10 Interesting Facts about Krakow
Did you Know?
1. Krakow was the capital of Poland from 1038 to 1596.
2. Krakow was a busy trading center of Slavonic Europe as early as 965.
3. In 1978, UNESCO placed Kraków on the list of World Heritage Sites.
4. Also in 1978, Karol Wojtyła, archbishop of Kraków, was elevated to the papacy as Pope John Paul II, the first non-Italian pope in 455 years and the first ever Slavic pope.
5. The Old Town district of Kraków is home to about six thousand historic sites and more than two million works of art.
6. Kraków is a major centre of education. More than ten university or academy-level institutions offer courses in the city, with 170,000 students.
7. The metropolitan city of Kraków is known as the city of churches. The abundance of landmark, historic temples along with the plentitude of monasteries and convents earned the city a countrywide reputation as the "Northern Rome" in the past. The churches of Kraków comprise over 120 places of worship of which over 60 were built in the 20th century.
8. Krakow is referred to by various names in different languages. The city is known in Czech and Slovak as Krakov, in Hungarian as Krakkó, in Lithuanian as Krokuva, in German as Krakau, in Latin as Cracovia, in French as Cracovie, in Portuguese as Cracóvia and in Russian as Краков. Ukrainian and Yiddish languages refer to it as Krakiv (Краків) and Kroke (קראָקע) respectively.
9. According to legend, Krakow was founded by and named after the mythical ruler Krak, who built the town above a cave occupied by a ravenous dragon.
10. There are five nature reserves in Kraków, with a combined area of ca. 48.6 hectares (120 acres). Due to their ecological value, these areas are legally protected.