The old joke is that people are literally dying to end up there. After all, what more could one ask for? There are the beautiful surroundings, the distinguished company, the historic cache.... But this month, Rakowicki - Cracow's oldest cemetery - has sent ripples far beyond Polish shores, as the city has freed up a handful plots in the most prized areas.
Bids from around the world have been coming in for the ten plots, which stand in the immediate vicinity of a number of distinguished names. Plots next to the grand old man of Polish painting, Jan Matejko, the actress Helena Modrzejewska and Pope John Paul II's own family are all up for grabs.
For those after such a distinguished place to end one's days, Radio Polonia informs that the lowest bid so far has come in at 10,000 dollars, a rather hefty sum by local standards.
But never fear, we don't all have to be buried there to enjoy the charms of Rakowicki, with its dreamy gothic sarcophagi and tree-lined avenues. So if you're in Cracow for the first time and want to see something beyond your standard Wawel, Kazimierz and Old Town fare, head for the graveyards - Cracow's hidden treasures....
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