Krakow

Photos taken in May 2009.


Matejko square

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New Town

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- city bikes

Like bike-sharing systems installed in recent years in Barcelona, Rome, Vienna, Lyon and, Paris, BikeOne is an almost-free bike rental service that users can subscribe to via Internet. They can then check in and check out bikes from special automatically locking racks positioned at strategic locations around town.

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Apartment buildings within the New Town area

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- fast tram underground stop (Krakow's metro ;) )

Krakow Fast Tram (KST) is a premetro/tram system in Krakow connecting Northern and Southern parts of the city. The tunel and the two underground stations were opened in December 2008.

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Mogilskie rondabout - one of the most important crossroads in the city.
On some of the photos you can see the ruins of 'Lubicz' fort.

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- Cracovia Business Center - const started in 70's, modernized in 90's. Hight: 105 meters

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- 'Skeletor'

The official name of this building was NOT, but people in Krakow call it "Szkieletor" (Skeletor). The construction started in 1975 but was abandoned in 1979 because of the economic crisis.

A change however is in the making. Verity Development won the tender for the building and since then Verity have begun planning Skeletor?s resurrection. The concept being to renovate the existing tower, whose structure is architecturally sound, and to add two new wings on either side of the skyscraper.

It is hoped that it will be completed by 2012, in time for the European Championships.

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The area between the Mogilskie rondabout and the Train station

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-Krakow University of Economics

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Krakow's Opera

The historical institution of the Krakow Opera, dating back to the 17th century, has been revamped and in late 2008 moved into its brand new location on Lubicz Street.

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Strzelecki park

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The train station

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Some other part of the Krakow's downtown

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The Old Town

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- small market square

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- Florianska street

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- The Old Town Square

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- Jagiellonian University (second oldest (after Prague) in this part of Europe)

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- Copernicus monument

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- John Paul II monument

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- Kanonicza street

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Wawel castle

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Kazimierz (Jewish) district

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Great photos. I like how you didn't just take pics of the typical tourist spots.

Great thread, I like the photos. Don't hear much about Poland or it's cities, so this has been cool to see.

I like the Old Town Square's liveliness, looks inviting. :)

I like the Old Town Square's liveliness, looks inviting. :)

The Krakow's Old Town Square was voted as the best square in the world :cheers:

Great photos Docent:okay:
You reminded me of my time in Krakow - honestly, i can't wait to visit it again, maybe go for a ride on that new new "fast tram":)

Btw...this photo...

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Here's the one i took back in 2007, maybe a little more dramatic;)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v127/Pupin11/Krakov/IMG_7156Large.jpg

Great photos Docent:okay:
You reminded me of my time in Krakow - honestly, i can't wait to visit it again, maybe go for a ride on that new new "fast tram":)



And I still have to visit Belgrade :cheers:

So far, from all former Yugo countries, I've been only to Croatia.

Honestly speaking I'd say that whole region of Central and Eastern Europe (including Balkans of course) is extremly interesting, much more (at least for me) then many Western countries.
Maybe it's becouse of history, which, in our region, was much more dramatic.

Krakow in those photos looks very nice :)

I'm looking forward to the start on contruction on the archeological museum under the main market square. apparently there are medieval market stalls, weight scale, graves and a Roman road. I'm also looking forward to the reopening of the National Gallery in the Sukiennice. That's going to be an event.

Beautiful city...hope to visit it some day...
I have one question. Why are the towers on that chatedral different?


Regards from hot (30 degres +) Croatia:cheers:

Beautiful city...hope to visit it some day...
I have one question. Why are the towers on that chatedral different?




First of all it's not a cathedral. This is St. Mary's Basilica.

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Krakow's original St. Mary's Church was destroyed during the 13th-century Tartar raids; rebuilding began relatively soon after.

The present church was built on the foundations of its predecessor, which was built before the town plan of 1257. This is why it stands slightly askew from the main square.

The new St. Mary's Church was completed in 1397; the towers were added in the 15th century.

Mariacki church (as it is called by the Poles) is exceptional for its 2 towers – which are not of equal height. The higher one is called Hejnalica (the name derives from the word “hejnał” – a bugle call, which is played every hour from that place). It is 81 metres tall and built on the plan of square to change into octagon in its upper part. The tower is covered with roof ended with spire (with the crown on the top) and 8 lower towers. One can hear the trumpeter play the specificly unfinished Cracovian sign – hejnał – from that tower. The legend connected with that event says about the bugler who died trying to save the citizens of Kraków from the Tatar invaders. When he was playing the sound with the trumpet (to warn about the danger) the arrow pierced his throat.

Crowns top Krakow towers with good reason as the city boasts an official tittle of the ,,Royal Capital City". The crown on the tower was mentioned first in 1628. The present octagonal one of gold-plated sheet copper was put 65.5 m above the ground in 1666. It is 2.4 m in diameter and 1.3 m wide. The length of each of its eight sections is 1.2 m. The crown weighs 350 kg.

The bell tower is a lower one – 69 metres high. It is covered with late Renaissance roof, elliptic dome and surmounted with pierced lamp. There are also 4 smaller domes in the corners and 5 bells placed in the tower.

Legend has it that the towers were built by two brothers, one of whom grew jealous of the other's work and killed him with a sword.

Some photos from inside:

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And this is Krakow's cathedral (is localized on Wawel hill) :

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Polish kings are buried there:

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wow, there's a story behind it all.
thx for the explanation.

BTW Sorry for the mistake (cathedral/basilica)

BTW Sorry for the mistake (cathedral/basilica)

Don't worry - it's not that obvious - lot's of people are thinking that this is a cathedral.

There is a similar situation in Gdansk :

This is a basilica - it has even the same name as Krakow's - St. Mary's (most of the people think it's a cathedral) :

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2b/Bazylika_mariacka_gdansk_ubt.jpeg/800px-Bazylika_mariacka_gdansk_ubt.jpeg

And this is Gdansk's cathedral:

http://www.tourguidegdansk.com/i/gal_28d.jpg

:cheers:

^^I've seen that basilica in Gdanjsk...It's massive:master:

^^I've seen that basilica in Gdanjsk...It's massive:master:

It's the biggest brick church in the world and one of the largest Brick Gothic buildings in Europe. :cheers:

It's second largest church in Poland.

It is 105.5 m long, and the nave is 66 m wide. Inside the church is room for 25,000 people.

BTW I have just found the info that the St. Mary's church is in fact a co-cathedral in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Gdansk along with the main cathedral for the Archdiocese (the one that I posted above).


The biggest church in Poland is gigantic basilica in Lichen (Central Poland) - seventh largest in Europe and the tenth in the world.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Liche%C5%84_-_bazylika.jpg/800px-Liche%C5%84_-_bazylika.jpg

link:

http://www.quazen.com/Arts/Architecture/Worlds-10-Largest-Church-Buildings.666665

^^Wow i saw that basilica in Lichen...i can't believe that you built that in 2002. i just love that kind of architecture:cheers:

nice pics:cheers:

^^Wow i saw that basilica in Lichen...i can't believe that you built that in 2002. i just love that kind of architecture:cheers:

Yea, we can't believe that either...

Thanks for the explanations of the pictures - it really adds to the enjoyment.

Wow! What a nice surprise, Krakow looks phenomenal. There should be more threads of this city here.