The old town in Krakow is beautiful. From its magnificent castle and grand churches, and to the old town with it’s immense main square and the old gold-market, wherever you look in Krakow all you see is wonderful architecture. Krakow is a place you can spend a lot of time exploring. They call it the mini Vienna, and you certainly get that feeling. Krakow was buzzing with tourists. and I spent most of the day wandering around and enjoying the old building and visiting a few churches. The Krakow museum is also interesting. Located underground at the main city square, it takes you on a journey from the middle ages to present day and was well worth the visit.
Outside of the old town, Krakow is a big modern city with a ring-road and lots of space. There’s cycle routes and trams everywhere, and you almost get the feeling of being in Holland or Sweden because everywhere there are people walking and cycling. It’s very modern, easy on the eye and easy to get around. One thing to be aware of is that in Krakow the pedestrian and the cyclist are king and queen, and that vehicles are low in the pecking order. There’s pedestrian crossings everywhere, which does slow down the traffic – meaning it’s more efficient to get on your cycle or catch a tram or bus. You just have to be patient.
I also went to the Oscar Schindler Enamel Works – which is also a museum. Schindler rented the building in 1936 to start his workshops, and when Poland was invaded he employed Polish Jews, saving at least 1200 from the concentration camps. It’s only a small museum but it was informative and very moving. I couldn’t bear to take pictures inside, as it just didn’t seem right.
