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)
Today I just wanted to share with you a piece of history about Krakow.
Did You Know that on this very day, 764 years ago, on the 5th of June 1257, Krakow was established officially as a city and acquired the Magdeburg Laws? Did You Know that Krakow still holds the record for the longest time of serving as the capital city of Poland – it would perform the function 3 times in its history, loosely between 1040 and 1609.
However, Krakow was marked in history as an important town, and frequently visited trading center, as early as the 9th century! Archeologists date the oldest material evidence of human settlements excavated in the city to circa 200,000 BC. In the year 1038 Krakow became the capital of Poland.
Duke Bolesław V the Chaste proclaimed the establishment on the 5th of June 1257
The establishment of a new town under Magdeburg law, proclaimed on 5 June 1257 by Duke Bolesław V the Chaste (whose reign spanned 1243–1279), was a foundational event for Kraków/Cracow in the true sense of the word. Notwithstanding the primarily legal and planning-based character of the endeavor, the city’s foundation generated significant momentum for societal change. Within a relatively short space of time, Kraków, originally consisting of a ducal castle and a settlement at its foot, grew into a European metropolis, one of the contemporary continent‘s premier mercantile centers and the seat of a noteworthy political self-administration.
Krakow was not built in a day!
Like Rome, Kraków was not built in a day; preparations for the city’s establishment had begun many years before it became a reality. The plan for the city came into being at the court of Bolesław V’s father, Duke Leszek the White (d. 1227), and it continued under the auspices of Henry the Bearded (d. 1238) and of his son. These dukes, whose reign occurred in the turbulent period of the struggle for ducal ascendancy at Wawel Castle, perceived Kraków as possessing the capacity to secure their position throughout Poland. Isolated, yet unambiguous sources bear witness to the emergence between 1220 and 1241 of Kraków’s first, short-lived civic community, whose demise is associated with the political catastrophe that befell the Silesian Piast dynasty with the Mongol invasion of Poland in 1241.
Wawel Cathedral records from 1257
The annals kept by the Kraków chapter of what was known as the Wawel cathedral record that in 1257, ‘Cracoviensis civitas iuri Theutonico traditur et situs fori per advocatos et domorum et curiarum immutatur’ (The city of Kraków was placed under German law and the reeves altered the positions of squares, houses, and lordly residences). The chronicler, installed upon the Wawel Hill as the symbol representing the Kraków chapter’s seat, had clearly deemed these events worthy of recording for posterity. What he could not have known, and we know from our temporal vantage point of several centuries, is the extent of the changes, in terms of urban planning, demography, the economic and political sphere, and indeed of society, which were emerging in Kraków.
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!
The city is preparing to open a new bus line in the very center of Krakow. The small buses running along it would take passengers along the streets of the historic Old Town, incl. ul. Sławkowska, Szpitalna and Mikołajska.
The final route for the new line has not yet been mapped out. Remember that inside the Planty, we do not have any public transport on Franciszkańska and therefore people with reduced mobility may have a problem with getting around, so we focused on the northern part of the very center. As a pilot, the line could run on streets with traffic. An example route is the following streets: Sławkowska, Pijarska, św. John, then St. Thomas or St. Marka to Szpitalna Street, then ul. Mikołajska, Westerplatte, to the Main Post Office, and then turn into ul. Sienna, St. Cross to St. Ducha, where the bus would take you to ul. Basztowa to the “Stary Kleparz” stop.
Sebastian Kowal from the Public Transport Authority in Krakow
Focus on the elderly living in the Old Town
He admits that the new line would be introduced especially for the elderly, those living within the Planty area, as well as those commuting to the very center. Currently, you can get there by tram, e.g. to the stop at the Main Post Office, and then if someone wants to get to the Main Market Square or its surroundings, you have to go on foot. After introducing a new bus route, it will be possible to drive, for example, to ul. Mikołajska or St. John. Other passengers, including tourists, will also be able to use this line.
“We are planning to start the piloting of the new line only when the center is unfrozen. We are currently hearing about another lockdown. However, if the new line is fully developed and the epidemiological situation is such that, for example, restaurants will be opened in the center, the new solution could be introduced in the second quarter of this year“ – explains Sebastian Kowal.
Karsan mini-busses to the rescue!
Karsan mini-buses will run on the new route (with a frequency of about 20 minutes). Recently, Krakow has purchased 2 vehicles of this type and their presentation took place.
Karsany are the smallest buses in the MPK SA fleet in Krakow. On March 10, one of them joined the vehicles used to operate the Tele-bus, the popular telephone bus. A day later, the second vehicle will start transporting passengers on the line No. 176 “Bodzów” – “Kostrze OSP”.
Karsans are vehicles with a length of 5.8 meters. Inside there is room for 21 passengers. – The biggest advantage of the Karsans is their small size and high maneuverability. These features are perfect for narrow streets, small intersections and turning loops, which drivers have to deal with on line 176. The maneuverability of the mini-bus will also work well on the roads of Płaszów and Rybitw, where the Tele-bus service is available – emphasized in the office.
The high maneuverability of the Karsans is evidenced by the turning radius of these buses. It is only 6.8 meters. Compared to a standard bus with a length of 12 meters, it is almost 2 meters smaller.
Apart from the maneuverability advantages of the Karsans, the vehicles are also passenger-friendly. They have a low floor, and for people in wheelchairs, there is also a special place inside the vehicles and a folding platform by the door. The vehicles were also equipped with a passenger information system, air conditioning, and USB ports for charging batteries for phones, tablets, and other mobile devices.
With the driver’s comfort in mind, the door has been designed exclusively for the bus driver. Panoramic windshield and large mirrors provide good visibility for drivers.
For two mini-buses, the city paid 812 thousand. PLN net.
“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.
This year, due to the pandemic, we will not meet at the Small Market Square to sing Christmas carols together and feel the atmosphere of Christmas. The carol singing lesson will be held in a changed format – on the Internet.
Where can we find the SongBook for this year?
For this occasion, the Polish Song Library has prepared a special virtual songbook. This way, all will be able to sing the most beautiful Christmas carols with their loved ones, at the Christmas table. The premiere of “The Polish Songbook, or Christmas Carols to Sing Around the House – Online” will take place on Sunday, December 20 at 5 pm. It will be available on the website: https://bibliotekapiosenki.pl/strona/
We are all in this together!
Traditionally, the Loch Camelot Theater will help in singing. They have recorded background songs for the most beautiful Christmas carols for this occasion. The repertoire includes the below songs:
“Silent night”, “When Christ is born”, “Today in Bethlehem”, “In the silence of the night”, “God is born”.
In addition, the director of the Polish Song Library – Waldemar Domański – will talk about singing lessons in December. The film will be a nice reminder of the meetings for some, and an explanation of the phenomenon. These events have brought together over half a million participants since 2002.
The Krakow Singing Lessons for one and all!
The Krakow Singing Lesson is already over 76 concerts. During the concerts, the audience learns to sing Polish songs, patriotic songs, and Christmas carols. So far, about 500,000 have been distributed free songbooks. The originator of the project is the director of the Polish Song Library, Waldemar Domański.
Polish language article on Gazeta Krakowska can be found here.
There will be no presentation at the Adam Mickiewicz monument on the Main Square, and no traditional march. This year, the coronavirus pandemic caused the 78th Krakow Nativity Scenes Competition to take place in a different form.
The History of the #Szopki Contest
The Krakow Nativity Scenes Competition has a rich history. It was initiated in 1937. Then, during the German occupation, it had to be interrupted, but right after the war, this tradition was returned. Since 1946, it has been organized by the Krakow Museum.
Stay true to tradition!
The Krakow nativity scene is the culmination of several months or even several years of work. The aim of the competition is to uphold the tradition of nativity scene crafts and to popularize this unique element of urban folklore.
The 78th Krakow Nativity Scene Competition during the epidemic will be organized in a completely different form.
Małgorzata Niechaj, curator of the Krakow Museum
The competition will go online!
The jury will be in session on the first Thursday of December. Since some of the jurors will not be able to see the nativity scenes directly, and we cannot accumulate so many people at the same time, from November 16 to 30, we started to host nativity scenes in Celestat – the curatorinformed.
The curator of the Krakow Museum presented the procedure for accepting and registering nativity scenes. “Each of them is photographed. In addition, we make videos of those with moving parts, lighting. The nativity scenes are then described and sent to the jurors. On this basis, the cribs will be scored with points, we will award prizes during a remote session” – says Małgorzata Niechaj.
Deadline & Winners Announcement
The deadline for announcing the results of the competition, which will take place on Sunday, December 6, has been kept. Punctually at 14, the director of the Krakow Museum, Niezabitowski (chairman of the jury) will officially announce the results of the nativity scene competition on-line, on the YouTube platform, and on social media. As the curator admitted, the interest in the competition exceeded the expectations of the organizers. The largest nativity scenes are to appear in Celestat on Monday.
Several categories = several prizes
The nativity scene competition is held in several categories, not only age categories: up to 8 years old, through family nativity scenes, youth nativity scenes, and seniors – over 18 years of age, and in terms of size: miniature nativity scenes, small, medium and large nativity scenes.
The so far sent cribs are dominated by the architecture of the Old Kraków, the Cathedral, Kraków churches, and the Wawel Castle, although an interesting crib is a crib containing a Curia building with a papal window and a popemobile, or a crib with elements of the Basilica of Divine Mercy.
Szopka with COVID19 masks!
Most of the sent nativity scenes also contain elements referring to the anniversary of the birth of St. John Paul II and the pandemic that has prevailed since the beginning of the year (dolls with masks). There is also a nativity scene probably of a sports club lover – Cracovia and Wisła, referring to their derby. There were also cribs containing a viewing balloon over the Vistula River.
In the nativity scene by the master of the Krakow nativity scene, Maciek Moszew, the author portrayed himself at the base with an inscription informing that he is participating in the Krakow Nativity Scene for the 75th time.
UNESCO Acknowledgment
For many years, the Museum of Krakow has not only been looking after the nativity scene and its promotion both at home and abroad, but also documents the phenomenon of Krakow nativity scenes, which in 2018 was entered on the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Read the article in Polish language, on Gazeta Krakowska site.
During the Second World War, Krakow was ruled by the Third Reich. What were the streets and squares like in 1939-1944? How was life in the city? See photos from the German album “Krakau” published in 1944.
For more photos of Krakow 1944, I suggest also looking up this article from Gazeta Krakowska (in the Polish language).
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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