Krakow, Poland
Although I was sad to leave Prague I was so excited to finally be visiting Poland! My family is originally from the southern part of the country. My family and I still celebrate Polish holidays like Wigilia and Paczki Day back home. I was super excited to explore some of the home country, eat some authentic food, and learn more about my heritage!
I quickly fell in love with the city of Krakow. Everyone was so nice and the architecture was stunning! My first day was the only day with rain, and the rest of my trip was hot and sunny! I loved walking around the city and discovering its history. Today the town square, Rynek Główny, is home to the famous Cloth Hall, which historically sold fabrics handmade in town. Now, this market is still filled with a lot of handmade goods from Poland! This medieval square dates back to the 13th century and has a really cool museum underneath the cloth hall showing the history of Krakow and how the people used to live and trade back in the day. It was really cool learning about the significance of Krakow as a historic trade city as well what the city went through during the occupation by the Nazis, and its eventual liberation by the Soviets. Definitely worth checking out!
The town square was also home to a lot of the landmarks in town like the Town Hall Tower, Saint Mary’s Basilica, and some beautiful fountains and statues, including the famous “Eyeless Head” statue; a symbol of being enslaved by love. The square was full of kids playing, people relaxing and eating at nearby restaurants, and even local art students sketching the beautiful basilica. Horse drawn carriages circled around the square making the town feel so authentic, I absolutely loved seeing it so alive!
Krakow continued to be beautiful outside of the main square with a park that surrounded old town giving way to shady park benches and medieval towers. The town was covered in churches, each unique in their own ways, and on top the hill right on the edge of old town was the beautiful Wawel Castle. This castle was such a pretty place to explore, and looked over the river on the edge of town. Quiet gardens were a nice place to relax, and the museum inside was a really cool place to learn about the history of the castle. This symbol of Polish Royalty was eventually taken over by the Nazis in World War 2 and used as a command post until it was abandoned when the Soviet Forces liberated the city.
As always, my favorite thing to do when I’m exploring a new city is to just walk around and take it all in. Krakow was a beautiful mix of European architecture, and Russian influence. The food was also influenced heavily by both the Russians and the Germans, and ranged from delicious pirogies and kielbasa to schnitzel and some of the best potato salad I think I’ve ever had in my life. My Gramma will be happy to know that her pierogis are so much better than any of the ones I had in Poland! That being said, everything I had was absolutely delicious and full of flavor. I cannot talk about food without mentioning my beloved paczki! These giant donuts were a delicious snack to enjoy for breakfast or desert.
You can’t visit Krakow without learning about the Jewish influence in the town. Before the Holocaust, Krakow was one of the largest Jewish communities in Poland. The Jewish Quarter was an interesting place to visit and learn about their history and influence in Krakow. One of the most well known museums in Krakow has to be Oskar Schindler's Enamel Factory. This museum was probably the best museums I visited in Europe, and showed the history of not only Schindler and his brave actions to help his Jewish workers, but the history of Jews in Krakow and what both the city, and country endured during WW2 as well as their struggles with communism afterwards. It was amazing to hear the stories from workers in the factory, as well as the perilous tales from the ghettos during the holocaust. By far one of the most moving exhibits was a room sharing stories from the ghettos; stories that I will never forget.
Another incredible tour I took while visiting Poland was the memorial and museum of Auschwitz and Birkenau. Seeing the buildings and grounds where these horrors were carried out was an experience to say the least. The tour was ok, but honestly I was pretty upset by the children on the tour running around and not taking it seriously. I was happy to leave my tour group at the end and wonder the grounds by myself to really get the whole experience. It was a very ominous but beautiful place to visit. I know it’s a weird thing to say, but the grounds had this eerily quiet peacefulness to it, as if the spirits who perished there finally had relief from the pain and suffering they endured. I highly recommend you experience these camps for yourself and become educated on the atrocities committed. I can only hope and pray that something like that never happens again.
Overall I had an amazing time in Krakow learning about its history and gaining a sense of pride learning about my heritage and its treasured past. Krakow was an amazing city with a rich history of being a cultural and intellectual center. I can only imagine how beautiful this city must be during the Christmas holiday season! I would love to visit Poland again to explore more of the country and of course indulge myself with some of my favorite foods! I was nearing the end of my time in Europe and looking forward to finishing strong in Hungary!