If you've just arrived in Cracow, you'll have noticed that half of the Rynek has turned into a building site. Diggers dig, and hammers hammer, and the race is now on to get the groundwork finished before Mother Nature decides that she's had enough of Summer, and that what we all need is a good dose of appalling weather.
What's going on though is a major project to reinvigorate the old medieval townhall (only the tower survives - a cluster of smaller buildings were levelled in the nineteenth century). Flamboyant French architect Hubert Framboise has won the prize for the project. His postmodern design will see a flurry of disk like projections surge out from the medieval tower. These UFO type projections will be coated in gleaming titanium, whilst the base will be fringed by a cluster of orthogonal limestone blocks. The old medieval clock dial will still be visible, but Mr. Framboise has added a modern touch of his own - when the clock strikes the hour a glass elephant will emerge from the tower singing the Polish national anthem.
O.K, I made up the bit about the Town Hall project (although for the 20 million zloty price tag, you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise). What's actually going on is considerably more mundane - the Rynek's getting some good sensible paving slabs (marble and granite composite). The City sold their nineteenth century cobbles to the Viennese during the sixties (a strange but in this case true fact). And as with paving in general during the bad old days, the slabs were badly laid and proved to be hair-raisingly dangerous in winter. Not only were they slippery, but owing to the poor foundations, individual slabs started to see-saw, which also meant that on wet days you often got a shoe full of water when you stepped out into the square.
So it's a good sensible project then. All the same, the renovation will not be entirely without novelty. When the work moves to the other side of the square - which could be next century if one takes a cynical view of local deadlines - a small portion of the medieval cellars will be revealed. The Rynek has risen considerably in height over the centuries and there's a whole subterranean wonderworld down there. In short, an archaeologists dream.
In the meantime the joys of Cracow await - and the city of Prince Krak is not short on joys that's for certain. Indeed, if you're feeling adventurous, you could go for a walk to the legendary burial mound of the city's founder, the noble Prince Krak. The view from Krak's mound is a corker. And to the south, the huge nineteenth century quarry is straight out of The Lord of the Rings.
On the way back you could stop for a coffee and a cake at the excellent Cafe Rekawka. However, if you're feeling like a less strenuous adventure into the world of Prince Krak, you could always venture down into the Dragon's Lair at Wawel. Afterwards, you could stroll down ul. Bernadynska and toast the Prince's health at the Pod Baranem restaurant - a fine place for a traditional Polish 'obiad' (old fashioned lunch).
September can be a beautiful month, so let's pray for an Indian Summer!
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