17 Best Sights in Krakow, Poland

Europe's largest medieval marketplace is on a par in size and grandeur with St. Mark's Square in Venice. It even has the same plague of pigeons, although legend tells us the ones here are no ordinary birds: they are allegedly the spirits of the knights of Duke Henry IV Probus, who in the 13th century were cursed and turned into birds. This great square was not always so spacious. In an earlier period it contained—in addition to the present buildings—a Gothic town hall, a Renaissance granary, a large weighing house, a foundry, a pillory, and hundreds of traders' stalls. A few flower sellers under colorful umbrellas and some portable souvenir stalls are all that remain of this bustling commercial activity. Above all, Rynek is Kraków's largest outdoor café, from spring through autumn, with more than 20 cafés scattered around the perimeter of the square.

A pageant of history has passed through this square. From 1320 on, Polish kings came here on the day after their coronation to meet the city's burghers and receive homage and tribute in the name of all the towns of Poland. Albert Hohenzollern, the grand master of the Teutonic Knights, came here in 1525 to pay homage to Sigismund the Old, King of Poland. And in 1794 Tadeusz Kościuszko took a solemn vow to overthrow czarist Russia here.

The square is surrounded by many historic buildings. The Dom pod Jeleniami (House at the Sign of the Stag), at No. 36, was once an inn where both Goethe and Czar Nicholas I found shelter. At No. 45 is the Dom pod Orłem (House at the Sign of the Eagle), where Tadeusz Kościuszko lived as a young officer in 1777; a little farther down the square, at No. 6, is the Szara Kamienica (Gray House), which he made his staff headquarters in 1794. In the house at No. 9, the young Polish noblewoman Maryna Mniszchówna married the False Dymitri, the pretender to the Russian throne, in 1605. (These events are portrayed in Pushkin's play Boris Godunov and in Mussorgsky's operatic adaptation of it.) At No. 16 is the 14th-century house of the Wierzynek merchant family. In 1364, during a "summit" meeting attended by the Holy Roman Emperor, one of the Wierzyneks gave an elaborate feast for the visiting royal dignitaries; today the house is a restaurant.

Only one small section of Kraków's city wall still stands, centered on the 15th-century Barbakan, one of the largest strongholds of its kind in Europe. You can visit both the round, outer structure of the and a part of the defensive walls nearby on one ticket. Sometimes there are ticketed concerts or other events in the courtyard here.

This magnificent Gothic building, built in the early 15th century to house the Jagiellonian University's law students, lies on one of Kraków's oldest streets. It's still part of the university, housing both the art history and law departments, but the charming courtyard is open to the general public. Hiding in the courtyard, you can find a striking sculpture by Igor Mitoraj, titled "Luci di Nara" ("The Lights of Nara"), which the artist donated to the university.

Jagiellonian University was another innovation of Kazimierz the Great. Established in 1364, it was the first university in Poland and one of the earliest ones in Europe. The Collegium Maius is the oldest surviving building of the university, though historians are undecided where the very first one stood. Jagiellonian's most famous student, Nicolaus Copernicus, studied here from 1491 to 1495. The first visual delight is the arcaded Gothic courtyard with a well and a musical clock. The clock plays the University anthem, while figures of royals and professors make a passage through two little doors below it every two hours from 9 to 5.

Don't miss lovely college gardens, through the passage to the left. On the second floor, the museum and rooms are a must for all visitors to Kraków. They can only be visited on a guided tour (English-language tours are at 1 pm, but call in advance to confirm and make a reservation). On the tour you see the treasury, assembly hall, library, and common room. The museum includes the so-called Jagiellonian globe, the first globe to depict the American continents.

The 19th-century painter Jan Matejko was born and died in this house, which now serves as a museum for his work. Even if you don't warm to his painting, Matejko was a prodigious collector of everything from Renaissance art to medieval weaponry, and this 16th-century building is in wonderful condition.

How often do you have a chance to have a cup coffee or a glass of wine among museum-quality artworks? In the Art Nouveau café Jama Michalika (also seen as Jama Michalikowa), the walls are hung with works by its original customers—artists, who sometimes paid their bills in kind.

One of the oldest cafés in town, this lovely historical spot, next to the entrance to the National Museum in the Cloth Hall, is a great place to sit and watch the goings-on in the square while enjoying a coffee. This is also a good vantage point from which to observe the hourly trumpet call from the tower of the Church of Our Lady. Be warned: the service can be really slow—don't go there if you're on a tight schedule. But if you're at your leisure, then what does it matter?

The mid-13th-century church and monastery are among the earliest brick buildings in Kraków. The Art Nouveau stained-glass windows and wall decorations by Stanisław Wyspiański (dating from 1895 to 1905) are true masterpieces. The combination of austere Gothic and colorful Art Nouveau is surprising but harmonious. Wyspiański brought joy and emotions into the church, filling it with meadow flowers, of which its patron St. Francis of Assissi would certainly have approved. In the west window, above the choir, is a sight not to be missed: stained glass depicting God the Father creating the world.

Dominating the northeast corner of Rynek Główny is the twin-towered Church of Our Lady, which is also known as St. Mary's Church. The first church was built on this site before the town plan of 1257, which is why it stands slightly askew from the main square; the present church, completed in 1397, was built on the foundations of its predecessor. You'll note that the two towers, added in the early 15th century, are of different heights. Legend has it that they were built by two brothers, one of whom grew jealous of the other's work and slew him with a sword. You can still see the supposed murder weapon, hanging in the gate of the Sukiennice.

From the higher tower, a strange bugle call—known as the "Hejnał Mariacki"—rings out to mark each hour, breaking off on an abrupt sobbing note to commemorate an unknown bugler struck in the throat by a Tartar arrow as he was playing his call to warn the city of imminent attack. The legend, which seems to have originated with Polish immigrants in the U.S., was captured in print by American author Eric Philbrook Kelly in his novel The Trumpeter of Krakow (1928).

The church's main showpiece is the magnificent wooden altarpiece with more than 200 carved figures, the work of the 15th-century artist Wit Stwosz (Veit Stoss). The panels depict medieval life in detail; the figure in the bottom right-hand corner of the Crucifixion panel is believed to represent Stwosz himself. A late 19th-century renovation added even more murals by artist Jan Matejko, who was aided by his disciples, Józef Mehoffer and Stanisław Wyspiański.

The finest surviving example of Romanesque architecture in Kraków is this 11th-century fortified church. Local residents took refuge in St. Andrew during Tartar raids. The interior, remodeled during the 18th century, includes a fanciful pulpit resembling a boat.

The first baroque church in Kraków was commissioned for the Jesuit order. It's one of the most faithful and successful examples of transplanting the model of the famous del Gesu Church (the "prototype" Jesuit church in Rome) to foreign soil. At the fence are the figures of the 12 apostles. The parish hosts numerous classical music concerts in the church.

The Chapter House is now the Muzeum Archidiecezjalne, displaying 13th-century paintings and other art belonging to the archdiocese, not to mention Pope John Paul II's former room.

Directly underneath the main square, this permanent exhibition, a branch of the Kraków City Historical Museum, presents the history of the city in its European context. The interactive displays, using multimedia technology, can often feel like time travel; most importantly, it incorporates pieces of the actual archaeological site, allowing the visitor to walk over real medieval tracts (the oldest dating back to the 11th century). Layer after layer, some 1,000 years of history can be uncovered before your eyes. There's an interactive zone for children, and some fun surprises—can you spot the portrait of a medieval Polish king who actually winks at you?

Plan at least two hours to properly enjoy your visit.

A statue of Adam Mickiewicz marks the eastern entrance to the Renaissance Cloth Hall, which is in the middle of the Main Market Square. The Gothic arches date from the 14th century, but after a fire in 1555 the upper part was rebuilt in Renaissance style. The inner arcades on the ground floor still hold traders' booths, now mainly selling local crafts and traditional souvenirs. From the Age of Enlightenment to Impressionism and the beginnings of Symbolism, this gallery on the first floor of the Sukiennice showcases all the most important movements and styles in Polish art between the late 18th and early 20th centuries. Those interested in history will find it amply illustrated: in the portraits of the Polish kings, or the monumental canvasses by Jan Matejko ("Prussian Homage") and Henryk Siemiradzki ("Nero's Torches"). There is no lack of atmospheric nature scenes, portraits, and allegories; note the controversial (at the time) "Ecstasy" by Władysław Podkowiński. Perhaps the single most interesting painter featured in the collection is Piotr Michałowski, author of the Romantic "Somosierra." Apparently Picasso himself had the highest praise for Michałowski's work.

The beautiful Brama Floriańska (Florian Gate) was built around 1300 and leads through Kraków's old city walls to this street, which was laid out according to the town plan of 1257. The Gothic houses of the 13th-century burghers still remain, although they were rebuilt and given Renaissance or neoclassical facades. The house at No. 24, decorated with an emblem of three bells, was once the workshop of a bell founder. The chains hanging on the walls of the house at No. 17 barred the streets to invaders when the city was under siege. The Dom pod Murzynami (Negroes' House), standing where ulica Floriańska enters the market square, is a 16th-century tenement decorated with two rather fancifully imagined African tribesmen—testimony to the fascination with Africa entertained by Europeans in the Age of Discovery. The house was also once known as Dom pod Etiopy (House under the Ethiopians).

This street, which leads from almost the center of town to the foot of Wawel Hill, is considered by some the most beautiful street in Europe. Most of the houses here date from the 14th and 15th centuries, although they were "modernized" in Renaissance or later styles. The street was named for the many canons of Wawel Cathedral who have lived here, including Pope John Paul II, who lived in the Chapter House at No. 19 and later in the late-16th-century Dean's House at No. 21.

At the southwest corner of Rynek Square, the Wieża Ratuszowa is all that remains of the 16th-century town hall, which was demolished in the early 19th century. The tower houses a branch of the Muzeum Historyczne Miasta Krakowa (Kraków History Museum) and affords a panoramic view of the old city.