More features:

• Czesław Miłosz

  Czesław Miłosz (1911-2004) has come to be regarded as the finest Polish writer of the 20th century, his work influencing generations of natives and foreigners alike....

• Notable Local Alumni

  You could write a book on Kraków’s Jagiellonian University, and indeed a number of boffins have....

• May Days

  
  Spring ushers in the arrival of not only fair weather to Poland, but also the country’s ‘National Holiday Season’, which in addition to Easter offers two other dates to note down in the diary:First up is May 1st, otherwise known as Labour Day, and a direct leftover from the communist lurch....

• A Polish Easter

  
  Palm Sunday (01/04/2012) marks the official beginning of Poland’s Easter festivities – perhaps the country’s most sacred holiday....

• Szopki Krakowska

  One of Kraków’s most unique and singular Christmas  traditions is the popular creation of ‘szopki....

• Cracovian Cuisine, P-Z

  PierogiDoughy dumplings traditionally filled with potato (Ruskie), sweet cheese, meat, mushrooms and cabbage, strawberries or plums, though you will find plenty of maverick fillings like broccoli, chocolate or liver as the possibilities are truly limitless....

• The Obwarzanek

  Any culinary journey through Kraków is likely to start with the obwarzanek. A chewy dough ring sprinkled (usually extremely unevenly) with salt, poppy or sesame seeds, obwarzanki are sold from rolling carts on every other street corner in Kraków, and are so inescapable they’ve become an unofficial symbol of the city....

• Stained Glass in Kraków

  
  Stained glass enthusiasts will have an absolute field day in Kraków, which has many fine examples of the craft – arguably some of the best in Europe – thanks to a proliferation of ancient churches and being the home city of resident geniuses Stanisław Wyspiański and Józef Mehoffer....

• Juwenalia

  As you’re no doubt aware, in the last ten years Kraków has become a favoured destination for that most obnoxious of British exports, the Stag Party, thanks not only to low prices, great nightlife and gorgeous women, but also a silent indulgence and general ho-hum attitude towards outlandish public behaviour....

• Polish Vodka

  Proven masters of make-do with the potato as their primary resource, the Poles have been producing and drinking vodka since the early Middle Ages, distilling their skill into some of the best vodka blends available in the world, many of which date back centuries....

• Jagiellonian University

  It might be hard to believe but the young reprobates you see staggering out of Kraków’s student bars actually represent Poland’s educational elite....

• Beer Gardens

  Certainly there can be no more Cracovian activity than sitting in the sun in the late afternoon with a beer in your hand, recounting the events of the night before, making half-baked travel plans and dreaming up daft art projects you’ll never follow though with....

• Sonderaktion Krakau

  After the invasion of Poland, the Nazis set about culturally crippling the country by eliminating it’s intellectual elite....