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Interesting Facts

Did you know...

Krakow is more than a picturesque city full of monuments and historical sites, but also a place that has a unique soul and character. We want to share with you a handful of local Krakow legends and a few curiosities of this unique place that may surprise you.

Air Raid Shelters

In Krakow you will see charming street after street lined with beautiful homes, but there is a surprise that they hide underneath – a series of underground bunkers built during World War II. Sadly, these bunkers are not generally open to the public save for a few occasions such as the annual Museum Night which usually takes place in May.

Lajkonik

If you are in Krakow at the turn of May and June, we encourage you to take part in the Lajkonik /lahykohneek/ Festival which occurs on the first Thursday, after the holiday of Corpus Christi . The festival starts in the courtyard of the Convent of the Norbertine Sisters and stars the legendary Lajkonik and ends on the Main Market Square. This is a tradition in honor of the local residents of Zwierzyniec, a district of Krakow near the Wisła River, who allegedly rescued Krakow by fighting off Mongol invaders around the 13th century. Legend has it that after defeating the Mongols, they decided to play a joke on the residents of Krakow, entering the city walls dressed in Mongol attire and pretending to be invaders on horseback. When it turned out that it was all an elaborate prank, the inhabitants of Krakow, in gratitude for having repelled the enemy and saving them from destruction, made a great feast in their honor.

Torch Extinguisher

Walking along Krakow's streets you will surely notice "hole-punched" stone blocks on the homes, most often on the wall, right next to the main entrance. One such example you can readily see is at the entrance to the Cloth Hall. What were they used for? Before street gas-lighting was introduced in the 19th century, the inhabitants had to illuminate their own way home with hand-held torches after dark. When they reached their destination, they needed a way to extinguish their light source, and it was here that special holes in the wall, the so-called extinguishers, were helpful, allowing for the effective extinguishing of their torches.

Ghetto Heroes Square Memorial

The Plac Bohaterów Getta (Ghetto Heroes Square) contains a rather unusual monument - 70, chairs of various sizes arranged in rows. What is it all about? These chairs commemorate the tragedy of the Jewish people who once lived here and who were forcibly removed and transported to concentration camps by the Germans during World War II. The cast iron seats were erected to resemble where the residents stood during German roll call prior to being transported to concentration camps. The chairs symbolize departure, as well as subsequent absence.

St. Mary’s Trumpet Call

Hejnał Mariacki (St. Mary’s Trumpet Call) dates back to the 13th century and was played by a guard located at the top of St. Mary’s Basilica to give a signal to open and close the gates of Krakow’s Old Town. Surely by now you know the melody of the Trumpet Call and how it abruptly ends, but do you know why? The Trumpet Call was also used when the guard observed a threat from an approaching enemy. One day, when the Mongols approached Krakow, the guard started to play to alert of the impending danger, announcing the gates were to be closed, but before he finished playing, a Mongol arrow pierced his throat thus abruptly ending the melody. In honor of this event, the melody is always broken at the same time.... or at least so says the legend.

St. Mary's Basilica

Staying on the topic of St. Mary's Basilica, take a look at its façade and notice that the two towers are of different heights. Legend has it that the construction of these towers was carried out by two brothers, considered to be the most outstanding builders of their time. The older brother built the southern tower, while the younger one built the northern tower. At first the construction on both sides went at a similar pace, but after some time it turned out that the older brother's work was going much faster and the southern tower was much higher than the northern one. This led the younger brother into a fit of jealous rage in which he killed his older brother. He then covered the unfinished south tower with a dome, and to continue to build his northern tower, which is now higher. On the consecration day of St. Mary's Basilica, the younger brother, disgraced and deeply troubled over the act of murdering his older brother, stood atop the tower and holding the knife with which he killed his brother, confessed publicly to his murder, and leapt to his death. To this day, a knife still hangs in the Cloth Hall gate to remind us of this macabre event.

Alvernia Studios

Near the Krakow airport, going in the direction of Katowice, more precisely in Alwernia, there is a complex of unusual white buildings in the shape of white domes, bringing to mind a space station. These buildings belong to Alvernia Studios, a film studio, which has worked on numerous Polish, Indian and American films, such as Arbitrage and Vamps.

Botanic Garden of the Jagiellonian University

In the Botanic Garden of the Jagiellonian University– the oldest in Poland, founded in 1783 – located just over a kilometer outside the Main Square, follow Mikołajska Street out of the Main Square, and you will find not only fascinating plant species, but also the famous Jagiellonian Oak, which is over 230 years old. The oak was planted here as a young sapling and still grows right next to the pond, surrounded by the picturesque greenery. The Botanical Garden itself are not only a valuable object of nature, but also of historic importance, and have been entered in the register of historical monuments.

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