Editing Kraków (section)

== Cityscape ==
[[File:Krakow - Cloth Hall from Basilica - 1.jpg|thumb|The [[Renaissance in Poland|Renaissance]] Cloth Hall (''[[Sukiennice]]'') in [[Main Market Square, Kraków|Main Market Square]]]]
[[File:DJI 0352 Wawel.jpg|thumb|[[Wawel Castle|Wawel Royal Castle]]]]
[[File:Barbakan Krakow z ulicy Basztowej.jpg|thumb|The [[Kraków Barbican]], dating from around 1498, was once a fortified outpost of the inner medieval city.]]

Kraków provides a showcase setting for many historic forms of [[architecture]] developed over the ten centuries, especially [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]], [[Renaissance architecture|Renaissance]] and [[Baroque architecture|Baroque]] styles.<ref name="Hourihane">{{cite book |last=Hourihane |first=Colum |date=2012 |volume=1 |title=The Grove Encyclopedia of Medieval Art and Architecture |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FtlMAgAAQBAJ |location=New York |publisher=Oxford University Press |pages=567–572|isbn=978-0-19-539537-2}}</ref> Renowned artisans and skilled craftsmen from present-day [[Italy]] and [[Holy Roman Empire|Germany]] were brought and sponsored by kings or nobles who contributed to [[Architecture of Poland|architectural wealth and diversity]].<ref name="Hourihane"/> The [[Brick Gothic]] manner as well as countless structural elements such as the Renaissance [[Attic (architecture)|attics]] with decorative [[pinnacle]]s became recognisable features of historical buildings in Kraków.<ref name="Małecki">{{cite book |last=Małecki |first=Jan M. |date=2008 |title=A history of Kraków for everyone |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UQEkAQAAIAAJ&q=brick%20gothic%20style%20krakow |publisher=Wydawnictwo Literackie |pages=11, 102, 104 |isbn=978-83-08-04267-0 |access-date=27 March 2024 |archive-date=27 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240327172414/https://books.google.com/books?id=UQEkAQAAIAAJ&q=brick%20gothic%20style%20krakow |url-status=live }}</ref> Built from its earliest nucleus outward, the city's monuments can be seen in historical order by walking from the city centre out, towards its newer districts.<ref name="Hourihane"/>

Kraków's historic centre, which includes [[Kraków Old Town|the Old Town]] (''Stare Miasto''), the [[Main Market Square, Kraków|Main Market Square]] (''Rynek Główny''), the [[Kraków Cloth Hall|Cloth Hall]] (''Sukiennice''), the [[Barbican]] (''Barbakan''), [[St. Florian's Gate]], [[Kazimierz]] and the [[Wawel Castle]], was included as the first of its kind on the list of [[UNESCO World Heritage Sites]] in 1978.<ref name="Centre"/> The central core surrounded by [[Planty Park]] remains the most prominent example of an old town in the country, with the medieval street layout still in existence.<ref name="Gustafson"/> Kraków was the royal capital of Poland for many centuries, until [[Sigismund III Vasa]] relocated the court to [[Warsaw]] in 1596.<ref name="Wilson">{{cite book |last=Wilson |first=Thomas M. |date=2023 |title=Europe. An Encyclopedia of Culture and Society |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pQjcEAAAQBAJ |location=New York |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |page=718 |isbn=978-1-4408-5545-0 |access-date=27 March 2024 |archive-date=27 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240327172418/https://books.google.com/books?id=pQjcEAAAQBAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> The district is bisected by [[Royal Road, Kraków|the Royal Road]], the coronation route traversed by the [[Kings of Poland]]. Several important monuments were lost in the course of history, notably the [[Kraków Town Hall|Ratusz town hall]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Co się stało z krakowskim ratuszem? |url=https://ciekawostkihistoryczne.pl/2012/01/19/co-sie-stalo-z-krakowskim-ratuszem/ |access-date=28 January 2023 |website=CiekawostkiHistoryczne.pl |date=19 January 2012 |language=pl-PL |archive-date=28 January 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230128083114/https://ciekawostkihistoryczne.pl/2012/01/19/co-sie-stalo-z-krakowskim-ratuszem/ |url-status=live }}</ref> However, the Gothic [[Town Hall Tower, Kraków|Town Hall Tower]] measuring {{height|m=70}} in height remains standing.<ref name="Nungovitch1"/>

In addition to the old town, the city's district of [[Kazimierz]] is particularly notable for its many renaissance buildings and picturesque streets, as well as the historic Jewish quarter located in the north-eastern part of Kazimierz. Kazimierz was founded in the 14th century to the south-east of the city centre and soon became a wealthy, well-populated area where construction of imposing properties became commonplace. Perhaps the most important feature of medieval Kazimierz was the only major, permanent bridge (''Pons Regalis'') across the northern arm of the Vistula. This natural barrier used to separate Kazimierz from the Old Town for several centuries, while the bridge connected Kraków to the [[Wieliczka Salt Mine]] and the lucrative Hungarian trade route. The last structure at this location (at the end of modern Stradom Street) was dismantled in 1880 when the northern arm of the river was filled in with earth and rock, and subsequently built over.<ref name="Świszczowski"/><ref name="wandaluzja-1"/>

By the 1930s, Kraków had 120 officially [[Synagogues of Kraków|registered synagogues]] and prayer houses that spanned across the old city. Much of Jewish intellectual life had moved to new centres like [[Podgórze]].<ref name="krakow.jewish.org.pl-pdf"/> This, in turn, led to the redevelopment and renovation of much of Kazimierz and the development of new districts in Kraków. Most historic buildings in central Kazimierz today are preserved in their original form. Some old buildings, however, were not repaired after the devastation brought by the Second World War, and have remained empty. Most recent efforts at restoring the historic neighborhoods gained new impetus around 1993. Kazimierz is now a well-visited area, seeing a booming growth in Jewish-themed restaurants, bars, bookstores and souvenir shops.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 July 2024 |title=KAZIMIERZ: THINGS TO DO & SEE IN KRAKOW'S JEWISH QUARTER |url=https://krakowmonamour.com/kazimierz-krakow-jewish-quarter/ |access-date=12 July 2024 |website=Krakow Mon Amour}}</ref>

[[File:Église et couvent des Paulins à Skalka, de plus loin.jpg|right|thumb|[[Skałka]] ("Small Rock") Church, and the adjacent monastery of [[Pauline Fathers]], is a place of burial for distinguished Poles and Cracovians.]]

As the city of Kraków began to expand further under the rule of the [[Austro-Hungarian Empire]], the new architectural styles also developed. Key buildings from the 19th and early 20th centuries in Kraków include the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts, the directorate of the Polish State Railways as well as the original complex of [[Kraków Główny railway station]] and the city's [[Kraków University of Economics|Academy of Economics]]. It was also at around that time that Kraków's first radial boulevards began to appear, with the city undergoing a large-scale program aimed at transforming the ancient Polish capital into a sophisticated regional centre of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. New representative government buildings and multi-story tenement houses were built at around that time. Much of the urban-planning beyond the walls of the Old Town was done by Polish architects and engineers trained in [[Vienna]]. Some major projects of the era include the development of the [[Jagiellonian University]]'s new premises and the building of the [[Collegium Novum]] just west of the Old Town. The imperial style planning of the city's further development continued until the return of Poland's independence, following the First World War. Early modernist style in Kraków is represented by such masterpieces as [[Kraków Society of Friends of Fine Arts|the Palace of Art]] by [[Franciszek Mączyński]] and the 'House under the Globe'. [[Vienna Secession#Architecture|Secession style]] architecture, which had arrived in Kraków from [[Vienna]], became popular towards the end of [[Partitions of Poland|the Partitions]].<ref name="Strasz"/>

[[File:Palace of Art, 4,Szczepanski square,secession building, Krakow Old Town.jpg|right|thumb|[[Kraków Society of Friends of Fine Arts|Palace of Art]] at Szczepański Square is an example of [[Art Nouveau]] architecture in central Kraków.<ref name="Palace of Art"/>]]

With Poland's regained independence came the major change in the fortunes of Kraków—now the second most important city of a sovereign nation. The state began to make new plans for the city development and commissioned a number of representative buildings. The predominant style for new projects was modernism with various interpretations of the art-deco style.<ref name="Vogt-Nassery"/> Important buildings constructed in the style of [[Polish modernism]] include the Feniks 'LOT' building on Basztowa Street, the Feniks department store on the [[Main Square, Kraków|Main Square]] and the Municipal Savings Bank on Szczepański Square. The Józef Piłsudski house is also of note as a particularly good example of interwar architecture in the city.<ref name="Kraków, Oleandry – Dom im. Józefa Piłsudskiego"/>

After the Second World War, new Communist government adopted [[Stalinist architecture|Stalinist monumentalism]]. The doctrine of [[Socialist realism in Poland]], as in other countries of the [[Eastern Bloc]], was enforced from 1949 to 1956. It involved all domains of art, but its most spectacular achievements were made in the field of urban design. The guidelines for this new trend were spelled-out in a 1949 resolution of the National Council of Party Architects. Architecture was to become a weapon in establishing the new social order by the communists.<ref name="inyourpocket/sightseeing">{{cite web|url=http://www.inyourpocket.com/poland/krakow/sightseeing/Nowa-Huta|title=Nowa Huta – Sightseeing in Kraków – In Your Pocket city guide – essential travel guides to cities in Poland|publisher=Inyourpocket.com|access-date=11 December 2011|archive-date=8 December 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111208081319/http://www.inyourpocket.com/poland/krakow/sightseeing/Nowa-Huta|url-status=live}}</ref> The ideological impact of urban design was valued more than aesthetics. It aimed at expressing persistence and power. This form of architecture was implemented in the new industrial district of Nowa Huta with apartment blocks constructed according to a Stalinist blueprint, with repetitious courtyards and wide, tree-lined avenues.<ref name="Nh.pl-1"/>

[[File:Nowa Huta - Plac Centralny z lotu ptaka.jpg|thumb|Plac Centralny, the main square of the socialist-realist district [[Nowa Huta]]]]

Since the style of the [[Renaissance in Poland|Renaissance]] was generally regarded as the most revered in old Polish architecture, it was also used for augmenting Poland's [[Socialist realism in Poland|Socialist national]] format. However, in the course of incorporating the principles of Socialist realism, there were quite a few deviations introduced by the communists. From 1953, critical opinions in the Party were increasingly frequent, and the doctrine was given up in 1956 marking the end of [[Stalinism in Poland|Stalinism]].<ref name="SOCREALIZM in Poland (1949–1955)"/> The [[socrealism|soc-realist]] centre of Nowa Huta is considered to be a meritorious monument of the times. This period in postwar architecture was followed by the mass-construction of large [[Plattenbau|Panel System]] apartment blocks, most of which were built outside the city centre and thus do not encroach upon the beauty of the old or new towns. Some examples of the new style (e.g., Hotel Cracovia) recently listed as heritage monuments were built during the latter half of the 20th century in Kraków.<ref name="naszemiasto-cracovia"/>

After the [[Revolutions of 1989]] and the birth of the [[Third Polish Republic|Third Republic]] in the latter half of the 20th century,<ref>{{Cite web |date=1 June 2022 |title=Kraków z lotu ptaka. Fascynujące zdjęcia z lat 90. XX wieku! |url=https://krowoderska.pl/krakow-z-lotu-ptaka-dawniej/ |access-date=1 June 2022 |website=Krowoderska.pl |language=pl-PL |archive-date=1 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220601090900/https://krowoderska.pl/krakow-z-lotu-ptaka-dawniej/ |url-status=live }}</ref> a number of new architectural projects were completed, including the construction of large business parks and commercial facilities such as the [[Galeria Krakowska]], or infrastructure investments like the [[Kraków Fast Tram]]. A good example of this would be the [[Manggha Museum of Japanese Art and Technology]] designed by [[Arata Isozaki]], the 2007-built ''Pawilon Wyspiański 2000'',<ref name="sztuka-architektury1"/> which is used as a multi-purpose information and exhibition space, or the Małopolski Garden of Arts (''[[:pl:Małopolski Ogród Sztuki w Krakowie|Małopolski Ogród Sztuki]]''), a multi-purpose exhibition and theatre complex located in the historic Old Town.<ref>Małopolski Regionalny Program Operacyjny, [http://www.slowacki.krakow.pl/pl/aktualnosci/malopolski_ogrod_sztuki/ Budowa Małopolskiego Ogrodu Sztuki w Krakowie.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140911020618/http://www.slowacki.krakow.pl/pl/aktualnosci/malopolski_ogrod_sztuki |date=11 September 2014 }} Teatr im. Juliusza Słowackiego.</ref>
{{Further|Main Post Office, Kraków|Stained Glass Museum, Kraków|label1=Main Post Office}}

=== Parks and gardens ===
[[File:Planty Park, autumn, Old Town, Krakow, Poland.jpg|thumb|[[Planty Park]] surrounds Kraków's Old Town.]]
[[File:Planty Garden, pavilion, Old Town, Krakow, Poland.JPG|thumb|A pavilion within the Planty Park during winter]]

There are about 40 parks in Kraków, including dozens of gardens and forests.<ref name="wse.krakow"/> Several, like the [[Planty Park]], [[Botanic Garden of the Jagiellonian University|Botanical Garden]], [[Kraków Zoo|Zoological Garden]], [[Royal Garden in Kraków|Royal Garden]], [[Park Krakowski]], [[Jordan Park]] and [[Błonia Park]] are located in the centre of the city; with others, such as Zakrzówek, [[Wanda Green Ravine Park]], Wolski forest, Strzelecki Park and Lotników Park in the surrounding districts.<ref name="wse.krakow"/> Parks cover about {{convert|318.5|ha|acre mi2|sigfig=3}} of the city.<ref name="ZZM"/>

The best-known park in Kraków is the Planty Park. Established between 1822 and 1830 in place of the old city walls, it forms a [[green belt]] around the Old Town and consists of a chain of smaller gardens designed in various styles and adorned with monuments. The park has an area of {{convert|21|ha|acre}} and a length of {{convert|4|km|mi}}, forming a scenic walkway popular with Cracovians.<ref name="Strzala1"/>

Jordan Park, founded in 1889 by [[Henryk Jordan]], was the first public park of its kind in Europe.<ref name="grodzka.net">{{cite web|url=http://www.grodzka.net.pl/travel/jordan_park.php |title=Henryk Jordan's Park |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930094731/http://www.grodzka.net.pl/travel/jordan_park.php |archive-date=30 September 2007 |url-status=dead |via=Grodzka.net.pl |quote=The park, which was initiated by Jordan, was the first of this type in Poland and in Europe. The initiator himself got so engaged in realising his idea that he largely financed its construction and personally brought the most modern sport facilities from Sweden, Germany and Switzerland. |website=krakow4you.com |year=2006}}</ref> Built on the banks of the [[Rudawa (river)|Rudawa]], the park was equipped with running and exercise tracks, playgrounds, a swimming pool, [[amphitheatre]], pavilions, and a pond for [[Rowing|boat rowing]] and [[water bicycle]]s. It is located in the grounds of one of the city's larger parks, Błonia Park.<ref name="History, philosophy and photographs"/> The less prominent Park Krakowski, founded in 1885 by [[Stanisław Rehman]], was a popular destination point for Cracovians at the end of the 19th century, but has since been greatly reduced in size because of rapid [[real estate development]].<ref name="encyklopedia3"/>

=== Environment ===
There are five [[Protected areas of Poland|nature reserves]] in Kraków with a total area of {{convert|48.6|ha|acre|abbr=off}}.<ref name="gdos">[http://crfop.gdos.gov.pl/?wo=4548&po=1950&gm=&nazwa=&typ=2&rok=&wody=0&ko=0&szukaj=true&x=47&y=8 Dane przestrzenne z Centralnego Rejestru Form Ochrony Przyrody.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130206123815/http://crfop.gdos.gov.pl/?wo=4548&po=1950&gm=&nazwa=&typ=2&rok=&wody=0&ko=0&szukaj=true&x=47&y=8 |date=6 February 2013 }} ''Generalna Dyrekcja Ochrony Środowiska'', Poland. Retrieved {{nowrap|4 October 2012.}}</ref> Smaller green zones constitute parts of the [[Kraków-Częstochowa Upland]] Jurassic Landscape Parks' Board, which deals with the protection areas of the Polish Jura. Under its jurisdiction are: the [[Bielany-Tyniec Landscape Park]] (Park Bielańsko-Tyniecki), [[Tenczynek Landscape Park]] (Park Tencziński) and [[Kraków Valleys Landscape Park]] (Park Krajobrazowy Dolinki Krakowskie), with their watersheds.<ref name="ZZM"/> The natural reserves of the Polish Jura Chain are part of the [[CORINE]] biotopes programme due to their unique flora, fauna, geomorphology and landscape.<ref name="Parkes">{{cite book |last=Parkes |first=Matthew |date=2004 |title=Natural and Cultural Landscapes The Geological Foundation. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=msFOAQAAIAAJ&q=Krakow+upland+%22corine%22 |location=Dublin |publisher=Royal Irish Academy |pages=53–56, 177 |isbn=978-1-904890-00-3 |access-date=27 March 2024 |archive-date=27 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240327172415/https://books.google.com/books?id=msFOAQAAIAAJ&q=Krakow+upland+%22corine%22 |url-status=live }}</ref> The western part of Kraków constitutes the so-called Obszar Krakowski ecological network, including the ecological corridor of the Vistula. The southern slopes of limestone hills provide conditions for the development of [[thermophilous]] vegetation, grasslands and [[Shrubland|shrubs]].<ref name="Parkes"/><ref name="MAK">{{cite book |publisher=Muzeum Archeologiczne w Krakowie |date=1971 |title=Materiały Archeologiczne [Archaeological Materials], Volumes 12–14 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kAlpAAAAMAAJ&q=krakowa%20po%C5%82udniu%20wzg%C3%B3rza%20wapienne |location=Kraków |page=42 |oclc=68755780 |language=pl |access-date=27 March 2024 |archive-date=27 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240327172416/https://books.google.com/books?id=kAlpAAAAMAAJ&q=krakowa%20po%C5%82udniu%20wzg%C3%B3rza%20wapienne |url-status=live }}</ref>

The city is spaced along an extended latitudinal transect of the [[Vistula]] River Valley with a network of tributaries including its right tributary [[Wilga (Krakow)|Wilga]], and left: [[Rudawa (river)|Rudawa]], Białucha, [[Dłubnia]] and Sanka.<ref name="Burek">{{cite book |last=Burek |first=Ryszard |date=2000 |title=Encyklopedia Krakowa |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0hMsAQAAMAAJ&q=Wilga,%20Rudawa,%20Bia%C5%82ucha,%20D%C5%82ubnia%20Sanka |location=Warszawa (Warsaw) |publisher=Wydawn. Naukowe PWN |page=1058 |isbn=978-83-01-13325-2 |language=pl |access-date=27 March 2024 |archive-date=27 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240327172418/https://books.google.com/books?id=0hMsAQAAMAAJ&q=Wilga,%20Rudawa,%20Bia%C5%82ucha,%20D%C5%82ubnia%20Sanka |url-status=live }}</ref> The rivers and their valleys along with bodies of water are some of the most interesting natural wonders of Kraków.<ref name="Burek"/>

Kraków and its environment, surrounded by mountains, suffer from Europe's dirtiest air pollution because of [[smog]], caused by burning [[coal]] for heating, especially in winter.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/22/world/europe/poland-pollution.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220103/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/22/world/europe/poland-pollution.html |archive-date=3 January 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Smothered by Smog, Polish Cities Rank Among Europe's Dirtiest (Published 2018)|first1=Maciek|last1=Nabrdalik|first2=Marc|last2=Santora|newspaper=The New York Times|date=22 April 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref>