Educational path in Krakow

National Museum in Krakow 

We are next to the main building of the National Museum. There are both permanent and periodic exhibitions here. The museum organizes various age-appropriate workshops. Among the most valuable exhibits in the Polish collection is a painting by Leonardo Da Vinci, "Lady with an Ermine", which can be viewed in Krakow.

Didactic justification: Emphasize the essence of running a museum, the need to preserve and record cultural objects for posterity

Time : 30 minutes

Main Square

Cracow's Main Square is the largest medieval market square in Europe. It has the shape of a square 200 × 200 m.

On the Market Square there are many interesting objects :

Over the centuries the level of the Cracow market has risen considerably, so after going underground we move back several hundred years to the times before the location of the city in 1257.

St. Mary's Basilica is the most important church in Krakow after Wawel Cathedral. There is the famous main altar by Veit Stoss, considered a masterpiece of late Gothic sculpture.

The bugle call has become a musical symbol of Krakow and resounds to this day: it is played every hour around the clock to the four corners of the world. But why does its melody stop so suddenly? Well, in 1241 the city was attacked by the Tartars. As legend has it, the guard keeping vigil on the tower began to play the alarm. He managed to warn the city against the attack, but in half a bar his throat was pierced by a Tatar arrow. That's why the melody of the bugle-call ends so suddenly - in the same place, where the heroic guard stopped playing it.

Gothic tower built in the early 15th century. It survived from the destroyed in 1820 town hall - then the main administrative building in Krakow. It is 70 m high.

The Cloth Hall was one of the most important institutions of the city - for it was here that trade was concentrated. The first Cloth Hall, which was built in the 13th century when Krakow was granted city rights, was two rows of stone stalls forming a street in the middle of the Market Square. Both ends of the street were closed at night with bars to keep thieves away. Today you can buy souvenirs here.

Didactic justification: Discussing the functions of the medieval market square, the role of buildings and institutions located around it, introducing the legend of the bugle-call - a distinctive symbol of Krakow

Time: 60 minutes

St. Florian's Gate & Barbican

St. Florian's Gate is the main city gate. The gate had various functions. In the 16th century a city arsenal was built here. Later it housed the city's stables. To this day, an altar dating back to the 19th century has been preserved in the portal, in which there is a copy of the painting of Our Lady of Sand. Barbican is a part of the fortifications, called Rondel, is one of the most valuable monuments of Krakow. It is also one of the few surviving works of defensive architecture of this type in Europe.

Didactic justification: Defensive fortifications as an important element in the functioning of a medieval city

Time: 10 minutes

Museum of Obwarzanki krakowskie

The name “obwarzanek” refers to its production process and derives from “obwarzać” (to parboil), a distinctive technique of boiling the dough. The Latin names, circulis and circinellos, refer in turn to the obwarzanek’s round shape

Didactical justifaction: Example of culinary heritage

Time: 60 minutes

Zbigniew Wodecki Square

Zbigniew Wodecki was an outstanding artist from Krakow. Instrumentalist, composer, arranger. He described himself as a "singing musician. The list of his musical achievements is very long and his songs have become part of the canon of Polish music.

The square is located at Planty, near the gazebo at the level of St. Mark and Westerplatte streets. Zbigniew Wodecki used to walk along Planty and Grodzka streets to the Market Square to take his children, and later his grandchildren, to the music school, to his favourite Krakow's Stary Kleparz or to have coffee with friends.

Every year the Wodecki Twist Festival is organized, where musicians from Poland and abroad remember Zbigniew in modern arrangements of his songs.

Didactic justification: Introducing the profile of an outstanding artist connected with the city

Time: 10 minutes

Wawel Hill with Castle

The Wawel Royal Castle together with the Wawel Hill is one of the most important historical and cultural sites in Poland. A centuries-old seat of kings and a symbol of Polish statehood, in 1930 the castle also became one of the most important museums in the country, housing a valuable collection of paintings, prints, sculptures, textiles, goldsmiths' wares, militaria, porcelain and furniture.

From spring to early autumn, visitors can descend into the Dragon's Den, climb to the highest levels of the Sandomierz Bastion, and embark on a guided outdoor tour to learn about the history of the Wawel Hill development and the reconstructed gardens. The museum also organizes temporary exhibitions and art shows.

Didactic justification: Introducing the history of the residence of Polish kings, the history of Wawel Castle over the years

Time: 45 minutes

Vistulan Boulevards

One of the most recognizable of the boulevards is the Boulevard czerwieński. It is at the foot of the Wawel Castle. Cyclical and occasional events are held there. Together with the Polesie Boulevard (located on the opposite side of the Vistula River) it is a stage or (depending on the year) an audience for the annual spectacle - Wianki and Parade of Dragons

Didactic justification: Emphasizing the multifunctional character of the city's green areas - here as hydrotechnical facilities and a venue for cultural events

Time: 10 minutes

Wawel Dragon

The Wawel Dragon is a creature that lived in a cave under the Wawel Hill - it was supposed to terrorize the inhabitants of Krakow. They had to provide the beast with sacrifices of cattle. None of the knights managed to defeat him - only the shoemaker Skuba did it. He stuffed a ram with sulfur and put it in front of the dragon's den. The hungry monster devoured the ram and in this way fell into the trap set by Skuba. The sulfur made him feel a great pain and burning in his throat. To quench his thirst, he drank the Vistula water - until he burst. There was great joy in the town, and the heroic shoemaker was handsomely rewarded. The statue standing by the river at the foot of Wawel, at the entrance to the Dragon's Den, commemorates the defeat of the dragon.

Didactic justification: Bringing the legend about the dragon of Wawel closer - legends as a part of the town's heritage

Time: 15 minutes

Dżok Monument

The story of Dżok is considered by some to be one of Krakow's legends. It tells the story of a dog whose owner, in tragic circumstances, died of a heart attack near the Grunwaldzkie traffic circle. In the following months the dog waited there faithfully for its master, fed by the inhabitants of Krakow. After about a year of waiting, he allowed himself to be taken in by his new owner. He became a symbol of dog-human friendship.

Didactic justification: An example of a contemporary legend, highlighting the human-dog relationship

Time: 10 minutes