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Cracow's Historical Centre, Poland
Author: Kudak (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
The Cracow's Historic Centre is one of the World Heritage Sites of Poland. Covering 150 hectares, it was inscribed in 1978, with minor modificated to it in 2010. This old town precinct is one of the most famous old districts in Poland. Its significance stems from it being the center of Polish political life for over five hundred years, from 1038 until 1596, when the royal court was relocated to Warsaw.
The Cracow Historic Centre or Old Town is known in Polish as Stare Miasto It is located at the foot of the Royal Wawel Castle. Among the significant features of the area is the medieval buildings from the 13th century. You can see beautiful houses, palaces and churches. Right at the heart of it all is Rynek Główny, the biggest market square in Europe. Other buildings of interest include the St. Mary's Basilica, Church of St. Wojciech, Church of St. Barbara and other heritage buildings.
Main square of Cracow, Poland
Author: Diether (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
The grandeur of Cracow's Historic Centre is further enhanced by the Royal Road that runs through it. This is the path taken by Polish kings enroute to their coronation. It starts at St. Florian's Church, passies the Barbican of Kraków, enters the old district via the Florian Gate, through Floriańska Street to the Main Square, then on to Wawel, the royal castle where the coronation takes place.
The Cracow Historic Centre dates back to the 13th century. Its places were drawn up in 1257, when the city had to rebuild itself after destruction brought on by the Tatar invasion of 1241. Even as the city was under reconstruction, it faced another invasion in 1259.
The Old Town of Cracow was once surrounded by a fortified wall that measured 3 km (1.9 mi) in length. It had 46 towers and seven main entrances. However, much of these were pulled down during the 19th century. Its moat was also filled up. Today the area where the moat once was is simply open space, called Planty Park.
Planty Park in Cracow, Poland
Author: Iwona Grabska (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
World Heritage Site Inscription Details
Cracow's Historic Centre was inscribed as a World Heritage Site during the 2nd session of the World Heritage Committee in Washington, D.C., USA, on 5 - 8 September, 1978.Location: N50 4 0.012 E19 57 34.992
Inscription Year: 1978
Type: Cultural
Inscription Criteria: IV
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