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Krakow , Poland - A Travel StoryModern times, freedom and economic success have hit Poland in a big way and for this I am glad, as a Pole myself. In Warsaw , the capital, businessmen cut deals in shiny new skyscrapers while the young and middle class head to the numerous branches of American fast food chains for lunch. Hitting the shops in search of, and buying 'Western' products such as Nike, Sony, Mercedes, Levi's and Nokia is not beyond many Poles today. But life in Poland 's number two city, Krakow , is slightly different. Entrepreneurs and Levi's have made it to Krakow too, but not on the same scale. Ancient buildings are being renovated, new ventures taking off - but overall, Krakow lives on a slower, more peaceful scale. Maybe it's because Warsaw was obliterated in WWII, and rebuilt in the shadow of Moscow - while Krakow was left virtually untouched and still holds its old world charm. UNESCO was so impressed by the condition of Krakow that it is now on the World Heritage list. It was around the 10th century when the Polish State was emerging that the first signs of a small fortified castle appeared on Wawel hill in the southern part of Krakow , overlooking the city and the Vistula valley. The complex on Wawel hill grew to a great extent when, in the 11th century, the cathedral became the seat of the Bishops of Krakow and Krakow itself became the capital of Poland . Krakow 's development and political importance continued until the early 17th century when the capital was moved to Warsaw . But despite the transfer of the royal residence to Warsaw , Wawel Cathedral continued to be the place of coronations and the burial site of Polish kings. Visiting today you can venture into the crypt to see the tombs of past kings and dignitaries, or climb the bell tower to see the Sigismund Bell, cast in 1520, which is now only rung on state occasions. Cardinal Karol Wojtyla wrote: "Within its venerable walls Wawel Cathedral holds the entire Polish past, that most glorious and most splendid past that is truly commendable, worth of following and deserving of eternal remembrance." Cardinal Karol Wojtyla is perhaps better known by the name he took when he left Krakow for the Vatican - Pope John Paul II. The splendid rooms of the neighbouring castle are entered from the Renaissance courtyard. Here you will find the crown treasury, armoury, oriental art, the elaborately decorated throne room and scores of priceless Flemish tapestries adorning many of the walls. While the castle and the cathedral are on Wawel hill, keeping watch over the city from the south, most of the other sites of interest are more central, in or around the 13th century Rynek Glowny, or main market square, the largest in Europe from the medieval times. The centre-piece of the square holds the Old Cloth Hall with its Gothic walls and Renaissance parapet. Within its enchanting arcades today are craftsmen selling their wares to locals and tourists alike. The nearby Czartoryski branch of the National Museum , one of the many museums of the city, holds paintings by the likes of Leonardo Da Vinci and Rembrandt, among other ancient and interesting items from previous centuries. Krakow has numerous churches, but another of particular interest is St. Mary's, towering like a skyscraper in the corner of market square. From the high tower, every hour, a bugle call is sounded. This stems from an ancient legend that told of a trumpeter, who while standing guard on the tower, saw an approaching enemy and sounded the alarm. He didn't manage to finish his alarm before he was hit by an enemy arrow in mid-call. It is repeated every hour now and the bugler cuts his 'alarm' in mid-call as a commemoration. What many consider to be Poland 's best restaurant, including myself, is located on the Main Market Square . Simply called 'Wierzynek' Restaurant, it is named after its original proprietor Nicolaus Wierzynek.
Over six hundred years ago he was famous for putting on a splendid feast for the Great Conference of the Monarchs in 1364. Among those in attendance were King Casmir the Great, the German Emperor Charles IV and King Louis of Hungary . It's reputed that 20th century dignitaries such as Mikhail Gorbachev and George Bush Snr. have dined there. Silver service and waiters in black tie still carry on the splendid tradition - it's a great place to splurge. That's if you consider a price of barely £15.00 a head for a 3 course dinner from its near endless menu a 'splurge.' The whole Krakow region is loaded with history - an hour's ride away, on a rickety, local train is the town of Oswiecim . A whole day is needed to explore the town's very interesting, if sombre, attraction. The town of Oswiecim is surely better known to the world by the way the German's spelled it during their occupation here - AUSCHWITZ . On the site of the Auschwitz camp, the Poles have a museum which has permanent exhibits dedicated to the memory of those who perished here. The museum is free, you only pay a small fee to see a short film taken by the Russians, of the camp, on liberation day in 1945. The Auschwitz camp is now a museum . When the Germans outgrew Auschwitz they moved 1.5 miles down the road to the village of Brzezinka , or Birkenau. It's not really advertised at Auschwitz about the possibility of visiting Birkenau, but it is the place to see. Walk down the lonely road to Birkenau (Auschwitz Camp Two). This is where you feel the real scale of the events that took place here. The camp is enormous. And it's been left virtually as it was in 1945; there's no ticket counter, no museum and no locks on the gates. Just follow the single train track to the front gate and walk in.
It's possible to walk for hours amidst the ruins of the camp, watch towers, the wooden barracks, and just the sheer space, without seeing another soul. A very eerie place indeed... A shorter journey from Krakow (half an hour), by another rickety old train brings you to the famous salt mines at Wieliczka. Descending into the mine, wooden step by wooden step, for nearly 100 feet, you finally reach the starting point. At first it looks just like a normal mine, lots of tunnels lit with electric lamps and tracks for the salt carts to run on. Then, all of a sudden, you see them. Various displays of life-size figures, representing local legends, pop out of nowhere, all individually lit, and carved out of the very salt mined here. This rather old (900 years) mine has tunnels and chambers on nine levels, going as deep as 1000 feet. It is still a working mine and tourists only go to a depth of around 300 feet. Only in recent years has electricity and lifts been installed. Some of the more interesting displays show how the salt was mined by candlelight and with horsepower. Horses and men were lowered down into the pitch black chambers in previous centuries, from which they didn't come up too often, or sometimes not at all. The highlight of the tourist trail comes when they bring you into the immense St. Kinga's chapel over 150 feet long and 300 feet below the surface. That alone may seem amazing until you realise that everything- chandeliers, alter, a wall mural depicting Da Vinci's "Last Supper" and the floor are carved out of salt! After a visit to yet a museum and cafe that far under, you're finally whisked to surface in a real miners lift - 3 levels high, unlit and lightning fast. If you're not careful, and savour all the sights of Krakow slowly, you're whole trip could go by with lightning speed.
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