The Holy War ( pl, Święta Wojna, also Derby Krakowa) is a rivalry in Polish football between

Wisła Kraków Towarzystwo Sportowe Wisła Kraków Spółka Akcyjna, commonly referred to as Wisła Kraków (), is a Polish professional football club based in Kraków. It currently competes in the I liga, the second level of Polish football league system. ...

and KS Cracovia, the two biggest clubs in

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

and reportedly the oldest in Poland, both founded in 1906. The term ''Holy War'' was coined by the defender from KS Cracovia,

Ludwik Gintel Ludwik Gintel ( he, לודוויק גינטל; 26 September 1899 – 11 July 1973) was a Polish Olympic footballer. Early and personal life Gintel was born Kraków. He was Jewish. He worked as an architect and bank clerk. Football career G ...

. It is also the theme of a song devoted to their never-ending shenanigans, played by ''Andrusy''.

Highlights

The earliest extant records of the ''Holy War'' originate from the newspaper published on 20 September 1908 informing that the match played at

Błonia Park Błonia Park is a vast meadow with an area of 48 hectares directly adjacent to the historic centre of the city of Kraków, Poland. The history of the park began in 1162, when a wealthy nobleman Jaksa z Miechowa – founder of the Polish branch o ...

between the two teams resulted in a 1:1 draw. Earlier matches were also reported, but their results are missing from archives of the local media. The first competition in accordance with the 1904 official FIFA standards, took place on 8 May 1913 at the Cracovia stadium in Kraków, with the home team winning over Wisła 2:1. The ''Holy War'' is considered the most intense rivalry in Poland and one of the most intense in all of Europe. Despite the fact that the two stadiums are less than a kilometer away, the fans are two bitter rivals against each other, often resulting in fights between them as well as the police.

Clubs

Cracovia Cracovia is the Latin name for the Polish city of Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh cen ...

and

are two of the oldest still existing football clubs in Poland.

All-time results

* 1982 Puchar Polski match ended 2 - 2, Wisła won 5 - 3 on penalties.

Notes and references

External links

Wisla.Krakow.pl

Cracovia.pl

FootballDerbies.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Holy War (Krakow) Sport in Kraków Wisła Kraków MKS Cracovia Football rivalries in Poland 1908 establishments in Poland