Floriańska Street has always been one of the most important streets of Krakow. Marked out during the Great Location of the city in the second half of the 13th century, it was an important fragment of the representative route, the Royal Road (or how I like to call it: The Pathway of Kings), leading from the church of St. Floriana (hence the name of the street) in Wawel. As one of the first in the city, the street gained solid pavements. At the end of the 15th century, most of the houses at Florianska Street were already bricked.
Wikipedia: “Floriańska appears on the 1257 plan of the extended city. It marks the beginning of the Royal Road in Kraków and stretches from the north-western end of the main square, Rynek Główny, to the landmark St. Florian’s Gate, a distance of 335 meters (1,099 ft). There are currently 51 numbered buildings on the street (up to no 44 even and no 57 odd). It is named after Saint Florian. In 1882, the first horse tram line started. In 1901 it was transformed into the electricity line (now defunct).”
Saint Florian – Patron Saint of Krakow
#DidYouKnow that St. Florian, usually portrayed as a Roman legion officer carrying water, has been revered in Poland as the patron saint of firefighters and chimneysweeps. He is also the Patron Saint of Krakow and you can see him on the tower over the Brama Florianska (Florianska Gate) or on St. Anne’s Church in the Old Town.
Colourful, attractive shops and restaurants – Florianska Street, Krakow, Poland
Floriańska Street – Some History
Although most of the houses were rebuilt (especially at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries), many details of their old, often medieval origin have been preserved. Particularly noteworthy here are houses: No. 3 with an interesting Renaissance portal, No. 5 and No. 8 with late-Gothic portals, No. 7 with an early Renaissance figure of the Virgin Mary and portals in the same style (you can see that in the pictures above), No. 9 and No. 26 with Renaissance portals, and No. 17 with a fragment of a chain on the facade that once closed the street at night.
The Restaurant and Hotel “Pod Roza” (Under the Rose) can also be found on Florianska Street, Krakow – Poland
Floriańska Street – “Pod Różą”
House No. 14 houses the oldest hotel in the city, founded around 1800, “Pod Różą”, initially called “de Russie”, or Ruski, to commemorate the visit of Grand Duke Konstanty and Tsar Alexander I. During his stay in Krakow, Francis also lived here Liszt. However, the information on the commemorative plaque claiming that Honoriusz Balzac lived here is untrue. The great French writer really stayed in one of the cheaper inns in Stradom. The building housing the hotel dates from the 14th century, but it underwent numerous reconstructions. The facade is decorated with a rare beauty late-Renaissance portal with a beautiful Latin inscription that wishes the house to stand until the ant drinks seawater and the turtle does not go around the world.
Florianska street – both way view from the middle: towards the St. Mary’s Church and towards the Brama Florianska (St. Florian’s Gate) – Krakow, Poland
Floriańska Street – #DidYouKnow
In 2007, the Polish magazine Wprost ranked Floriańska Street as the 3rd most prestigious street in Poland, and the most prestigious in Kraków, following Warsaw’s Nowy Świat (New World Street) and Krakowskie Przedmieście Street.
In 2011 and 2013, rents at Floriańska Street was the second-highest in Poland, 2nd only to that for Nowy Świat Street.
Yours sincerly,
The Twisted Red LadyBug That Loves To Share Krakow’s History 🙂
“There is no passion to be found playing small—in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”
Nelson Mandela
PEAKAPRE Way
A fairytale world in the mind of a little girl
There was once a little child – let’s call her The Nature Girl. It did not matter that as a child she lived in the city, the forest was close and it was always calling out for her. Her favourite pastimes were picking berries, mushrooms and going out for long walks in the woods.
Perhaps, as she also points out on her blog, it was in her blood… in her genes… Her grandfather Leon was a forester and she heard from her mother stories, fairytales since she was a wee lass. Nature and adventure were aways there, inside of her, waiting to be freed out.
The Love for the Mountains
Writing one’s dreams down always is a step towards admitting them, visualizing them, and taking further steps to make them true. The Nature Girl started fulfilling her dreams by noting them down on her Winnie The Pooh notebook (number 1 on the list was the magical Kilimanjaro) and as fearless as Christopher Robin, she took a leap of faith and started building on that…
She started trips to the Polish mountains, to Tatra, and the surrounding areas – the National Parks of Poland. She became associated with the mountains so much, that friends and family no longer asked when she would go to the mountains next, rather they asked when she would actually be in town 🙂
PEAKAPRE Way
A Born Entrepreneur
The Nature Girl had to settle in for some time, like many of us, and join the road of the Corporate World. She worked for several clothing companies (from Cropp to Smyk, to 5.10.15, to 4F – in Poland; and Noriel – in Romania). She learned a lot of things that would prepare her for building her own brand and opening up a shop with beautiful merchandise Made In Poland: she learned what she did/did not like, she met people with diverse mindsets and experiences, she dealt with everything product-related from A to Z (be it negotiations, materials, orders, the quality of the products, the choices that the worldwide market has to offer, the possibility behind the colors/pantones and even people management – by building a 20+ team from scratch!).
The decision came with a little push from the outside, with a little help from a friend… The Nature Girl did plenty of tests that showed her that she was a born entrepreneur, with high empathy and a lot of energy! (something that you can obviously see when you meet her in person). She took her time, made the order in her thoughts and feelings and at the beginning of the last year – 2019 – the wheels had been placed in motion: she would open up a place of her own, a creative environment where she could thrive and make in change the world a better place (by “giving jobs to cool people and supporting institutions that I think are underrated in Poland” – as she also mentions on her blog)!
PEAKAPRE Spirit
PEAKAPRE – Unique Designs & Safe Materials – all Made in Poland
The Nature Girl, Justyna Kawa from Peakapre, does not wish to bring to the market yet another clothes shop where you just buy things and that is it – end of story! She has plenty of dreams related to this #MadeInPoland brand. Despite the costs being higher or the trouble that it entails, even by making the companies that provide her the sewing for the products, or the material for the clothes getting used to the regular way of doing business and asking for the example of work before starting the production; Justyna wants to create everything Peakapre related in Poland. She wants this done here, not in Asia; she wishes to draw, invent, create the models, be able to select the colors and the materials, sew everything in Poland (sewing is done in Lodz). This way she knows she supports the local economy.
The PEAKAPRE Logo
PEAKAPRE – The Name
Justyna’s dream started small but she has a vision that will last for a lifetime. Peakapre‘s name went through a long thought process, connected to her history of traveling and falling in love with the beauties that it can offer.
There is an animal, like a goat, that lives in the mountains – it is called chamois (in Romanian: black goat – “Capra neagra” – and it is even protected by law). It is a species of goat-antelope native to mountains in Europe – can be found in the Tatra Mountains but also in the Carpathian Mountains.
Justyna lived in Romania and traveled along the Carpathian mountains, so she fell in love with this animal and the wording in the Romanian language: “Capra neagra” – so she decided she would some way integrate that with her new project.
The brand was supposed to be Pick/Peak Me but after further brainstorming and checking with the EU on the rights/patent that could e given, a mash-up of the 2 was done and Peakapre (Peak – kapre (Capra with a K)) was born!
PEAKAPRE Video – “In the rhythm of the breaths of the mountains, we enjoy the common path, we live slower, we love harder…”
The PEAKAPRE Mentality
Peakapre wants to be close and personal with each customer. Justyna envisions a community where people give back to the world, to Mother Earth. She wants Peakapre to be a way of escaping the routine, the daily struggles. An adventure that awaits you within your reach. The challenge for yourself to be the best that you can be, to get in touch with nature, with what Mother Earth has to offer and what (more important!) you have to offer to her, in return!
Peakapre does not want to be yet another “big brand name” and it does not wish to join the trends on the market (like focusing on creating and selling masks for the Coronavirus pandemic). The Nature Girl wants you to have something beautiful, comfortable, eco-friendly (premium knitwear, beautifully finished, with OEKO-Tex safety certificates and Human Friendly), something that you would love wearing on your hiking trips and you would tell others about it. She wants you to go with her, on a journey, and rediscover yourself and the places surrounding you.
PEAKAPRE in action 🙂 You can find the blouse with the lady and the wolf HERE
Peakapre is here not only for the mountain lovers, but it is also here for the travelers, for the adventurers, for the fearless ones that believe that Mother Earth is not an unlimited resource. She is here to stay with us only if we take care of her. And a good step into that direction is by supporting the local economy, buying things locally, investing in top quality products, and making sure you buy only the things you need.
DISCLAIMER!
That being said, I need you to know that I will always support the #MadeInPoland products. I bumped into Peakapre while I was browsing the internet (and Instagram – they are very active there!) for clothes made in Poland, produced 100% locally. I love traveling and I love both the mountains and the seaside. I believe that we need to give back to Earth and not consume as much as we do now. I believe minimalism should not be just a trend and eco-friendly should be a way of living, so when I met Justyna from Peakapre it was love at first sight. A lot of the things she said rang true in me and even if we come from such different environments, we recognized we can both connect through the energy that we share.
I was given a set of 2 jumpers and 2 t-shirts to also try out, but I will do a review on them later on after I test them thoroughly! For today I just wanted to share with you The Nature Girl’s story. I do hope you jump by their site and check out their products as well.
Yours truly and very sincerly,
The Twisted Red LadyBug That Loves PEAKAPRE Mentality & Loves Showing You Amazing People/Stories/Brands #MadeInPoland
The Krakow Bugle Call (Hejnal) – July 2020 – Poland
The Bugle Call
On top of St. Mary’s Church (PL: Mariacki Kosciol), in the highest of the 2 frontal towers, a trumpet call can be heard everyday, around the clock, at the hour-sharp. No matter the weather, time of day, the song is heard – the traditional tune is known by all Poles (children or grown-ups alike).
Every hour sharp
Based on 5 notes in the F-major scale, The Bugle Call from St.Mary’s is a song everyone knows and stops to listen (and wave at the person playing… supposedly that brings good luck if he waves back!). Its history is deeply embedded in the hearts of the people of Krakow especially. Even the historian Norman Davies described it in its “Europe: A History” book (1996): “The hejnał Mariacki or ‘trumpet-call of St Mary’s’ is one of the many curiosities of old Cracow. It is sounded from the top of the tower of the ancient church which overlooks the city square. It is sounded on the hour, every hour of the day and night, winter and summer; and each time it is repeated four times: to north, south, east and west.“
The Mariacki Church – view from Florianska street – Krakow, Poland
The Legend – The Bugle Call & The Tatar Arrow
Originally, back in the Middle Ages, the bugle call was played at dawn and dusk to tell the gatekeepers of the city to open/shut the city gates(eg. the direction the bugle plays can be heard along the Florianska street, up to Brama Florianska and the Barbakan – where the main entrance to the city was located). It was also used as a warning signal when there was a fire in the city or when enemy forces were approaching. The tower offered a 360 degree view of the city and they could quickly notify the inhabitants of the danger approaching – being played in the 4 cardinal directions.
The first mention of the bugle call being heard hourly, around the clock, comes from the mid 15th century. The story of the broken song comes from the Tatar invasion of Poland in 1241. Standing on guard, the bugle player warned the inhabitants of Krakow about the approaching enemy troops and he sounded the alarm. Unfortunately, tragedy hit, when an arrow of the Tatar enemy reached his throat and killed the guard and ended the melody mid-way. To commemorate his bravery and the fact that he saved the city, the song was played every hour, but it would stop just when he stopped that fatidic day…
The Hejnal – Twisted Red LadyBug
The Legacy
The earliest mention of it can be found in the city of Kraków’s expense records. In 1392, the city was paying a trumpeter in St Mary’s Church Tower the sum of 1/2 a grosz weekly.
The first trumpeter in the tower known by name was Iwan Mikulski, who appears in the city records for the year 1629. Another trumpet player that one should take notice of is Antoni Dołęga, who on the 3rd of July 1901 – 9 PM, played the melody 3 out of the 4 times before dying (heart condition). By the way, back then they could not come inside by way of the inner stairs (there were none!) but they had to come from outside, through very tall ladders…
The Mariacki Church and the Bugle Tower – view from Adam Mickiewicz Stature, Main Market Square Krakow, Poland – July 2020
How to be a Bugle Boy/Girl?
Today, there are 272 steps that lead you to the top where the Bugle Call is played and you can actually get to visit and see the person on guard play live! It is said that the regular trumpeters that stay on shift regularly take only 3 minutes to climb them! Nowadays, also the trumpeter not only has to be a good musician, but they also have to be a fireman as well – they are subjected to physical and psychological tests. If you, as a civilian, would like to do that, one would have to take a 177 days long training course at the Fireman School.
But note down that a trumpeter actually works 24 hours straight! (after which he has a 2 day break). The trumpeter plays the call on the hour from 8 until 7 the next day!
DID YOU KNOW – The Hejnal…
The Grammy-winning American smooth jazz trumpeter Chris Botti performed the ancient tune in 2015, while on tour in Poland
The first woman to play the Bugle Call was Anna Kula, a student at the Academy of Music in Kraków, when she played on New Year’s Eve in 1993
During the Second World War, a bugler from the 2nd Polish Corps played the tune to announce the Polish victory in the Battle of Monte Cassino on 18 May 1944
The longest-serving trumpeter was Adolf Śmietana, who played the Hejnał for 36 years beginning in 1926. The Kołton family has played the Hejnał for three consecutive generations. In October 2004, Jan Kołton retired after 33 years of service at the tower. His father had been a Hejnał bugler for 35 years previously, while his son is one of the four current buglers.
Yours sincerely, The Twisted Red LadyBug that loves Kraków and it’s legends and stories
If you ever been to Krakow Main Market Square than for sure you have seen the committee of pigeons tapping about the place, searching for food from the willing tourists and locals. Pigeons in Krakow arouse 2 contrasting emotions in people: they either love them, take photos of them and feed them OR they release great negative emotions and people just want to see them disappear.
I believe it is especially hard for people living in the areas where they flock often, like the Main Market Square (Rynek) in Krakow. For the people that are also balcony owners, they are a nuisance and they certainly do not arouse any sympathy when they poop around the place… Of course, the people and the City of Krakow have tried to limit the damage by placing in spikes but they have grown accustomed to that as well!
Krakow Florist on the Main Market Square, Krakow, Poland – Photo from the 1960s – Source: NAC (National Digital Archives)
Krakow Pigeons = Local Attraction
You can see them popping their head from the postcards and you can see and hear them on any video taken in the Main Square. They are inevitable! They can even be considered an attraction for the kids – as they always love feeding them and running around them, trying to catch them. I know my Little LadyBug Baby Girl loves chasing them about!
For a certain amount of time, during communist times even, food for them could be bought right next to the florists that were on the Rynek. Now the feeding of the pigeons is discouraged but there are some men that wander around, selling small dosages for the kids to buy and feed the birds.
Pigeons In Krakow, Poland – Picture taken by yours truly, but I do not recall the date
The Legend of Krakow Pigeons
You might not know, but the Krakow Legend says that these pigeons are actually knights! The legend was told by prof. Michał Rożek in the recommendable “Silva Rerum“. At the end of the 13th century, Prince Henry IV of the Right (Henryk IV Prawy) sought to unite Polish lands, which were then divided into districts. To do this he needed to be crowned. Coronation, in turn, required payment of the emperor or pope, and these were not cheap things. The prince had no money, so he borrowed it from the witch from Zwierzyniec. This decided on a rather unusual pledge.
Henryk’s courtiers and knights, whom she changed into pigeons, became security for his pledge. She promised that she would restore them to their former form when the king would return from Rome and repay the debt. However, during the expedition, he went and drank everything he borrowed. Henryk returned to Kraków, but he did not pay the debt. The courtiers and knights remained pigeons. And they are with us to this day, poor things…
Main Market Square, Krakow, Poland – July 2020
How about you? Have you ever been to Krakow and fed the knights? 🙂
As per our good old friend, Wikipedia, the first typical milk bar “Mleczarnia Nadświdrzańska” was established in 1896 in Warsaw by Stanisław Dłużewski, a member of Polish landed gentry. Although the typical Bar Mleczny had a menu based on dairy items, these establishments generally also served other, non-dairy traditional Polish dishes as well.
The Popularity of the Milk Bars
The commercial success of the first milk bars encouraged other businessmen to copy this type of restaurant. As Poland regained her independence after World War I, milk bars appeared in most of the country. They offered relatively cheap but nourishing food, and as such achieved even more prominence during the economic depression in the 1930s.
Milk Bars and World War 2
The role of milk bars restaurants carried through World War II. After the fall of the German Nazi regime, Poland became a communist state and a satellite of the Soviet Union. The majority of the population was poor, contrary to official propaganda, and expensive and even moderately-priced restaurants were derided as “capitalist“. During the post-war years, most restaurants were nationalized and then closed down by the communist authorities. In the mid-1960s Milk Bars (Bar Mleczny) were common as a means of offering cheap meals to people working in companies that had no official canteen. They still served mostly dairy-based and vegetarian meals, especially during the period of martial law in the early 1980s, when meat was rationed.
The prevalent idea at that time was to provide all people with cheap meals at the place of their work. At times the price of the meals served in the workplace canteens was included in a worker’s salary. However, there was also a large number of people working in smaller firms that had no canteen at their disposal. Because of this, during the tenure of Władysław Gomułka, the authorities created a network of small self-service eateries. The meals, subsidized by the state, were cheap and easily available to anyone.
Menu Examples:
- Scrambled eggs with ham/bacon = 5,9 zloty
- Chicken soup with noodles = 3 zloty
- Kotlet schabowy = 8,2 zloty
- Kotlet de Volaille = 8,9 zloty
Mokotowski Bar Mleczny in Warsaw
Today I wanted to show you a piece of history that will soon be grazed down – as the owner will rent the place to someone else (don’t know the dates yet, as there was a “To Rent” sign last time I went there, in April 2020). The Mokotowski Bar Mleczny, located on Pulawska 63 in Warsaw, is a sentimental stop – a trip in a time machine to the communist times in Poland.
The prices of the menu are low for Warsaw and the food is not done with the help of many types of spices, as the law prohibits such places to use them. There is a tram stop just across the street and it is located on a very frequented road, so each time I passed by it was always full!
Many elderly and students eat there, as the food is at a good price and very filling for one’s tummy. The interior is modest: wooden tables with wooden chairs. There are seatings by the window, so you can look at the people passing by, or you can choose to sit at a regular table as well.
Mokotowski Bar Mleczny Menu
The menu is printed on the wall, as you enter, and the cashier is there too. Bar Mleczny are always self-service so grab quickly a chair, leave your jacket there and get to the counter before the queue starts up! The offer is wide and traditional, with soups, first course, second course and sweets. Of course there is also compote! Meals are fresh and there is always new things popping up on the menu.
I recommend you to try their dishes and follow their Facebook Page as they update it daily with the menu of the day 😉 Let me know if you went there before, by commenting on the section below. I would also love to hear your stories about the other Milk Bars you ave visited anywhere in Poland.
Yours sincerly,
The Twisted Red LadyBug That Loves MilkBars (A Blast From The Past)
Panorama of Morskie Oko lake in the middle of the Tatra mountains, Poland – source
No need to walk – a bus can take you to Morskie Oko now
Tourists spending their holidays in Białka or Bukowina Tatrzańska will find it easier to reach Palenica Białczańska, where the trail to Morskie Oko begins. The commune of Bukowina Tatrzańska is launching new bus lines that will take tourists to the beginning of the trail from various parts of the commune.
Why was the bus line instated?
This is to meet the difficult situation on the access road to Łysa Polana and further to Palenica Białczańska, which is formed in almost every summer season. Whenever it is a clear day, giant traffic jams and congestion form on the access road.
It comes as the result of increased interest in Morskie Oko (one of the easiest routes in the Tatras). In addition, most tourists try to get there in their own car. Limited number of parking spaces = tourists’ cars do not fit, resulting in parking on the side of the road, narrowing the passage. As a result, the road from Wierch Porońca to Łysa Polana is often stuck in traffic jams.
The solution is for tourists to choose public transport more often. It’s just that there must be such options available. Until now, buses mainly run from Zakopane. It will change now.
As of 1st July 2020, bus lines to Palenica Białczańska started running
From July 1, three bus lines will be launched in the Bukowina Tatrzańska communes, which will take people to Palenica Białczańska. Running from Białka Tatrzańska, Gliczarów Górny and Bukowina Tatrzańska the buses will drive through Głodowski and Spiski Wierch, as well as through Rusiński Wierch.
“They will be connected to alternative parking lots for tourists, located at the ski station on Rusinski Wierch and at Kotelnica Białczańska in Białka Tatrzańska. Tourists will be able to leave their cars there and take buses, which will have stops at parking lots” – says Andrzej Pietrzyk, head of the commune of Bukowina Tatrzańska. Parking lots will be free. Tourists will have to pay for buses back and forth.
The courses will take place every hour before noon and every hour afternoon. New connections were co-financed by the commune office in Bukowina Tatrzańska.
Yours truly,
The Twisted Red LadyBug With The Daily Malopolska News 🙂
As of 1st July, Auschwitz Museum reopened its doors
From July 1, visitors can walk the grounds of the former Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp again. The museum was closed for over 3 months because of the Coronavirus pandemic.
The visiting rules have been adapted to the new sanitary requirements. Admission to both parts of the former camp: Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II – Birkenau, will take place only on the basis of Entry Cards. Reservations can be made online. Unreserved entry passes will be available at the Museum on the day of the visit; however, we cannot guarantee entry to the Memorial without reservation.
‘The period of the pandemic shows that in every difficult and crisis situation, fears, tensions, reluctance and ghosts of the past awaken. Right now we all need to listen wisely to the warnings from the past so that the economic difficulties we are experiencing and forecasting will not lead to a moral crisis, a crisis of humanity,” said Museum Director Dr. Piotr M. A. Cywiński
‘We also heavily suffered from a lack of visitors, also financially. Many programs and investments had to be canceled or postponed to subsequent years. Many people have asked in the past whether it would not be possible to introduce paid entrance tickets since the funds raised in this way would help to achieve the museum’s great mission. Regardless of the current difficult situation, we want the entrance to the Memorial area to remain free. However, to meet the needs of those who have supported us in the past or are willing to do this, we are introducing the so-called “pay what you want” system, in which everyone will decide for themselves if they want to enter for free, or rather make a donation. In this way, the concern for our mission can become our common cause,’ added Dr. Cywiński.
Auschwitz I – Poland
New Regulations at the Auschwitz Museum/Memorial
Tours with an educator for individual visitors will take place in smaller groups of up to 15 people. The number of people on the site will also be minimised. Visitors will have to observe a safe interpersonal distance – both before entering the Museum and during the tour. The same regulations governing covering of the mouth and nose apply in the premises as in entire Poland (right now face must be covered indoors). Several places on the Museum grounds have also been equipped with devices for contactless hand sanitation, and a special sanitation gate has been placed in front of the entrance.
Opening hours for the Auschwitz Memorial
The Memorial will be open to the public from 9.00 a.m. From July to September, tours will take place with a guide until 16.00 hrs. Later individual visits will be possible with booked entry cards.
Information taken from the Auschwitz.Org site – Please reach out to them for the most up-to-date information!
I have visited Auschwitz I and II numerous times, in different seasons, be it alone or with friends and family. It is always a harsh, sad, trip to the past and I recommend all of us to take it #LestWeForget …
Yours sincerly,
The Twisted Red LadyBug Who Loves Poland & History
RUCH – Prasa, Ksiaszka, RUCH – Poland in PRL TimesThe ruins of Warsaw after the 1945 heavy bombing, but you can see in the background the newly built Palace of Culture and Science (Pałac Kultury i Nauki) – Photo by Zdzisław WdowińskiI’ll just call this one… Toilet Paper & Fashion in the PRL Times 🙂 – Location Unknown (Poland)Born in the PRL – Water with fruit juice/jam sold in glasses (glass made). You had to drink it on the spot 🙂Warsaw Trams in 2013 (Poland)Celebrating Labour Day – 1st May – PRL TimesBorn in the PRL – The regular shop next door (Poland)Born in the PRL – Glass bottles for milk and juice
On store shelves, most products are packed in glass bottles and containers: mayonnaise, mustard, milk and juice. There is no fear that children will break bottles, nobody complains that the glass is heavier and you have to be more careful when moving it. Bottles with interesting shapes are later used as vases, to others you can add a separate mechanism that closes them in a vacuum, almost like a cork.
Born in the PRL – Buying bread at the local store, in Poland
The bread was wrapped up in paper instead of foil (tin or plastic, like nowadays). Sandwiches, for school or work, were wrapped in breakfast paper – resistant to fatty products and completely biodegradable!
Does any of this ring a bell from your childhood? For me, it sounds very similar. Romania, ex-communist country as well, as Poland, keeps a shared history. The photos above could be taken back in my motherland as well.
I find it a good movement the fact that people now are trying to go back to the eco-friendly ways of living – eg. buying bread in the paper wrapping again, reusing things, not throwing things but rather trying to fix things once they get broken… The only way we can make sure our children will have a better world is by making sure that each of us does their part and takes care of the environment as well!
From Wednesday, July 1st 2020, the so-called landscape resolution adopted by the Krakow City Council at the end of February will take effect. The document regulates the rules and conditions of locating small architecture objects, advertising boards and devices as well as fences, their dimensions, quality standards and types of building materials from which they can be made
The landscape resolution determines what, where, and what size can be placed and hung in the urban space that is to be ordered. Under the new regulations, the city was divided into 3 zones, of which in the 3rd of the 3 additional sub-areas were separated – Old Town, Nowa Huta and Śródmieście.
What does it allow for?
The document allows a limited catalog of advertising media: banners, billboards with an area of 12 sq m or 18 sq m, poster and advertising poles (so-called round logs), advertising panels, advertising murals, totems, pylons, free-standing advertising boards or free-standing advertising devices with smaller advertising space than 5 sq m.
The landscape resolution specifies in detail what boards and advertising devices are to be placed on construction works. The document also includes the conditions for the location of these carriers in individual zones or their backlighting.
This steps were taken so that the aesthetics of the city, the buildings would look more pleasing. I, for one, am happy that this will happen, as I think we are already flooded by advertising, by non-recyclable banners, by items that cannot be reused and that make the city uglier. What do you think about this decision?
Main Market Square Krakow, Poland – view of the Mariacki Kosciol (St. Mary’s Church) and Sukiennice (Cloth Hall)
After more than three months, the people of Krakow and tourists can visit the Princes Czartoryski Museum again. As of today, June 30, the unique collection together with the Lady and the Ermine Leonardo da Vinci is now open to the public.
The Palace of the Princes Czartoryski Museum is the last branch of the National Museum in Krakow (NMK) that has opened up after the break caused by the Coronavirus pandemic. There, the ‘youngest’ permanent exhibition presented by the NMK is presented – in its current shape, it can be seen only from December 20, 2019. From the opening to March 11, it was seen by over 46,000. people.
Visitors of the Palace are attracted to the historical Czartoryski collection, collected since the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, which contains both masterpieces of painting – for example, the “Lady with an Ermine” by Leonardo da Vinci and “Landscape with the Good Samaritan” by Rembrandt or paintings by Jan Matejko (national painter), as well as numerous memorabilia – priceless historical souvenirs, and testimonies of the past Polish and European culture. Due to the high interest and the limited number of people who can be in the museum at the same time, the number of tickets for each day is limited. They are available for a specific date and time, which is why the best solution is their earlier online purchase or e-mail booking.
The NMK Main Building is also reopened from 30 June 2020. At the beginning the exhibition “Miracle of light. Medieval stained glass windows in Poland ”, while permanent exhibitions will be open to visitors from July 4.
Current visiting hours:
Tuesday to Sunday – 10:00 to 17:00
Regulations for visitors:
covering of nose and mouth while inside the museum
disinfecting hands
keeping the 2 meter distance from other people
I hope you get to visit the Czartoryski Museum. If you do, let me know how you liked it 🙂
Yours truly,
The Twisted Red LadyBug That Loves NMK (National Museum of Krakow)
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