Krakow City of Literature

Krakow addition to own wealth of monuments, is well known for intellectual richness. In particular, for recognition deserves field of literature, because of Krakow is connected to many forms of merit in the field of literature. For this reason, officially he gained the title of UNESCO city of literature. Reasons for this title were many.

In the long history, Krakow was and is a very important academic center of Europe, the cradle of Polish literature and Polish language. It is here were first scriptoria, libraries and literary masterpieces.

With Krakow were related to the most prominent creators of Polish literature and language. Noteworthy are such artists as Adam Asnyk, Mikolaj Rej, Jan Kochanowski, Peter Skarga and Stanislaw Wyspianski. With the city's history involves the history of Polish Nobel Prize winners in literature: on the newspaper "Time" serialized his novels Henryk Sienkiewicz - author of Quo Vadis, who won the Nobel Prize in 1905. In Krakow had been too Wladyslaw Reymont - Nobel winner of 1924 (author Chłopi), Czeslaw Milosz - Nobel Prize winner of 1980. In Krakow, wrote and lived for a long part of life Wislawa Szymborska - winner of the 1996.

Krakow Barbican

Krakow Barbican is one of the finest buildings of medieval military architecture, not only in Poland but also in Europe! It is a gothic building with seven turrets that served as defensive fortifications the northern section of Krakow, which was devoid of the natural dam. It was built between 1498-1499.

You should know that in Europe survived only a few buildings of this type, and among them, Krakow Barbican really stands out. It is a huge building, maintained in very good condition, and its design is considered an original. In construction was used the latest achievements of medieval fortification.

St. Mary's Basilica

He is often called the temple of Krakow. It is certainly one of the most important church in the city. It is located in the central part of the town - on the Main Square and thus it is visited by thousands of tourists. Through the ages, all the work at the church were sponsored by wealthy bourgeois family, therefore today it is one of the finest sacred architecture in Poland.

This lofty building, was built in the late XIV century. Apart from the fact that the aisles later were added chapels, the main body of the church hasn't changed much to this day. Earlier in her place stood a Romanesque temple, which built before the founding of the town in 1257. Any restoration work mainly concerned the interior. In the work participated the great, well-known artists like Jan Matejko, Stanislaw Wyspianski and Jozef Mehoffer.

A characteristic motif, which we can see on the outside of the temple, there are two towers of unequal height. Legend says that were built by two brothers, which competed with each other about which tower will be better. Unfortunately, one of the brothers killed the other and then committed suicide – that is the reason the towers are uneven, as if an "incomplete".

Nowa Huta

Nowa Huta - a district of Krakow, which stand out against the city own specificity, different tradition and culture. This district was createed in the period of socialism, which can be seen even in architecture. Huta was built as part of the Six Year Plan for Economic Development and in the premise district was to be the cradle of the development of the steel industry. This was to be independent socialist city, and as a result created a huge housing estate.

Today in Nowa Huta are metallurgical kombunat and Poland's largest plants of tobacco, together with the cement plant. Climate of Nowa Huta make Central Square, Huta's Administrative Centre, Wandy and Willowe housing estates, Nowa Huta Gates and Żeromski Hospital.

Nowa Huta has "own culture" and their distinctive artistic centers, including Łaźnia Nowa Theatres, Ludowy Theatre, Sphinx Cinema, Cultural Center of Nowa Huta, the Historical Museum and Polish Aviation Museum. There also has many religious buildings, palaces, mansions, forts and military facilities.