Krakow has turned out to be my second home here in Poland. I’ve visited this area very frequently and have probably been there over a dozen times since my arrival nearly two years ago. My work really keeps me busy in this area. Two of the buildings that I take care of are very old. Parts of the building were originally built in the 15th century. Modern times have brought modern requirements. However, the need to maintain the original infrastructure is sometimes a daunting task and an enormous amount of bureaucratic red tape.
I generally travel between Krakow and Warsaw on the ICC train system. This is actually a very comfortable way to travel. Although the trains are often behind schedule. Sometimes it is easy to understand why and other times it’s a complete mystery. It is not uncommon for the trains to be behind schedule by 10-20 minutes. These trains can originate from the northern coast of Poland and will operate between these cities all day long. However, “all-in-all” is an easy and affordable way to travel around the county. I have used these trains to get to about ten other destinations around the country. This is much easier and cheaper than driving. The long-distance trains have some amenities, such as food and drinks on board.
Krakow has a mythological dragon that seems to be the mascot of the city. There is a statue of the “Wawel (pronounced “vavel”) Dragon” is situated on the bank of the “Wistuala” river adjacent to the castle. Legend states that this Dragon terrified the local population by destroying their homes and devouring the daughters of the local families. The King offered a reward that included the hand of his daughter to whoever could slay this dragon. A local farmer took up the challenge and stuffed a lamb full of sulfur and left it outside the entrance to its lair. The Dragon devoured the lamb. The sulfur caused the dragon to have an insatiable thirst for water. It then drank so much water from the river that it exploded. King Krakus then wed his daughter Wanda to the farmer, Skuba. This is one of the many tales of the Dragon of Krakow. Occasionally you can see fire spewing from its mouth. This is an attraction of the area. Although I didn’t know this until recently, the fire is set on a timer of about a 5-minute interval. There is also an SMS method that can be used to activate the fire breath up to every 15 seconds. Evidently, the city gets at least 2,500 SMS messages daily. I’m going to try this SMS next time I’m there.
Krakow also has a very dark past that most people are aware of. This is the location of some of the most notorious war crimes committed in modern times. Auschwitz and Birkenau are probably the two most infamous death camps in the area. These are tours that are well worth your time. Auschwitz is very sobering. Many of the buildings are still standing and have become part of the museum tour. The part that really tugged at my heart was the stockpiles of human hair, eyeglasses, shoes, and other articles that were there on display. This really gave me the reality of human loss in these areas, more than anywhere else that I have visited. I didn’t have the same feeling at Birkenau. However, the main entrance was well documented in several movies and documentaries. This part of the death camp system was very large and covered a lot of areas. There are only a few buildings that have either survived or been restored. Most were the barracks that the inhabitants were forced to live in if they weren’t selected upon arrival to be gassed in the gas chambers only a short distance from the train stop. The remnants of these gas chambers are still visible. A walking tour guide can point these out. There is also an abundance of signs in the area to give everyone information about the history of this area. One of the more disturbing areas is the mass grave or the disposal site of the ashes.
There are daily tours to these locations from probably every tourist information location in Krakow. It is very easy to get there. Do plan for a trip that will take 6-8 hours. I brought food and water with me and was glad that I did that.
Most people have heard about the Jewish Ghetto in Krakow. There are several walking tours that take about 2 hours to complete. I took one of these and was impressed with the tour guide. Her English was pretty good, and she seemed to be knowledgeable about the areas around the Jewish Quarter. She showed us some very good restaurants, interesting sites, historical buildings, and interesting architecture. There was one location not too far from the infamous “Schindler’s Factory” where a monument that has about 40 empty brass chairs in an open park near a bus terminal. It is referred to as the “empty chairs of Krakow.” Evidently, the Jewish families were allowed to bring one thing of comfort with them as they were being moved around and they often choose a chair. However, when the Jewish Ghetto was being “liquidated” the families brought these chairs with them but couldn’t bring them any farther. When the incident was over the only reminder was many abandoned chairs were left on the site where the families were loaded into the vehicles to be transported to any one of the numerous death camps in the vicinity.