Travelling in Time in Krakow, and Snack on Legends, Krakow, Poland

Some say time travel isn’t possible. I disagree. Time travel is real - and accessible. In books, yes, but also in the very streets we walk every day. And then there are places like Kraków - where the past isn’t just remembered, it’s still breathing. All you need is imagination… and maybe a good pair of shoes. You’re about to walk the streets that have been laid in medieval times and whose layout remained exactly the same.

Krakow has been spared of destruction since the 13th century. Before that, the Old Town began to develop around the Wawel Hill, where the castle and the cathedral of Wawel exist up to today (even though after much reconstruction), and the Polish rulers had their seat. But in 1241, the Tatars (Mongols) invaded the city, causing intense devastation. Their stay was short though.

With Krakow destroyed, Prince Boleslaw, who was part of the Piast Dynasty, decided to rebuild the city from scratch. But back then, urban planning wasn’t exactly common knowledge - so he brought in experienced German architects, adopting the Magdeburg Law – a collection of town rights, which offered a model for urban self-government, and entitling cities with self-governance, meaning, legal autonomy. Cities designed under this model had a consistent grid layout. This is why Krakow, despite being in its core a medieval city, is quite frankly, very well organised, in comparison to other European old towns from the same time – it was a logical geometrical plan, with a central square, main roads, and plots assigned for homes and businesses. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).