ul. Wielopole 15

***After years of neighbours and community representatives futilely advocating for the closure of this legendary clubbing complex (and city authorities ignoring the issue), the dilapidated party tenement at Wielopole 15 finally orchestrated its own shut-down on the morning of November 6th, when the stairs of the over-crowded building collapsed, resulting in hospital visits for 11 party-goers and the evacuation of 2000 more. Serious injury was avoided, however the incident may represent the death knell of one of Kraków’s most famous nightlife destinations. City authorities (to their small credit) had in fact issued an order to close the building earlier, however it was not enforced due to an appeal from the owner. At the moment, all four of the clubs in the building are closed, and their future is in question. Read on to get a sense of the outlandish escapades you may have missed (and/or potential accidents you may have avoided) from our original text on this famous clubbing locale.***

Less than a 10 minute walk from Kraków’s market square, from the outside ul. Wielopole 15 (D-4) looks like a dirty, dingy, dilapidated tenement, when actually...well, that’s exactly what it is, albeit with hundreds of people herding themselves in and out every weekend. One of Kraków's most legendary late night destinations, four separate clubs sling shots inside the sloppy confines of this three-story fumbling free-for-all. As none employ strict face-checks or entry fees, it's easy to stagger from venue to venue (though you can't take your drink with you) - creating a never-ending house party throughout the building from 20:00 to 6:00 in the morning every uninhibited night of the week (and until 8:00 on weekends).

On the ground floor you’ll encounter New Kitsch – the newly christened extension of the uber-popular top floor club, Kitsch. Open Thursday to Saturday only, New Kitsch is taking aim at becoming the proper gay club that homophobic dimwits have been mistaking the original Kitsch for since it opened. So far this brave endeavour has come out guns blazing, hosting drag shows every Saturday night, starting at 22:00 with the queen’s arrival at 23:30.

Upstairs, however, is where this madhouse has really made a name for itself; ascend and you'll find two of Kraków's more unique clubs: Caryca and Łubu-Dubu. Formerly a low(er)-key hipster hangout, Caryca has upgraded with a louder, more inescapable sound-system and larger dance floor to build a solid reputation amongst audiophiles for having some of the best, boundary-pushing DJ sets in town. Open Friday and Saturday only, music varies from electro to reggae to hardcore techno, depending on the order of the evening. Across the hall is Łubu-Dubu, a communist-themed disco playing old school dance hits like ABBA and MJ. Strewn with second-hand furnishings, red tide relics and spilt beer, Łubu is a contagious, fun-loving venue filled with students, holiday-makers and mirthy mavens letting their hair down and picking their feet up.

Should Łubu close its doors on you (sometime around 6 in the morning), you can bet your final złoty that upstairs Kitsch won't keep you out. The city's foremost meat-market, Kitsch is often referred to as a gay bar by track-suited locals - perhaps the only social group the club doesn't smile upon. A friendly, colourful, fur-fringed disco with a massive dance-floor full of foreigners on the prowl and dressed-down, sex-up students who'll make out with almost anything (including the mirror), Kitsch is a sticky-floored, shameless, shambling sex-pit, the likes of which you're not likely to forget. A swarming dance-floor with brass poles provides Pole-on-pole action while pop hits that cater to the club's name keep the crowd gyrating. While Kitsch and Łubu-Dubu are owned separately, they share one thing in common: quite possibly the most offensive toilets your five senses have ever had the misfortune of encountering (Caryca is not much better). Though the neighbours have been trying in vain to shut this obnoxious, structurally unstable hedonist haven down for almost the last decade, Wielopole 15 continues to be the most popular party in town; a visit to which any adventurous pleasure-seeker is obliged to make.