Kraków, also Cracow, is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centers of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life and is one of Poland’s most important economic hubs. It was the capital of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland from 1038 to 1569; the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1569 to 1795; the Free City of Kraków from 1815 to 1846; the Grand Duchy of Cracow from 1846 to 1918; and Kraków Voivodeship from the 14th century to 1998. It has been the capital of Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999.
St. Mary’s Church (Kosciól Mariacki) in Krakow is a large 14th-century church especially famed for its magnificent wooden altarpiece. 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. In the 20th century, St. Mary’s Church made an appearance in the film Schindler’s List
The church’s two towers (15th century) are noticeably of different heights. Legend has it that they were built by two brothers, one of whom grew jealous of the other’s work and killed him with a sword, the less talented brother killing the more gifted one, since he was afraid of the competition. You can even see the purported murder weapon, hanging in the gate of the Sukiennice. Another major highlight is the lone trumpeter in the high tower, who plays a strange hourly call known as the “Hejnal Mariacki.” Ringing out to mark each hour, it breaks off on an abrupt half-note to commemorate an unknown bugler who was struck in the throat by a Tartar arrow as he tried to warn the city of the invaders.
The Basilica has 30 alters, including the St. Anthony’s Chapel in which people sentenced to death could say their last prayers, as well as the chapel of Our Lady of Czestochowa which includes a picture which is believed to be one of the oldest replicas of the Black Madonna.
The tour through the wall of the ghetto, Schindler’s factory (which we did not tour but it is on the list) and the square where are placed the Empty Chairs representing the lost Jews. During World War II, the Jews had no choice but to live in a specific place that was identified by the German authorities at the time. So, in 1941, the Podgorze district of Krakow was closed off and used as a Jewish ghetto. It must have been a terrible place to live because they lived in fear of their and their families’ lives, they lived in overcrowded conditions with four families to one flat, and those that didn’t starve to death were either murdered or sent to a concentration camp. The chairs represent loss and absence as the ghetto in Krakow was cleared and all the residents’ possessions were strewn across the streets. The chairs are actually bronze, I was unable to determine the significance of the covering on them when we visited.
