Krakow Old town and Market Square

The main square (Polish:  Rynek Główny) of the Old Town dates back to the 13th century, and the largest of its kind I’ve ever seen with an area of 40,000 square meters. The center of the square is the Cloth Hall, home to the Gallery of the National Museum.  There were plenty of bars and restaurants provide outdoor seating and people-watching.  However, most of them do not open till noon.

The Square is also home of St. Mary’s Church, Renaissance Cloth Hall,  Town Hall Tower, Adam Mickiewicz Mickiewicz Monument and St Adalbert's church.  You can see them all in my photos.

Karakow Jewish Quarter and Ghetto Heroes Square

Today we visited a Jewish quarter then to Plac Bohaterow Getta square that had a number of chairs display.  These chairs were permanent fixtures, memorial to victims of the Krakow ghetto in the form of oversized bronze. With its 33 memorial chairs of iron and bronze. These chairs symbolize the tragedy of the Polish Jews/these people never came back. 

Visiting Wieliczka Salt Mine

Located in the town of Wieliczka in southern Poland not far away from Krako, this salt mine was once the town’s gold mine because it provided wealth for the owner an employment for the towns people. Today it was a museum. You go in by walking down the many stairs steps from the ground and you come back up in four stocked elevators (each holds 9 passengers). In the museum, you learn the process of salt mining and the properties of salt. Most impressive things are the lights and salt sculptures presented to you throughout the tour. We were told all of the sculptures were done by their own salt miners. 

 

Coming to Krakow

Here are few photos taken on the bus upon arriving Karkow Including stone statues from the C Dołek Memorial of Torn-Out Hearts.

Visiting Jasna Gora Monastery

Located in Czestochowa, Poland, this is places for spiritual pilgrimage and the image of the Black Madonna.  It was a busy Sunday with many locals attending services; a priest performing blessing people’s belongings; protests going on and tourist trying to watch and observing the services…   I did get a glimpse view of black Madonna inside the monastery while the service was going on.  This happen because there was a narrow passage in side allow visitors moving through on their knees!   There were also paintings and sculptures of Black Madonna outside throughout the monastery.