As an organization that sends thousands of students abroad each year, CEA has captured a list of local secrets - a collection of discoveries from our students, resident staff, as well as other locals - that make this city unique. We hope you will find the information helpful and, at the every least, an interesting read.
Bugler King
Every hour on the hour, a bugle is played from the top of St. Mary's Church tower. The "Hejnal Mariacki” has continued almost without interruption for some seven hundred years and has been transmitted by Polish Radio at noon, every day, since 1927. In the past, the bugle player announced the opening and closing of the city gateways. If you listen closely you will notice that the tune seems to stop suddenly in mid note. This is in keeping with the legend, when the bugler was struck down as he sounded the alarm to warn inhabitants of the Tartar invasion in 1297.
Blast from the Past
Step back in time and immerse yourself in pre-war Kazimierz. Situated in the middle of ancient Szeroka square, Restaurant Alef has managed to recreate the feeling of days gone by, through original pre-war décor, turn-of-the-century antiques, and carefully selected Jewish klezmer music. Stephen Spielberg frequented this café during the making of "Schindler's List". Sample some great Jewish cuisine then explore the nearby Remuh Synagogue and Cemetery, both founded in 1553. This area is oozing with history.
City of Music
Krakow's Main Square, Rynek Główny, is the largest in medieval Europe and is still very much the heart of the city. It is lined with coffee shops, so there is no shortage of places to settle down with a coffee and a newspaper and watch the world go by. With a multitude of street musicians to entertain you, the area resounds with music of every kind. We’re not talking out-of –tune acoustic guitar and ropey Nirvana covers - this is the real thing. Highly talented musicians will entertain you with a variety of instruments including violins, flutes, harps, tubas and glockenspiels. You will enjoy performances from barber shop quartets, string ensembles and even one-man bands!
Dunajec (Danube) Raft Trip
A breath-taking raft ride on the river Dunajec is without doubt one of the must-do activities of a summer in Kraków and the best way to see The Pieniny National Park, located in the northeastern part of the High Tatras. The two hour ride passes through beautiful, sometimes rugged, territory beneath steep limestone cliffs as high as 1.200 feet above the river. Experienced boatmen will lead you down the river on traditional wooden rafts. They will serenade you with traditional songs and teach you the history and traditions of this area of great natural beauty.
Wadowice – Birthplace of Jean-Paul II
Wadowice, a small town of 20,000 inhabitants located 30 miles southwest of Kraków, is the birthplace of Pope John Paul II. Born in 1920 as Karol Wojtylła, the future Pontiff lived in Wadowice untill 1938 when he moved to Krakow to study at Jagiellonian University, living at 10 Tyniecka Street, just across from the Grunwaldzki bridge. In Wadowice, known as "Miasto Papieskiw" - Pope Town, you can visit the church where Jean Paul was baptized and the apartment at 7 Koscielna Street, where he lived with his parents and brother, which has now been turned into a museum. There are photographs of his family, and robes tracing his progression from alter boy to Pope, as well as a wide selection of his personal belongings including skis, a rucksack, a cap, a prayer book, etc.
Food, Glorious Food
There are three main meals in Poland: the morning sniadanie (breakfast), the afternoon obiad (dinner), and the evening kolacja (supper). In between they may be supplemented with a lighter drugie sniadanie (second breakfast) and a podwieczorek (tea). You will have plenty of opportunities to sample some of Poland’s best-known dishes:
- Barszcz czerwony: hot beetroot soup, sometimes with dumplings, a hard boiled egg or beans
- Bigos: seasoned sauerkraut stew with various kinds of meat and sausagel
- Gołąbki: cabbage parcels stuffed with mushrooms
- Kotlet schabowy: breaded pork cutlet
- Wątróbki drobiowe: chicken liver with mushrooms
- Pierogi: dumplings filled with meat, cheese, mushrooms or strawberries
- Sernik - cheese cake
