The Royal Way, which leads right through the heart of the city, was once the route of Royal processions and funerals. Even after the capital moved to Warsaw in 1596, Cracow remained the venue for such events, and kings were almost always crowned and buried here. The route makes for a great walk, passing through St.Florians Gate in the north, down Florianska Street (the city’s main thoroughfare), through the market square, and then on down Grodzka Street to the castle. The route is still used for religious and secular processions and these are always vibrant occasions.
Technically you could begin at the Barbican, the city’s last surviving defensive bastion. However, it is much more interesting to start a little further back. Indeed, the Royal progress itself began a little outside the city, and this gives the walker more of a sense of the exhilaration of arriving in the old capital.
A good place to begin is at the corner of St.Florians Church on Plac Matejki. It was at this church that kings lay in state during the run up to the funeral procession. More recently, it was the first Cracovian parish of Karol Wojtyla, later Pope John Paul II, who was a priest here in 1947.
Looking south from this church you are presented with a fine vista of the medieval skyline, with the Barbican, the tower of St.Florians Gate, and behind them in the distance, the magnificent spires of St.Mary’s. Travellers have been greeted by this prospect for over 500 hundred years.
As you walk towards the Barbican you will pass a large equestrian monument. It commemorates an historic victory over the Teutonic knights, the Battle of Grunwald (1410), which, like many monuments, was destoyed by the Nazis in 1939.
Before crossing ulica Basztowa, you will see on your right a rather formidable, imperial looking building. This is in fact the Academy of Fine Arts , founded by Jan Matejko in 1879. Many of the greats studied here, including Wyspianski and Witkacy, whilst Jozef Mehoffer served as its rector.
Crossing ulica Basztowa you will arrive at the Barbican, a splendid defensive bastion. It lies amidst the Planty gardens, which form a ring around the Old Town. Directly behind the Barbican is St.Florian´s Gate, which has recently been restored. Passing through the gate, as travellers have done for seven hundred years, you will find yourself right in the hubbub of the city. You are now on Florianska Street, which, in spite of many brash new shops, remains one of the most beautiful and inspiring in Cracow. On either side of the gate, you will find artists selling their works. They use the medieval wall itself as their gallery and it is a colourful sight. Perhaps not all of the paintings would gain Wyspianski’s seal of approval.
As one walks down Florianska Street you will pass that great bastion of Polish culture, McDonalds. A little after this, at No. 45, lies the Jama Michalika cafe. This was the principal bohemian hangout during the fin-de-siecle, and artists would roll up here from the Academy to meet their girlfriends. The extraordinary art nouveau interior has survived intact, and whilst it's not the wild place that it was, its still worth dropping in for a glimpse of that heady world.
Two doors down at No. 41 is a very elegant building. It was owned by Jan Matejko, (he of the academy), a towering figure in Polish art. Today the building houses a museum that is dedicated to his life. Matejko had the facade remodelled in 1872 and above the doorway one finds a relief depicting an artist´s palette and brushes. These kinds of decorative flourishes are quintessentially Cracovian, and you will find them all over the city.
Many of the houses on Florianska have medieval or Renaissance foundations. However, over the passage of time, a great deal were remodelled, whilst others were rebuilt from scratch. Thus there is a strong nineteenth century air to much of the street. Invariably though, one finds much older elements on the lower floors of the buildings, and a fine example of this can be seen at No.14. This lies on your right about three quarters of the way down the street, and it now houses the Pod Roza Hotel. Here one finds a magnificent Renaissance portal, crowned by the Latin inscription: ‘May this house stand until the ant drinks the waters of the oceans and the tortoise encircles the earth.’ ( If you're in town during the evening, the hotel's Italian restaurant Amarone, has little alcoved rooms and it would be a romantic place to have dinner if you're in a Humphey Bogart mood....).
A stone´s throw further on your left at No.11, lies the yellow house known as ´Pod Aniolkiem´, which means `under the cherub.´ It is only a dozen or so feet in breadth, and it is one of the most delightful townhouses (kamienicas) in the city. It is crowned by an elegant Renaissance parapet – another distinctively Cracovian feature. Inside there is an internet cafe where you can check your emails amidst seventeenth century frescos and splendidly ornate coffered ceilings.
A final building worth noting is No.1, which lies right at the end of Florianska on the left hand side. During the sixteenth century it was a chemists, and the owners had connections with Africa. It is for this reason that one finds two beautiful statues of Ethiopians. They face onto the square from the corner of the house.
The huge expanse that enfolds before you – the Rynek – was the largest medieval square in Europe. Rising up on your left is the Mariacki Church, or St. Mary´s, which was rebuilt in the fourteenth century after the final Mongol invasion. In the centre of the square lies the magnificent Sukiennice, the Cloth Hall.
One of the great delights about this square is the sheer variety of architecture. Art Nouveau sits comfortably alongside Renaissance, baroque and neo-classical, not forgetting a mighty gothic church.
If you're passing at the stroke of the hour you'll hear a bugle call emanating from the tower of St.Mary's. This is an ancient tradition relating to a noble watchman who saved the the city from marauding Tartars. The legend is not entirely true, but it is certainly true that noble trumpeters have played up there for hundreds of years now.
It's certainly worth dropping into St.Mary's. And the dramatic altarpiece by Veit Stoss is considered amongst the best in the world.
The Royal Way continues down Grodzka street, which leads off the curve on the south eastern corner of the square. This long avenue heads straight on to the Royal Castle.
Before leaving the square you will pass the charming little chapel of St. Adalbert. It is much older than the baroque facade suggests. And legend has it that the Saint said mass here before his mission into the wilds of Prussia, way back in 997. Like many such gentlemen, he came to a sticky end, as the Prussians didn't take kindly to him.
Leaving the square, and heading on down Grodzka, you will soom reach plac. Wszystkich Swietych (All Saints). On the corner on the right a window projects onto the street. This is above the ' Golden Elephant' chemists. This oriel window looks a bit like an old fashioned, and very elegant, elevator. It's another typical and charming Cracovian feature.
All Saints Square is bounded on the left by the Dominican Church, and on the right by the Franciscan Church. Both orders have been here since the thirteenth century. Today the former has a liberal reputation and is popular with the young. The Franciscan Church on the other hand, has a very conservative image ( although you would not imagine it from the extraordinary late nineteenth century interior, a magnificent creation by Stanislas Wyspianski that borders on the psychadelic). This is one of Krakow's greatest treasures, and still little known amongst Western art historians.
After crossing the square, one continues down Grodzka street. Soon you will pass Pod Aniolami, 'Under the Angels', which is at No.35. If you're feeling peckish, it houses a very congenial restaurant with an attractive cellar and a splendid folkloric courtyard that's redolent of the Polish Highlands. The excellent Zurek soup will warm the cockles on a chilly day, whilst the wild boar with cranberries is a tasty dish. A very Polish place!
Returning to the world at large, you will soon pass the former house of Veit Stoss (no.41, much rebuilt), the legendary sculptor who created the altarpiece in St. Mary's.
A little further on lies the imposing baroque church of St.Peter and St.Paul. Twelve apostles line the gateway, creating a very theatrical prospect. Opposite the church is the Collegium Iuridicum, which now houses the University’s Department of History of Art. It has a very charming courtyard, and no one should be too upset if you have a quick peak.
Just beyond the church of St. Peter and St.Paul is another basilica. It is dedicated to St. Andrew and it is the oldest functioning church in Cracow, dating back to the late eleventh century. The interior was remodelled in 1701 in the wake of the Swedish rampage, ( known in Poland as ‘the Deluge’ ). Thus baroque furnishings fill the Romanesque basilica.
You are now on the last stretch of Grodzka. On reaching the end, the castle rears up on your right. You will be standing by a wooden cross, which is inscribed with the word Katyn. This was a very controversial word between 1942 and 1990. During the Cold War the Polish press were forbidden to discuss it. However, in 1992, Gorbachev admitted what many Poles had always known – that some 20,000 Polish reserve officers (theoretically Allies) were murdered in cold blood on Stalin’s orders in the Summer of 1940. Katyn has come to symbolize the wartime crimes against the Polish intelligentsia, as well as the over-arching injustices that the conflict gave rise to. It is a very sad legacy.
You are now at the final stage of the Royal Way. There are two ways to climb Wawel Hill, thus completing the walk. The more agreeable is to cross the zebra crossing twenty yards further south on your right. Then follow the cobbled road ( which runs parallel to ulica Bernadynska ) up the hill.
As you walk up the hill you will pass on your right the large redbrick Senator’s Tower (c.1600). After one hundred yards or so, you will pass through a portcullis, which is bounded on the right by the Sandomierz Tower. Over the wall on your left is a very elegant fin-de-siecle building that marks the end of Bernadynska street. It has a beautiful dome on its corner that would make a very fine place to live.
Turning the corner you are now on the final approach to the cathedral. The river Vistula pans out beneath you, with the Japanese styled Manggha Centre immediately to the south, whilst in the far distance it is possible to detect the baroque towers of Bielany monastery, and the Pilsudski Mound. As you follow the final curve of the road, you will notice a small gleaming copper dome in the north eastern corner of the wall, the entrance to the Dragon’s Lair. Now, turning east, you are greeted by the wonderful prospect of the Cathedral, with the Castle rearing up behind it.
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