Heart of Poland

Krakow (Polish Kraków [krakuf]), the full official name is the Metropolitan Royal City of Krakow (Polish Stołeczne Królewskie Miasto Kraków, the Latvian town of Cracovia, German Krakau) is a town in Poland located on the Vistula River. The population of 761,069 inhabitants (2016), together with the nearest suburbs - about 1.2 million. The second largest city in Poland after Warsaw, slightly ahead of Lodz. The administrative center of the Małopolska Voivodeship.

The capital of Poland from 1038 to 1596, until 1734 - the place of the coronation of Polish kings. Rich in historical monuments, the city center is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. One of the largest scientific, cultural and economic centers of Poland, a popular tourist destination.

The European Capital of Culture in 2000.

The old city greeted us cordially, despite the cloudy sky and light autumn rain. While we were making our way to the center, to our hotel, there were traffic jams, but they are far from Moscow traffic jams. And so we already took the hotel and went for a walk.

By the way, opposite the door to our hotel was this car. In my opinion, this is a chic model of the flowerbed and recycling.

The city is very old and beautiful. Everybody breathes old! The smoked houses, gray and gloomy, created a sense of immersion in the darkness of history.

But the fact that the city has survived to this day we can thank the spy group "Golos" and the troops of the First Ukrainian Front. Soviet soldiers saved Krakow from destruction.

Now, however, a lot of information on the Internet, that there were no exploits and that no one was going to blow up Krakow. But I think all these re-assessments of history are games for the sake of the current political battles.

In general, Poland is a wonderful country with a rich history. And, given imperial ambitions, Poland and Russia are political competitors. And yet, the differences in religion, although we all grew up from one Slavic "sandbox" - all this, perhaps, makes us, if not enemies, then not very friendly people. Although, very sorry.

I talked with ordinary Poles in Krakow. They are very friendly and nice people. Although, they said that in society there is a small Russophobia.

And this story with vodka! You remember that for a long time there is competition, a struggle for the right to own a trademark, the very word "vodka".

To date, our historians have obtained evidence that the birthplace of vodka is Russia. The Poles disagree. In general, the word "vodka" itself gives Polish. I will not insist on any opinion. I do not care.

By the way, I learned something else about Poland during that trip to Krakow. For example, it was interesting in a cafe. I ordered borsch. Not even borscht, but a borsch. I was expecting a delicious soup with meat, the kind that has been used since childhood. And he was very surprised when a mug with some red liquid was placed on the table in front of me. This was the borscht. Beet broth.

Some more about food. On the streets of Krakow, I met tents with different sausages and sausages. They were immediately cooked on the grill. In addition, there was potato and corn, peppers. In general, all the delicious.

In Cracow, at the first time I ate a soup in bread! It was delicious. The soup was served directly in a loaf of bread. Moreover, it was soft, only with a crust.

Krakow is very rich in architectural sights. Only one market square is worth.

Nearby is the handsome cathedral of the Mariatic Church or the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is especially interesting that the towers of different sizes. The height of the larger one is 82 masters.

And about Wawel - this is a special architectural ensemble on the hill, which includes the royal castle and the cathedral of Saints Stanislaus and Vaclav, I will tell you another time. The fact is that this story is connected with Leonardo da Vinci and requires preparation.

In the meantime, a few photos from Krakow.

And, interestingly, when you come back from a trip, it suddenly turns out that you did not see the most important thing, and did not look! So with Krakow. It is necessary to go there once again, because there is just a storehouse of interesting things, what you need to see!