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Post by Jaga on Mar 17, 2020 6:11:52 GMT -7
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Post by pieter on Mar 17, 2020 8:00:16 GMT -7
Jaga, The square reminds me very much of the Stary Rynek (Old Market Square) in Poznań. lookcam.com/poznan-old-market/The 13th-century Rynek square in Kraków, with the Gothic St. Mary’s Basilica and Sukiennice, the Renaissance-era market hall is probably bigger, but to me it has a similar atmosphere as the Stary Rynek in Poznań. Cheers, Pieter |
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Post by Jaga on Mar 18, 2020 22:51:56 GMT -7
Pieter, yeah... but Krakow square is really large and famous. More than any other square in Europe, maybe in the exception of Venice.
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Post by pieter on Mar 19, 2020 6:03:18 GMT -7
Jaga,
I told you that it reminded me of Stary Rynek in Poznań, but that it is a different square, probably larger and maybe older? That is just a personal experience. I remember some Polish elements and Polishness of both cities since Poles live there, but the difference is that Kraków is more Polish in my opinion, because Poznań is heavenly influenced by Prussian architecture and thus it's Posen time when Poznań was 'Prussian'.
Kraków was the home of the Wiślanie tribe (Vistulans), who occupied Małopolska (Little Poland) until the 10th century. From 988 to 990 Mieszko I, prince of Poland, united the southern and northern territories to form a powerful kingdom, and his son, Bolesław I (the Brave), later made Kraków the seat of a Polish bishopric. The city expanded rapidly as a trade centre, becoming the capital of one of Poland’s major principalities in 1138. It was devastated by Tatar invasions during the 13th century but was quickly rebuilt, receiving “Magdeburg rights,” which consisted of a municipal constitution, in 1257.
When King Władysław I (the Short) reunited Poland, he made Kraków his capital in 1320, after which the kings of Poland were traditionally crowned in Wawel Castle and entombed in Wawel Cathedral. Throughout the 14th century Kraków served as Poland’s economic and political centre and as a major trading point between England and Hungary. Concurrently, it grew into the nation’s intellectual and cultural locus, as evidenced by one of its main surviving medieval structures, the Jagiellonian University. Founded as the Academy of Kraków by Casimir III (the Great) in 1364, the university gained prestige throughout the centuries, drawing scientists, artists, and scholars from across the continent; it is the second oldest university in central Europe.
Thousands of historic buildings and sites dot the city. Most prominent are the many churches, including St. Mary’s Church (Kościół Mariacki), the main section of which dates from 1497. It contains a stained-glass window from 1370 and a magnificent altar (1477–89) by Veit Stoss (Wit Stosz). Wawel Cathedral houses several ornate chapels and burial chambers, along with a collection of ecclesiastical art. Originally constructed in the early 11th century, the cathedral was rebuilt in 1142 and 1364, and it was renovated in 1712 in its current Gothic style. Two defensive fortifications remain from medieval times, a legacy of the city’s perpetual struggle against invaders. The Barbican, a circular bastion with brick walls that are 10 feet (3 metres) thick, was built in the 15th century adjacent to the other remaining structure, the 13th-century Florian Gate. The city’s Jewish quarter, in the district of Kazimierz, contains Remu’h Cemetery, which includes numerous well-preserved tombstones from the 16th century. Cloth Hall is a fine example of Renaissance architecture.
Cheers,
Pieter
Source: Britannica
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Post by Jaga on Mar 22, 2020 23:01:53 GMT -7
Pieter,
Krakow is more Polish but it is also German, since St. Mary church was build in German Gothic and it contains wooden altardone by a famous artist who did the same artwork in Nurnberg.
Krakow's market is divided in half by the cloth hall, so it looks smaller, since only a part of it is usually showed, since it is so big. Recently the museum of the excavations from the previous layers of Krakow's market was opened, quite interesting.
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Post by pieter on Mar 23, 2020 5:35:23 GMT -7
Jaga,
I love both cities, but have more experience with Poznań, since there my grandparents, uncles, aunts and (female) cousins lived. I didn't know that the St. Mary church was build in German Gothic and it contains wooden altardone by a famous artist who did the same artwork in Nurnberg. I have learned something today. When I was in Kraków in April 2004, of course my Dutch art teachers (I was an old student, because I graduated in 1995) of course didn't knew that story. We didn't had a Polish guide, but the Polish art students knew some great real Polish (non-Tourist) restaurants (wooden style) and night clubs. Soe we had a great time. Kazimierz was really a student area with student bars, student theatres and student night clubs. There I went out in that fantastic New Wave Night club with a lot of beautiful Gothic girls and normal Polish blonds and brunettes.
That night I will never forget, because it was a great mix of Dutch, Polish and German students together with the Kraków Poles. Rynek Główny, Planty, Wawel Castle, Wawel Cathedral and the shores of the Vistula river were very romantic to us North-West Europeans. It was spring and we saw a lot of Polish couples in love sitting and walking along the path on the shore of the Vistula. Some girls even with flowers in their hair. The Germans and Dutch amongst us (me too) looked at that lovely scenes with some melancholy, amazement and sentiment, because we don't see that old fashionate kind of romanticism in the Netherlands and Germany, where people are individualistic, hasty (fast) and anonymous in public. Only in large city parks you sometimes see scenes like that, but there in Kraków, there were dozens or hundreds of them along the Vistula in the sun in the wonderful green grass, with the blue sky and the colours of the Vistula in the background. My German friend Ivonne took images of that with her photo camera and my Dutch Kurd friend Pakize filmed it with her camera.
During that week in April 2004 I put Kraków in my heart. For some reason Kraków is party of my Art Academy ( www.artez.nl/en/course/fine-art/admission ) art touring car bus weeks triology, Prague (1994), Budapest (1995) and Kraków (2004). Three Central European cities, three Art academies and 3 cultural and Fine Art (Contemporary art and ancient art) weeks. These were part of my art study years (1990-1995) and my Dutch Art study triology of cities Amsterdam, The Hague and Arnhem. Eventhough the Art Week triology (Prague/Budapest and Kraków) took place in my Arnhem years, they are connected to Amsterdam and The Hague too. Because in these first 2 Dutch and Holland (North-Holland and South-Holland) cities my art study, art history study and my cultural life really started. That hasn't ended, eventhough I am a local journalist now. The Warsaw, Poznań, Kraków, Budapest, Prague, Vienna and Berlin Central-Euroepan experience and connection is ingrained in me. I felt great in Warsaw, Poznań, Kraków, Budapest and Prague. Maybe that is that Central-European element in me, maybe that is the Polish side (50%) in me. Even though that is neglected and maybe not well maintained, it is a vital part of me. One side is feeling at home and the other side is an alien, is a visitor and outsider. But that is not a bad thing, that is good for creativity, that is the observers point of view. Of a writer, poet, painter, traveller. I was realistic about that. I felt connected to Poland, but in the samen time was an outsider, a Dutchman, a Westerner. Language is crucial to a culture.
We, that group of young Dutch and German students and ex-students (like me and my friends) were amazed about the Poles, how they lived, how cheerful they were, how polite people were in public transport. Young people standing up for elder people, men standing up for women. It reminded me of my Polish grandfather Jozef Kotowicz in Poznań during the seventies. Jozef was a real gentleman, the old fashionate type of a gentleman. Kraków really has that atmosphere of an academic university student city, similar to my English summercourse experience in Oxford (Yorkshire, United Kingdom) in 1989. Similar to the university cities Leiden, Groningen, Utrecht and Amsterdam in the Netherlands. I saw the law, medicine, economist, maths, Slavinc languages, Germanic studies, art history, history, antropology, theologym philosophy, political science, physics, chemistry, literature and Ancient studies (Latin and Old Greek) students walking between the Facolulty buildings of the Uniwersytet Jagielloński. These Uniwersytet Jagielloński buildings had these typical international university architecture you see in Oxford, Camebridge and Harvard as well. That Uniwersytet Jagielloński has a huge influence in and on the city of Kraków. Without Uniwersytet Jagielloński Kraków would be a different city. Next to Uniwersytet Jagielloński you have the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Arts, the Cracow School of Art and Fashion Design, the WSEI College of Economics and Computer Science Krakow (founded in 2000), the Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University (also founded in 2000), the Cracow University of Technology and the Cracow University of Economics (CUE), the largest school of economics in Poland, and the third biggest university in Cracow.
Cheers,
Pieter
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Post by pieter on Mar 23, 2020 14:09:18 GMT -7
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Post by pieter on Mar 23, 2020 14:12:15 GMT -7
Kraków to me seems a vibrant city. It probably already was in your time Jaga.
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