Krakow - The Magical City
As the old capital of Poland, Krakow has a special place in the national consciousness. For the casual tourist this may not be vitally important or discernable, but this special role as the "spiritual" capital of Poland imbues Krakow with an added ambiance. The city is a vibrant university town that boasts the largest Medieval market square in Europe, plus exquisitely preserved Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque architectural monuments of the highest order. If you get bored of traditional sightseeing, the glorious architecture creates a great backdrop for just sipping a coffee or glass of beer in the outdoor cafes that line practically every street from April-Oct. And at night there are hundreds of bars to suit all tastes, many of them housed in atmospheric cellars. Browse, read and check things out!
Plac Centralny | Aleja Róż
landmarks
cultural heritage
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Nowa Huta Plac Centralny
Description
Plac Centralny and Aleja Róż
It's worth taking a tram out to Nowa Huta, the district designed to be a socialist utopia at the end of the 1940s. The main streets of Nowa Huta radiate out from Plac centralny (Central Square). Three side of the square are surrounded by impressively monumental apartment buildings with with facades featuring arches, porticos, and decorative balustrades. Some of the buildings also feature crenellated roofs for snipers to defend the city from an American/NATO attack. Ironically the square was renamed a few years ago "Ronald Reagan Square", but no one actually calls it this and the locals didn't approve the name change. Aleja Róż (Avenue of Roses) is the pedestrian street that runs from the north side of the square and this is where the statue of Vladimir Lenin stood until December 1989. So don't expect to find any Communist propaganda or art work. There were supposed to be carved muscular figures of workers and peasants on plaques on some of the central buildings, but money ran low so many plans were dropped. The most significant change from the original designs is the lack of a monumental town hall. Nowa Huta was supposed to be a separate city, but instead was joined to Krakow, thus mooting the idea of a town hall. And to the south of the square, where grassy fields stretch to the Visitula River, a domed cultural center was planned but also never built. What makes Nowa Huta special is that it was designed and built from scratch in a very short period of time. This whole area was farmland and small cottages before construction began in 1949. Even though Nowa Huta was designed during Communism as a Socialist Utopia, many aspects of the buildings and urban layout were inspired by Renaissance and Baroque architecture.
Dennis McEvoy
