Krakow

Krakow’s history is so rich and steeped in legends that it is impossible to present it in its entirety. We have included key events in its history and the most significant dates.
There is evidence of human settlements in the area as early as the Stone Age.

Two mounds date from this period,  and although one cannot say for sure what they were used for, it is believed that they may have had a religious meaning.
One is known as the Mound of Prince Krak (founder of the settlement according to the legend) and the other is Princess Wanda Mound (Krak’s daughter who refused to marry a German and jumped in the Vistula river).

A merchant, Ibrahim Ibn Jakub, who was travelling through Germany and Western Slavonic countries in the years 965-966, made the first written record of Krakow. He wrote that Krakow was a rich and important commercial enclave.

In the 10th century, the city was incorporated into the Polish state by Miecislao I and became a valuable commercial centre for the Piast dynasty. The city then went on to suffer several Tartar invasions.

Between 1038 and1058, the Polish King, Casimir the Restorer, made Krakow the capital of Poland.
From 1320 (which marks the coronation of King Vladislav I the Short) Wawel cathedral became the coronation place for Polish Kings, until 1734.
Casimir III the Great founded the University in 1364 (initially called Academy of Krakow, it was then renamed Jagiellonian University), the second oldest university in that part of Europe.
With the Jagiello dynasty, and in particular Vladislav II Jagiello (Great Prince of Lithuania and later King of Poland) came Krakow’s Golden Age. The city played an important cultural role.
The power of the Jagiello dynasty was evident in the Prussian Homage of 1525 when the Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, Albrecht Hohenzoller, paid tribute to Sigismund I the Old.

In 1609, Sigismund III Waza (king of Sweden and Poland) transferred the capital of Poland to Warsaw.

In the 17th century, Krakow suffered attacks by the Swedes and following the three Partitions of Poland in 1772, 1793 and 1795, the city became part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (and remained so until after the first World War)
When Poland regained its independence, Krakow became once again part of the country.
On 6th September 1939, the Nazis entered the city and they were driven out of the city in 1945.

Throughout its history, Krakow survived many invasions, but never lost its lustre, traditions and important monuments.
The city is nowadays the most visited city in Poland thanks to its outstanding cultural, historical and religious interest.  It stands as a great monument to national culture, and has made a huge contribution in shaping Poland politically and socially.

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