Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

is considered by many to be the

cultural Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

capital of

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

. It was named the

European Capital of Culture A European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union (EU) for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong pan-European dimension. Being a European Capital of Culture can ...

by the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

for the year 2000. The city has some of the best museums in the country and several famous theaters. It became the residence of two Polish Nobel laureates in literature:

Wisława Szymborska Maria Wisława Anna SzymborskaVioletta Szostagazeta.pl, 9 February 2012. ostęp 11 February 2012 (; 2 July 1923 – 1 February 2012) was a Polish people, Polish poet, essayist, translator, and recipient of the 1996 Nobel Prize in Liter ...

and

Czesław Miłosz Czesław Miłosz ( , , ; 30 June 1911 – 14 August 2004) was a Polish Americans, Polish-American poet, prose writer, translator, and diplomat. He primarily wrote his poetry in Polish language, Polish. Regarded as one of the great poets of the ...

, while a third Nobel laureate, the Yugoslav writer

Ivo Andrić Ivo Andrić ( sr-Cyrl, Иво Андрић, ; born Ivan Andrić; 9 October 1892 – 13 March 1975) was a Yugoslav novelist, poet and short story writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1961 Nobel Prize in Literature, 1961. His writ ...

also lived and studied in Krakow. It is also home to one of the world's oldest universities, the

Jagiellonian University The Jagiellonian University (, UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by Casimir III the Great, King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and one of the List of oldest universities in con ...

of Kraków, and

Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts The Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków (, usually abbreviated to ''ASP''), is a public higher education, institution of higher education located in the centre of Kraków, Poland. It is the oldest Polish fine art academy, established in 1 ...

, the oldest Polish fine art academy, established in 1818 and granted full autonomy in 1873. Z krakowskie

Museums and national art galleries

Kraków has 28 museums as well as a number of art collections and public art galleries. They are separated into the National and City museums: The

National Museum A national museum can be a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In the United States, most nati ...

established in 1879, which is the main branch of Poland's National Museum with permanent collections around the country, as well as the National Art Collection on

Wawel Hill The Wawel Royal Castle (; ''Zamek Królewski na Wawelu'') and the Wawel Hill on which it sits constitute the most historically and culturally significant site in Poland. A fortified residency on the Vistula River in Kraków, it was established o ...

and the Czartoryski Museum featuring works by Leonardo and

Rembrandt Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (; ; 15 July 1606 – 4 October 1669), mononymously known as Rembrandt was a Dutch Golden Age painter, printmaker, and Drawing, draughtsman. He is generally considered one of the greatest visual artists in ...

. *

Wawel Castle The Wawel Royal Castle (; ''Zamek Królewski na Wawelu'') and the Wawel Hill on which it sits constitute the most historically and culturally significant site in Poland. A fortified residency on the Vistula River in Kraków, it was established o ...

National Art Collection is located at

Wawel The Wawel Royal Castle (; ''Zamek Królewski na Wawelu'') and the Wawel Hill on which it sits constitute the most historically and culturally significant site in Poland. A fortified residency on the Vistula River in Kraków, it was established o ...

, the former residence of three dynasties of Polish monarchs. Royal Chambers feature art, period furniture, Polish and European paintings, collectibles, and an unsurpassed display of the 16th-century monumental

Flemish Flemish may refer to: * Flemish, adjective for Flanders, Belgium * Flemish region, one of the three regions of Belgium *Flemish Community, one of the three constitutionally defined language communities of Belgium * Flemish dialects, a Dutch dialec ...

tapestries Tapestry is a form of textile art which was traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Normally it is used to create images rather than patterns. Tapestry is relatively fragile, and difficult to make, so most historical pieces are intended to han ...

. Wawel Treasury and Armory features Polish royal memorabilia, jewels, applied art, and 15th to 18th-century arms. The Wawel Eastern Collection features Turkish tents and military accessories. * Kraków National Museum with multiple branches in downtown Kraków, is the richest museum in the country with collections consisting of several hundred thousand items kept in big part in the Main Building but also in the nine of its divisions: ** The Main Building (at 3 Maja St) serves as the chief venue for temporary exhibitions. The gallery of the 20th century Polish art (upstairs) houses nearly 500 works by Polish modern artists. ** Czartoryski Museum and Arsenal (at Św. Jana 19), world-famous for Leonardo's painting of

Lady with an Ermine The ''Lady with an Ermine'' is a portrait painting by the Italian Renaissance artist Leonardo da Vinci. Dated to , the work is painted in oils on a panel of walnut wood. Its subject is Cecilia Gallerani, a mistress of Ludovico Sforza ("Il Mo ...

. The museum has other old masters on display including a dramatic landscape by

. **

Manggha Manggha (full name: Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology, until 2007: Manggha Centre of Japanese Art and Technology) is a museum in Kraków, Poland. Until 2005, it was a branch of the National Museum of Kraków. History In 1920, Feliks ...

Museum of Japanese Art and Technology (at M. Konopnickiej 26) **

Stanisław Wyspiański Stanisław Mateusz Ignacy Wyspiański (; 15 January 1869 – 28 November 1907) was a Polish playwright, painter, poet, and interior and furniture designer. A patriotic writer, he created symbolic national dramas accordant with the artisti ...

Museum (at 11 Szczepanska St) ** The Gallery of 19th Century Polish Art in Sukiennice, with the collection of some of the best known paintings and sculptures of the

Young Poland Young Poland ( ) was a modernist period in Polish visual arts, literature and music, covering roughly the years between 1890 and 1918. It was a result of strong aesthetic opposition to the earlier ideas of Positivism. Young Poland promoted tre ...

movement. **

Jan Matejko Jan Alojzy Matejko (; also known as Jan Mateyko; 24 June 1838 – 1 November 1893) was a Polish painter, a leading 19th-century exponent of history painting, known for depicting nodal events from Polish history. His works include large scale ...

Manor ** Emeryk Hutten-Czapski Museum **

Józef Mehoffer Józef Mehoffer (19 March 1869 – 8 July 1946) was a Polish painter and decorative artist, one of the leading artists of the Young Poland movement and one of the most revered Polish artists of his time. Life Mehoffer was born in Ropczyce ...

Manor The City of Krakow has a Museum of Krakow that also has branches throughout the city:- * Kraków Museum of History
''Divisions:'' ** The Main Building (at Main Market Square, ''Rynek Główny 35''), devoted to the history of the city and its citizens with collections of maps, documents and city stamps, scepters and rings of Lord Mayors, guild objects, portraits of nobility, and the Kraków's famous Christmas cribs. ** Town Hall Tower **

Barbican A barbican (from ) is a fortified outpost or fortified gateway, such as at an outer defense perimeter of a city or castle, or any tower situated over a gate or bridge which was used for defensive purposes. Europe Medieval Europeans typically b ...

** Krzysztofory Palace ** Szołayski Museum ** The ''Silesian House'' also known as Pomorska Museum ** History of theatre in Krakow museum ** Jewish Museum at the Old Synagogue ** Hipolit Manor ** Celestat, the Residence of the Sharpshooters' Society ** Artistic Salon of the District of

Zwierzyniec Zwierzyniec () is a town on the Wieprz river in the Zamość County, Lublin Voivodeship, Poland. It has 3,324 inhabitants (2004). Zwierzyniec is the northernmost town of the Roztocze National Park. The park comprises some of the last remaining s ...

** Museum of National Remembrance at "Under the Eagle Pharmacy" ** History of

Nowa Huta Nowa Huta (, literally "The New Ironworks") is the easternmost district of Kraków, Poland. With more than 200,000 inhabitants, it is one of the most populous areas of the city. Until 1990, the neighbouring districts were considered expansions o ...

Museum

* Collegium Maius Museum of the Jagiellonian University. The 15th-century Collegium Maius is the oldest building of the

featuring ancient lecture rooms, communal halls, former professors' quarters, library and treasury with the Gothic

sceptre A sceptre (or scepter in American English) is a Staff of office, staff or wand held in the hand by a ruling monarch as an item of regalia, royal or imperial insignia, signifying Sovereignty, sovereign authority. Antiquity Ancient Egypt and M ...

s of rectors and the golden '

Jagiellonian globe The Jagiellonian globe, also known as the Globus Jagellonicus, is a mechanical armillary sphere made in France before 1510. It is an astronomical instrument and a universal clock tracking both local solar time and sidereal time. The central brass ...

'. The exhibits include medieval science instruments, old globes, paintings, collectibles, furniture, coins and medals. ''(See also: Collegium Novum)'' * Wieliczka Salt Mine, in continuous operation since the 13th century * Cathedral Museum * Museum of Archaeology *

Polish Aviation Museum The Polish Aviation Museum () is a large museum of historic aircraft and aircraft engines in Kraków, Poland. It is located at the site of the no-longer functional Kraków-Rakowice-Czyżyny Airport. This airfield, established by Austr ...

* Archdiocesean Museum *

Museum of Independence The Museum of Independence () is a museum in Warsaw, Poland. It was established on 30 January 1990 as the Museum of the History of Polish Independence and Social Movements and is located in the former Przebendowski Palace at al. 'Solidarity' 62, b ...

* Armed Effort Museum (by appointment only) * Museum of Ethnography * Museum of Pharmacy of the

* Museum of Geology of the

Polish Academy of Sciences The Polish Academy of Sciences (, PAN) is a Polish state-sponsored institution of higher learning. Headquartered in Warsaw, it is responsible for spearheading the development of science across the country by a society of distinguished scholars a ...

* Czartoryski Library * Museum of the Home Army ( AK) * Museum of Photography * Museum of Natural History * Museum of Zoology * Rydlówka Manor: museum of the

movement * The Cricoteka Centre for Documentation of

Tadeusz Kantor Tadeusz Kantor (6 April 1915 – 8 December 1990) was a Polish painter, assemblage and Happenings artist, set designer and theatre director. Kantor is renowned for his revolutionary theatrical performances in Poland and abroad. Laureate of ...

Art * Museum of Urban Engineering a.k.a. Transportation Museum * Galicia Jewish Museum * Muzeum Katedry i Zakładu Anatomii UJ CM * Palace of Art (''See also:'' The Kraków Society of Friends of Fine Arts)

Festivals

Kraków is home to many different and unique street festivals, parties and parades. Most famous are its Nativity Cribs Festival held every December, the Jewish Culture Festival held at the end of June, International Jazz Festival held in April, Lajkonik Parade during the spring, and a number of indoor festivals held throughout the year. The extended list of Kraków festivals includes: *International Jazz Festival ''(April)'' *International Film Festival ''(May)'' * Equality March in Kraków ''(May)'' * Juwenalia Student Festival ''(May)'' *

Lajkonik The Lajkonik is one of the unofficial symbols of the city of Kraków, Poland. It is represented as a bearded man resembling a Tatars, Tatar in a characteristic pointed hat, dressed in Turco-Mongol tradition, Mongol attire, with a wooden horse aro ...

Parade ''(June)'' *Enthronement of the Cock King ''(June)'' *Wreaths (''Wianki'') Midsummer Festival ''(June 24)'' *Summer in Krakow Festivals ''(June, July)'' **Summer Jazz Festival **

Jewish Culture Festival Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

''(June 25 - July 3)'' ** Krakow Summer Animation Days ''(July)'' **Festival of Military Bands **Street Theater Festival **Music in Old Krakow **Krakow Jazz Festival *International Summer Festival of Organ Music ''(July - August)'' *Folk Art Fair ''(August)'' *International Competition of Contemporary Chamber Music
''(September 16–29)'' *Organ Music Festival ''(October)'' *

Unsound Festival Unsound Festival, also known as Unsound, is an annual music festival that takes place in Kraków, Poland, dealing with evolving and mutating forms of music, as well as related visual arts. Apart from the main festival, Unsound regularly takes plac ...

, electronic and alternative music ''(October)'' * International Film Festival Etiuda&Anima, international film festival ''(November)'' * Zaduszki Jazz Festival ''(November)'' *Festival of Animated Film *Christmas Market ''('till December 26)'' *

Kraków szopka Kraków szopki or nativity scenes (crib, crèche) () are a Christmas tradition originating from Kraków, Poland, and dating back to the 19th century. An unusual and characteristic feature of the szopka is the use of historical buildings of Krak ...

Nativity Cribs Festival ''(first Thursday of December)'' *New Year's Party at the Main Square ''(December 31)''

Theatres

Kraków is home to one of nation's most active theatre scenes and some of the oldest continuing performing arts companies. It is considered to be the second largest centre for Polish theatre behind

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

. It is home to both acclaimed productions by companies such as the National Stary Theatre, and the emerging companies supporting new generation of local artists. Among established theatres in Kraków with permanent stages often in buildings of historic significance are: * National Stary Theatre, a.k.a. The Old Theatre, at 1 Jagielonska St. *

Juliusz Słowacki Theatre Juliusz Słowacki Theatre () is a 19th-century Eclectic-style theatre and opera house located in the Old Town of Kraków, Poland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Erected in 1893, it was modeled after some of the best European Baroque and Ecle ...

, at 1 Sw. Ducha Square * Bagatela Theatre, at 6 Karmelicka St. * The Ludowy Theatre, a.k.a. The People's Theatre, at os. Teatralne in District

* Groteska Theatre of Puppetry, at 2 Skarbowa St. * Łaźnia Nowa Theatre in Nowa Huta * The Krakow VARIETE Theatre

Music

Opera Krakowska one of the leading national opera companies, stages 200 performances each year including ballet, operettas and musicals. It has, in its main repertoire, the greatest world and Polish opera classics. The Opera moved into its first permanent House in the autumn of 2008. It is in charge also of the ''Summer Festival of Opera and Operetta''. Cracow is home to two major Polish festivals of

early music Early music generally comprises Medieval music (500–1400) and Renaissance music (1400–1600), but can also include Baroque music (1600–1750) or Ancient music (before 500 AD). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad Dates of classical ...

presenting forgotten Baroque oratorios and operas: ''Opera Rara'' and ''Misteria Paschalia''. Meanwhile, Capella Cracoviensis runs the ''Music in Old Cracow International Festival''.

Academy of Music in Kraków The Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków () is a music school, conservatory located in central Kraków, Poland. It is the ''alma mater'' of the renowned Polish contemporary composer Krzysztof Penderecki, who was also its rector for 15 ...

, founded in 1888, is known world-wide as the ''alma mater'' of the contemporary Polish composer

Krzysztof Penderecki Krzysztof Eugeniusz Penderecki (; 23 November 1933 – 29 March 2020) was a Polish composer and conductor. His best-known works include '' Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima'', Symphony No. 3, his '' St Luke Passion'', '' Polish Requiem'', '' ...

, and it is also the only one in Poland to have two winners of the International Chopin Competition in Warsaw among its alumni. The Academy organizes concerts of its students and guests throughout the whole year. Music organizations and venues include: Kraków Philharmonic, home of the Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra as well as the chamber '' Capella Cracoviensis'', ''Sinfonietta Cracovia'' (a.k.a. the Orchestra of the Royal City of Kraków), the Polish Radio Choir of Kraków, ''Organum'' Academic Choir, the Mixed Mariański Choir (''Mieszany Chór Mariański''), Krakow Academic Choir of the

, the Krakow Chamber Choir, ''Amar Corde'' String Quartet, ''Consortium Iagellonicum'' Baroque Orchestra of the

, the Brass Band of T. Sendzimir Steelworks, and ''Camerata'' Chamber Orchestra of Radio

Cultural centres

The City of Kraków is the largest public funder of the community arts initiatives among the city districts. Many neighborhoods in Kraków operate publicly sponsored cultural centres with the financial aid from the cultural department of the municipal government. Community centres with their many exhibitions, art classes, educational and music programs are perhaps the most noticeable cultural venues at a local level. They are paid for from the 4% of the budget of the city of Kraków (with revenue of 2,150 million złoty in 2006) Bulletin of Public Information for the City of Kraków
(PDF file, direct download 12.1 MB). Publisher: Wydział Strategii i Rozwoju Miasta, 2012-01-12. Author: Wojciech Piątkowski, inspector. allocated to culture and recreational facilities. Among the city's cultural centres are: *''Nowa Huta'' Cultural Centre, at Aleja Jana Pawła II 232 *International Centre of Culture, at Rynek Główny 25 *Old-Town ''Staromiejskie'' Cultural Centre for Youth, at ul. H. Wietora 13/15 *''Białoprądnicki Manor'' Cultural Centre, at ul. Papiernicza 2 *Catholic Centre, at ul. Wiślna 12 *''Rotunda'' Cultural Centre, at ul. Oleandry 1 *Jewish Cultural Centre, at ul. Meiselsa 17 *''Teranga'' Centre of African Culture and Art, at ul. Kalwaryjska 48 *''Kurdwanów Nowy'' Cultural Centre, at ul. Witosa 39

Nightlife

There are over a hundred pubs and bars in the vicinity of the Kraków Market Square alone, most in the cellars of historic buildings, each with its own intimate character and atmosphere. Many of the establishments are devoted to live music as well. Jazz clubs include: Harris Piano Jazz Bar, Jazz Club ''U Muniaka'', ''Pod Jaszczurami'' Club, Kornet Jazz Club, ''U Louisa'', and ''Piec Art'' Club. Popular places to drink, eat, and enjoy, are situated also in the nearby

Kazimierz Kazimierz (; ; ) is a historical district of Kraków and Kraków Old Town, Poland. From its inception in the 14th century to the early 19th century, Kazimierz was an independent city, a royal city of the Crown of the Polish Kingdom, located sou ...

quarter. The main square is home to a melange of bars and shops where the hundreds of different Polish Vodkas can be tried out. Friday and Saturday nights are the high points of the entertainment week. Live entertainment fits all tastes. Jazz remains very popular and there is no lack of places for fans of rock, modern pop, ballads, including classical music. A number of restaurants in the centre of Kraków can seat more than 100. Among Jazz musicians with bands are: Reiner Trio, Beale Street Band, Boba Jazz Band, Aleksander Glondys Quartet/Quintet (formerly: Al’Mad), Jazz Band Ball Orchestra, Janusz Witko Quartet, Mr. Bober's Friends, Cracow Swing Quartet, Old Metropolitan Band, Marek Bałata Jazz Singer, Andrzej Cudzich, New Bone, Sebastian Bernatowicz, Jan Pilch, Karolina Styła, Overtime, Piotr Domagała, Ryszard Styła, Jorgos Skolias. Kraków Klezmer groups include: Kroke and The Cracow Klezmer Band. Selected Folk bands: Krakowiacy Song and Dance Company, Students Highlanders' Ensemble "Skalni", Retro-Circus-Folk Band "Vladimirska", Nowa Huta Song and Dance Ensemble, Highland Folk Group Hamernik, Children's Highland Folk Group ''Mali Hamernicy'' and Folk Dance Group ''Krakowiak''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Culture Of Krakow Krakow