060001, 19.847102)
🆔 Trail designation: green trail (Salwator – Piłsudski Mound)
📏 Length: about 5.7 km
⏲️ Walking time: about 1:50 h ↗️ Sum of approaches: 257 m ↘️ Sum down: 121 m
There is a tourist map you should also check and make sure you also drop by the Hiking Trails page for more info on the trail.
And you can always pop me a line and ask me anything about the mounds and the trails. I highly recommend them!
For the first time at Wawel, all the preserved royal tapestries will be made available to visitors. The exhibition “All tapestries of the king. Returns 2021-1961-1921” will be available until October 31st. – This exhibition is supposed to be a magnet attracting tourists to Wawel, allows you to experience something unusual – says Andrzej Betlej, director of the Wawel Royal Castle. The exhibition is accompanied by works by contemporary artists, a rich program of educational events and publications.
Hidden from the Swedes, robbed at the behest of Tsarina Katarzyna, taken by the Vistula galley three days before the Germans entered Krakow in 1939. During the war, valuable Wawel monuments found their way first to Romania, then to France and, via England, to Canada.
For the first time, all preserved Wawel tapestries will be presented to visitors in the interiors for which they were created. From March 18, at the Wawel Royal Castle, the exhibition “All the King’s tapestries. Returns 2021-1961-1921”.
This exhibition is not only works but also a story. This is the history of these tapestries, it is also the history of the great undertaking which is the conservation of tapestries, as well as a great educational story. All three themes are very much present at this exhibition.
Dr hab. Andrzej Betlej, director of the Wawel Royal Castle
The collection of Wawel tapestries was made in the years 1550-1560 in workshops in Brussels. The fabrics are made of wool and silk as well as silver and silver gilded threads. Among the exhibits presented at Wawel, you can see one of the tapestries after recent conservation, which to some extent has regained its original color.
This is a unique exhibition showing the entire stock of the most important 16th-century tapestry in Poland, one of the most important and interesting in Europe. For the first time, we show fabrics that viewers have never been able to see. We tried to show it in reverse chronology, we start with two contemporary works of art that were created especially for this exhibition, to go from 1961 to 1921, to end up in the Senator’s Hall in 1553.
Magdalena Ozga, curator of the exhibition
The contemporary context, which is an introduction to the exhibition, are the works of Mirosław Białka and Marcin Maciejowski, who commented on the contemporary aspect of receiving tapestries and the mapping that is the key to reading the reverse narrative of the exhibition.
After a 5-month exhibition, some tapestries will be returned to museum warehouses. It is possible that part of the collection will be presented at special shows in Europe.
The exhibition is to commemorate the return of the royal tapestries – on March 18, 1961, when the ceremonial display of tapestries took place after their return from Canada, and on March 18, 1921, when under the Riga Peace Treaty, a collection of tapestries and people stolen during the Third Partition of Poland was brought from Russia, thanks to which the tapestries survived.
I would like the exhibition to be remembered as a monument to the importance of the royal foundation, as a commemoration of those who created the collection and cared for it for centuries – emphasized Andrzej Betlej.
Andrzej Betlej
The exhibition is accompanied by numerous publications, incl. richly illustrated album “Arrasa Zygmunt August”, “Essays on the tapestries of King Zygmunt August” by Magdalena Piwocka and a program of educational events, including the first match of a jerk at Wawel (June 19), culinary reconstruction of the wedding of Zygmunt August and Katarzyna Habsburgian Women (19 July), or monthly meetings with conservators who will introduce the backstage of their work on the renovation of tapestries (March 31, April 21, May 26, June 23, July 21, August 25, September 22, October 13). , noon)
The exhibition “All the King’s Tapestries. Returns 2021-1961-1921” will be available from March 18 to October 31.
I, for one, look forward to visiting this expo, once the exhibition and Wawel Museum will open!
“We are winning the Friend of Krakow Badge” – is a campaign organized by the Grodzkie PTTK Society in Krakow. Currently, the 49th season of this campaign is underway – this time, however, unusual, because due to the epidemic, it takes the form of free, open online meetings, broadcast live on YouTube.
Who wants to earn a “Friend of Krakow” badge?
The general principles of the campaign are such that the Friend of Krakow badge can be obtained by anyone who participates in a certain number of lectures and walks around Krakow. Depending on the number of such meetings, a person can count on a bronze, silver, gold, or peacock badge.
Currently, due to restrictions related to the epidemic, walks are suspended, and meetings are only held online. They started in November and are planned until March, and are run by licensed city guides of PTTK in Krakow and museum staff.
What can you learn during these walks/sessions?
So far, several dozen online meetings have been held as part of the PTTK campaign “We are winning the Friend of Krakow Badge”. Their participants had the opportunity to listen to stories, for example, about the literary Krakow, the secrets of Długa Street, the Rakowicki cemetery, the defense of Krakow in the past centuries, about famous Krakow families, monasteries and monasteries, about lost churches or about old and modern Krakow libraries, city villas and palaces, theaters and cabarets, the Planty Park in Krakow, and the history and monuments of Podgórze.
The sessions on February 6th and 7th
This weekend, PTTK meetings also promise to be very interesting, so it’s worth making a reservation to take part in them. On Saturday, February 6, lectures on “Secrets of Krupnicza Street” (9:30) and “Krakow Synagogues” (11:30) are scheduled. However, on Sunday, February 7 at At 9:30 am there will be a meeting “Non-obvious Krakow. On the trail of Krakow artists’, and at 11:30 – lecture by the Society of Krakow History and Monuments Lovers “Krakow at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries” – for people who receive the “Pawim Piór” badge (the Peacock Badge).
Practical Information for the meetings
To take part in the walks as part of the campaign, it is enough to report to the meeting point specified in the program. Participation in the walks is free.
In the case of topics described under the slogan ” seat reservation “, you should contact the Grodzki PTTK Society in advance to download the “seat reservation ” – with the given time of entry. Seats result from the limitation of the number and size of groups in some visited facilities. Seats are issued against payment – the price includes an admission ticket to the visited facility and the VAT due.
I wanted to visit this museum for a long while… I got to step inside it for the first time on the 27th of September, 2020.
What was the occasion? The Podgorze Open Days 2020 💓
How did I get to visit it? There was a free tour of the museum, announced. The tour was in the English language – run by Pawel M. from #goodeventswithpawel (not my first tour with Pawel, and I highly recommend it👌).
How long did it take? The museum tour took about 1 hour. Sometimes I wish we had a bit more time to spare and look around, but if you will visit it on your own, make sure to book yourself a bit more time.
About the Muzeum Podgorza
Opened in May 2018, this museum chronologically traces the history and legends of the fascinating Podgórze district. It starts thoroughly from the time of Krakus Mound and runs through its time as an independent city in Austrian Galicia. Doesn’t stop at the integration into greater Kraków, or the tragedy of WWII, but brings you all the way up to the present day.
With historical artifacts, documents and photography, there are also multimedia displays and a free audio guide (in English and Polish). The audio guide augments the exhibits and there is also a photography exhibit upstairs. The kids will enjoy the educational room for them, located in the basement.
#DidYouKnow
Though well off the tourist trail, the location is actually significant. It was at this former Austrian barracks building in 1918 that Polish officers in the Austrian Army organized a bloodless rebellion and ‘liberated’ Podgórze, then Kraków, from Austrian occupation, thus making Podgórze the first place in Poland to regain independence after WWI. That story and more are inside, so let me tell you a bit more about it!
My experience with Muzeum Podgorza
The Museum tour run by Pawel M. from #goodeventswithpawel was done through the eyes of a local, a man in love with the history of the place he lives in (and he actually lives in Podgorze district!). He had the patience and answered our questions, yet stuck to the 1 hour promised tour, which was filled with plenty of information to enrich everyone.
A Celtic Mound in Krakow
The exhibition starts from the Mound of Krakow (one of Krakow’s 4 man-made mounds). We find out that probably the Mound of Krakow (Krakus Mound) and the Wanda Mound are probably Celtic, not slavic – as the locals would like it to be 😉 We also find out that the oldest monastery in Poland is the St. Benedict’s Church, located near the Krakus mound.
How can we tell that it was done by the Celts? Well… one of the great celebrations done on the Krakus Mound is Beltane (or Beltain – the Gaelic May Day festival). Most commonly it is held on 1 May, or about halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Historically, it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. We, of course, celebrate it in Poland as well, in Krakow. Coincidence? I think not!
The Royal Free City of Podgórze
One of the most important things to trade-in, in Medieval Times, was salt. People back then did not have refrigerators, the only thing that would stop products from spoiling was salt – and the salt mines around Krakow always had plenty of that!
The transport of salt during the Medieval Ages was done by water – via the Vistula River. In the 18th century, in 1784, the city was granted the city status, as the Royal Free City of Podgórze. It was established/founded by the Austrian-Hungary Emperor Joseph the 2nd – the border with Austria being located on the Vistula River!
#DidYouKnow
You might not know this, but…
1. The wonderful bridge that connects Kazimierz to Podgorze, the Kładka Ojca Bernatka was called before the Franz Joseph Bridge.
2. There was a large colonization movement – giving Podgorze the name of “Small America”. Podgorze was more liberal, where Krakow was more bourgeois. Pogorgze was Austrian, though a free city! And was granted city rights, with very attractive tax privileges. This attracted entrepreneurs, merchants, and craftsmen from the Austrian Empire.
Jews and workarounds
The exhibition in Muzeum Podgorza has special displays also on the life of Jews in Podgorze, but does not focus on the Holocaust events as much as one would think. Muzeum Podgorza is a museum of the City of Podgorze, of the district that was annexed to Krakow, not a museum about World War II.
With Pawel, from #goodeventswithpawel I’ve found out many interesting facts about the life of Jewish people in the Royal City of Podgorze. For example, I learned that steps inside their homes do not count for Jews when they have Shabbat. Love of God, time with family, reconnecting with friends and with oneself – all these fulfill the commandment to “remember” Shabbat. So working during it is a total NO!
However, the workaround was that steps done inside one’s home would not count. The houses are always walled against walls, and they would tie them with a rope, making them be considered as one house. So if you would like to go buy some bread from the neighbor, 2-3 houses away, you could do that by going from one house to another. At it would not be considered as leaving your house and breaking the Shabbat.
Podgorze district has light before Krakow!
The first discussions of the merger between the City of Krakow and the City of Podgorze took place at the beginning of the 20th century.
A joint “Agreement concerning the merger of the Royal Free Town of Podgórze with the Royal Capital of Kraków” was drawn up and signed on 7 June 1913. The merger took place on 1 July 1915. A few days later, on 4 July 1915, on Krakus Bridge, the last mayor of Podgórze, Franciszek Maryewski, and the mayor of Kraków, Juliusz Leo, shook hands, symbolically merging the two towns.
But at the time, Podgorze was much more advanced in terms of setup than Krakow. Podgorze even had electricity before Krakow – 5 years before them!!! They had their own power plant (The Municipal Power Plant in Podgórze) that was established in 1899-1900 at 4 Nadwiślańska Street.
Muzeum Podgorza is a museum about the district, done by the district
Throughout the Muzeum Podgorza you can feel that the museum is one-of-a-kind. It is one of Krakow’s Hidden Gems, and – though it may not resonate much with most tourists – it is a work of beauty and love. It shows the love of the locals for their home-place, their love for history, and their passion for making sure none of this gets forgotten.
How to visit Muzeum Podgorza
Unfortunately, now all museums are closed, due to Coronavirus. But once this madness clears up, I suggest you check their website and visit it!
There is the special “Discover Podgorze!” (PL: “Odkryj Podgorze”) route that offers the combined ticket of 3 museums at a lower price. The 3 branches included are Museum of Podgorze + The Eagle Pharmacy + Oskar Schindler’s Enamelware Factory. Once the ticket is bought, the museums can be visited within 3 days of their purchase! The ticket is available at the ticket office of each of the above-mentioned branches and the Visitor Service Center.
NOTE!!! Children up to 7 years old – free admission!
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