The residence of the Polish kings of the XIII century, located on the banks of the Vistula River. The construction began under Wenceslaus II and continued under Casimir III the Great. During the Northern War, the castle was burned down by Swedish troops, after which it was reconstructed in 1724-28. For a long time the Wawel Castle belonged to the Austrian Empire, and only at the beginning of the XX century the Poles managed to buy it back.

The Catholic cathedral, which has the status of a minor basilica. Previously, the church of St. Wenceslaus of the XI century (was destroyed as a result of military operations) and St. Stanislaus of the XII century (burned down) were located on the site of the temple. A new temple was built to replace the lost ones. The facade of the building is made in the Gothic style. At a later time, Renaissance chapels were added to it. In the temple there is a tomb where kings, poets and national heroes of Poland are buried.

The Market Square is located in the historical center of Krakow. There are many iconic attractions here. One of the most notable structures is the "Cloth Rows" — a shopping gallery that appeared under King Boleslav V. Over the next centuries, the complex was repeatedly rebuilt, overgrown with decorative elements, loggias, arches and columns. The modern appearance of the building acquired at the end of the XIX century.

Catholic Church located near the Main Market of Krakow. The first wooden church on the site of the Mariacki Church appeared in the XIII century. The modern building began to be erected at the beginning of the XIV century. The building is built of red brick in the early Gothic style and decorated with magnificent stained glass windows. The interior space is dominated by Baroque and late Gothic features.

Until the beginning of the XIX century, there was a full-fledged town hall building on the Market Square, erected in the XIV century. All the buildings were demolished due to dilapidation, the tower managed to survive. In the 1960s, the reconstruction of the building was carried out, after which it was taken over by the city museum. The tower reaches a height of 70 meters. At an altitude of 50 meters there is an observation deck from where you can admire the magnificent architecture of the old quarters.

A quarter in the historical part of Krakow, on the territory of which a Jewish community lived from the XVI century until the occupation of Poland in World War II. In the period 1335-1818 . Kazimierz was an independent city, since 1800 it became part of Krakow. The Jewish Quarter is one of the main tourist centers. Many historical monuments located on its territory are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

A small street with a length of just over 330 meters, located in the historical part of the city. It is built up with picturesque mansions in the Renaissance, Baroque and classicism style, most of which served as residential houses for the Krakow aristocracy. The street got its name from the ancient defensive tower, which was once the entrance to the city – the Florian Gate.

An architectural monument of the XV century, the northernmost part of the defensive wall around Krakow, which was demolished in the XIX century. The Barbican served as a fortification protecting the entrance to the city through the Florian Gate. It is equipped with seven watchtowers and 130 loopholes. The thickness of the walls reaches 3 meters. Nowadays, a branch of the Krakow Historical Museum is located in the Barbican.

Collegium Majus ("the greatest collegium" in Latin) is the oldest building of the Jagiellonian University. The building itself was incorporated into the educational institution by the will of Vladislav II Yagailo. There were classrooms, professors' rooms and a library. In the XIX century, the Collegium Majus was restored in the Neo-Gothic style. Nowadays, the University Museum is located on its territory.

In May 1942, a ghetto was formed on one of the city squares, where more than 4 thousand Jews were herded for further transportation to concentration camps. In 2005, a memorial monument was erected here in the form of rows of chairs, which symbolize furniture thrown out of apartments during the Nazi pogroms. Unlike other squares in Krakow, there are usually few tourists here.

A factory for the production of metal tableware, founded in 1937 by Jewish industrialists M. Gutman, V. Gleitman, I. Kon. In 1939, it went bankrupt and passed to O. Schindler, who modernized and revived production. During the Second World War, Jews from the Krakow ghetto worked here. Thanks to Schindler's efforts, many workers managed to escape death in a concentration camp. In 2010, a memorial museum with the same name was opened on the territory of the factory.

The exposition is located in one of the buildings of the Schindler factory, modernized in 2010. The museum specializes in organizing exhibitions of art objects created in the last decades of the XX century and at the beginning of the XXI century. It has its own permanent exhibition, which is exhibited on the second floor. The gallery has a library, a bookstore and a restoration workshop.

The catacombs are located under the Market Square. They were created to house a branch of the Krakow Historical Museum in 2010. In the Dungeons of the Market there is an exposition consisting of the finds of archaeological excavations carried out in 2005 as part of the reconstruction of the Market Square. The dungeons are equipped with modern multimedia equipment, with the help of which historical reconstructions are created.

One of the largest aviation expositions in Poland. The museum was established on the site of the former airfield in 1964. Planes, helicopters and gliders produced in the Czech Republic, Poland, Russia, the USA, Great Britain and other countries are exhibited here. There is also a large collection of aircraft engines. The exposition is located in three hangars, as well as on a wide open-air field.

The museum is located in the Kazimierz quarter. It was created in 2004 on the initiative of journalist K. Schwartz and Professor D. Weber. The exhibition is dedicated to Jewish culture, traditions and everyday life, as well as the events of the Holocaust (mostly the suffering of prisoners of the Auschwitz concentration camp). Galicia regularly hosts meetings, seminars and lectures on various aspects.

The museum is located in the stained glass workshop building, which was erected in 1907 in the fashionable Art Nouveau style at that time, designed by L. Voytychko. The exhibition was founded in 2000 for the purpose of studying, preserving and developing Polish stained glass art. In addition to viewing the exhibits themselves, in the museum you can observe the process of making picturesque compositions from colored glass.

The exposition is located on the territory of the former Kazimir Town Hall. The museum became an independent institution from the ethnographic department of the National Museum of Krakow in 1910. The collection contains more than 8 thousand exhibits related to the history and culture of Poland. Most of the items belong to the XIX century, but there are also artifacts belonging to earlier historical periods.

The museum was launched in 1796 on the initiative of Princess Isabella Czartoryska. In 1801, as a result of the November Uprising, the exposition was looted, and the surviving remains were taken to France. In 1970, the collection returned to Poland. The most valuable exhibit of the museum is Leonardo da Vinci's painting "The Lady with the ermine" — the only creation of the master, which is located on the territory of Poland.

One of the best dramatic scenes in Poland, founded in 1893, which already at the turn of the XIX-XX centuries. gained wide fame and importance among the theatrical public. Famous Polish directors and many talented actors worked here, as well as plays by world-renowned authors were staged. The building was built according to the project of architect Y. Zavoysky.

Roman Catholic Cathedral of the first half of the XIII century, located in the historical part of Krakow. It is believed that the founders of the temple could be Princes Henry II the Pious or Boleslav V the Bashful. There is no consensus on this issue among researchers. The Gothic facade of the building has been preserved in its original form, having undergone minor changes during the reconstruction of the XIX century.

The temple was built in the Gothic style at the turn of the XIV-XV centuries. In the appearance of the exterior facade, as well as in the interior design, there are traces of the Baroque and Renaissance, which were brought here during later reconstructions. In 1566-1582, a Baroque belfry was added to the main building. An important relic is kept inside the basilica – the relics of the Polish preacher St. Stanislaw Kazimerczyk.

The church is the first building on the territory of Krakow, built in the Baroque style. It was built by the Italian architect D. de Rossi at the end of the XVI century for the Catholic Jesuit Order. After the dissolution of the brotherhood in the XVIII century, the church changed hands several times and was eventually transferred to the Cistercian Abbey. Since 1820, it belongs to the Krakow parish of All Saints.

The structure was erected in the XI century in the Romanesque architectural manner. The exterior of the cathedral underwent changes in the XVIII century during the reconstruction. It acquired some Baroque features, although the overall architectural concept was left the same. Adjacent to the temple is a monastic monastery, where ancient church relics are kept. There is also a library with a large collection of theological literature.

A 13th-century Dominican church built in the Gothic style. After a devastating fire in 1850, the building was almost completely destroyed. The entire interior burned out, and the facade walls partially collapsed. The temple was restored in the period 1853-1872. During the construction work, the surviving part of the facade had to be dismantled, as it was very fragile due to damage. As a result of the restoration work, the original appearance of the basilica has changed significantly.

Since 1992, the sanctuary has been called a complex of religious buildings, which includes the Chapel of St. St. Joseph, the Monastery of the Sisters of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy, the Chapel of Eternal Adoration, the Basilica of God's Mercy and other objects. This place was declared a pilgrimage center due to the fact that the relics of St. Faustina Kowalska and the famous icon "Jesus, I trust in You" are kept on its territory.

Memorial mound dedicated to the national hero of Poland Tadeusz Kosciuszko. It is located in the west of Krakow on the natural Sikornik hill. The monument was erected in 1823. In 1854, a fortress was built around it for the purpose of accommodating the Austrian garrison. During the battles for the liberation of Krakow in 1944, the hill played the role of an important observation post for Soviet soldiers.

The very first menagerie appeared in Krakow on the territory of Wawel during the reign of King Sigismund III, when the city was the capital of the Polish state. After the loss of Krakow's metropolitan status, the zoo gradually declined. The modern menagerie was founded in 1929. At that time, there were only about 200 mammals and birds living in it. Today, the Krakow Zoo is home to more than 1,500 thousand individuals (260 species).

In the XVIII century, on the site where the Botanical Garden is now located, the Czartoryski family Park was laid out, which in 1752 was sold to the Jesuit Order. In 1783, the University Department of Chemistry and Natural History received it at its disposal after the dissolution of this monastic brotherhood. At first, the garden occupied a small area of 2.4 hectares. Medicinal and ornamental plants were grown here. Gradually, its area has increased to today's 9.6 hectares.

A city park located on the border of the historical part of Krakow on the site of former fortifications (fortress walls and moats). It was broken up in the XIX century. After the Second World War and until 1989, the park was in disrepair until a decision was made to begin restoration work. Today, the Krakow Plants are a wonderful place for walking in nature, decorated with numerous sculptures and monuments.

The longest river in Poland, whose length is 1047 km. It originates in the Western Carpathian mountains and flows into the Baltic Sea. The Vistula flows through several major Polish cities, including Krakow and the country's capital, Warsaw. Picturesque public parks are located along the banks of the river within Krakow and several protected natural areas have been created.