Touring Krakow with a Local, Krakow, Poland

Touring a foreign city with a local allows you to not only see the sites but delve further into its history, its culture and begin to understand its personality. We were able to do just that recently as we toured Kraków, Poland’s famous historical city.

Monkey’s Tale photographer, Richard, grew up in Poland and spent his university years in Kraków. He ‘volunteered’ to be a tour guide on our recent trip to his hometown sharing with Maggie its history, myths and legends.

Kraków was the capital of Poland from 1038 until 1596 when it was relocated to Warsaw by a Swedish king. Its Old Town was not destroyed during WWII therefore its historic centre is filled with original architecture. It’s so impressive in fact, that the entire historic centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Of course all of that history is also draped in fascinating stories.

Like many cities of its time, a 13th century defensive wall surrounded Krakow’s Old Town. In its 4 km (2 1/2 mile) length, there were 47 towers and 8 gates. Due to maintenance costs and lack of need, in the 19th century most of the wall was dismantled. In its place, the city turned it into a park that wraps around Old Town. Planty Park has a walking/biking path between the tall trees and is a really lovely use of the land. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).