Krakow – former capital of Poland

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Krakow

You wouldn’t find a Pole who wouldn’t know where the Krakow is or what role it had through the centuries. Every year, Wawel castle is a host to crowds of tourists – both, individual and for groups. But before we visit the hill, we should know that the Cathedral and the Castle are led by separate institutions.

Wawel

Wawel Royal Castle is a treasure hold of history and a lesson of moments of greatness and tragedy in Polish history. In the institution we may find many temporary and permanent exhibitions. Among the latter we will find:

  • Royal Private Chambers
  • Treasury
  • Oriental Art. Turkish tents
  • “the Lost Wawel”
  • “Wawel Retrieved”

What is worth mentioning is that on the Wawel Castle you can join a regular classes about history and art – lectures and classes with professors. Sightseeing of Krakow with a group of High Shool students who prepare themselves for matura exam from the mentioned subjects, may help them remember all the facts and art work.

Wawel Cathedral

The Cathedral on the Wawel Hill is a place where the coronation of Polish kings took place. It’s, also, a place of burial of kings and saints ( St. Stanslaus, queen Jadwig, Wladislaw Lokietek, Casimir the Great and many others). In the crypt are ashes of other well known Poles – Mickiewicz, Słowacki, Piłsudski. While sightseeing the Cathedral we should go to the tower where the most recognised Polish bell is situated – Sigismund.

Reservation and opening hours

Some of the Wawel tracks is unavailable during some seasons or days of the week (Baszta Sandomierska, ruins of the St. George’s church). We should track the information on the Institute’s website where we may, also, find material for the teachers.

If we want to see the cathedral there are different opening hours, depending on the time of the year e.g. from November to March the exhibitions are opened until 4.00 p.m. . Additionally the Cathedral’s museum is closed on Sundays. One should bear in mind that in the Cathedral, the masses are regularly performed, so sightseeing during that time is also impossible.

Transportation and accommodation near Wawel

All the reservations for an organised group may be done by the hostel Draggo, as all the groups have their own reservation coordinator. What is his role? He:

  • Helps in reservations for the entrance – e.g. to the museums
  • Reserve meals taking under account those who are on a special diet
  • Helps to choose and reserve the best form of transport
  • Answers questions about the time and location of the attractions

As you may notice, the Krakow hostel Draggo ( https://draggo.house ) cares a lot about its’ guests, so they can focus solely on the experience of Krakow and it’s history. The hostel is, also, in an amazing location. It is situated in the Old Town, 2 minutes from the Main Square, 10 minutes from the Wawel Castle and 25 minutes to the Main train and bus station by foot. We can also get there by communal transport.

Hostel in the centre of Krakow is not only close to all the main attractions, but ,also, offers a good standard within a reasonable price range for both, individual and group tourists.