Poland surprised us; we spent two days in both Warsaw and Kraków, and found both to be way more modern than we initially thought. Both cities, although lacking a proper skyline, are very colorful yet very different. Both centers are very walkable, and therefore best explored on foot.
Warsaw
The skyline of Warsaw was dominated by another Stalin cake (there is one in Riga, too), but otherwise the city is quite colorful. We started our walking tour in the picturesque Castle Square. The vastness of the square, in combination with the colorful houses and old city wall was a nice introduction to the beauty this city has to offer.
From the square, we walked through the courtyard of the castle. The castle interestingly is composed of three different building styles due to a disagreement between its builders. From there, we walked to a small residential area where The Wishing Bell is located. Legend has it that if you walk around the bell clockwise while holding on to it, all your wishes will be granted. At the same location you can also see the smallest facade in Warsaw. When looking at the house, it appears to be incredibly narrow, however, the back of the house is huge. Building your house this way was quite smart as back in the day houses were taxed based on the size of the facade.
From this point we moved to the Market Square, lined with restaurants and cafés. However, it is the armed mermaid statue that dominates the square. The mermaid is the protector of Warsaw. In reality, the strategically built castle walls of Warsaw helped to protect the city against attacks.
On our way back to the Castle Square we passed the birthplace of Marie Curie; a world-renowned physicist awarded with two Nobel Prizes in two different categories. We passed through the Jewish quarter, and former Warsaw Ghetto during the Second World War. Our final stop was a music-playing bench, dedicated to Polish pianist Frédéric Chopin.
Another highlight of Warsaw is Polish’ biggest park: Łazienki Park. During summer, it hosts a variety of events like the Chopin Summer Concerts, or Midsummer’s Eve. We did not have time to attend any of these events, as the following day we took a four-hour bus to the second biggest city and former capital: Kraków.
Kraków
Kraków feels quite different then Warsaw, however, it’s also quite a beautiful city, with Planty Park running along the outer parts of the old city. Unlike Warsaw, which was completely bombed during Nazi occupation, Kraków remained in tact, as Germans fled the city before the Soviet Army even invaded. We started our walking tour next to the old St. Florian’s Gate.
This area is the only area in Kraków where you can still see the old city walls. Back in the 19th century, the city walls were actually ordered to be taken down, but legend goes that this idea was abandoned after concerns that tearing down the wall would have incoming winds cause a Marylyn Monroe effect on the women of the city attending mass.
From the gates, we made our way to the vast Main Square, where you can see the two uneven towers of St. Mary’s Basilica. Each hour, you can see a trumpeter playing part of the Polish national anthem from one of the towers. The story behind the uneven towers is interesting: two brothers competed against each other to build each tower, and as one of the brothers finished his building much faster, the other brother killed him with a knife out of jealousy. However, he regretted his action so much that, before completing his own tower, he jumped off committing suicide.
From the Main Square we walked towards the Wawel Royal Castle, passing the former residency of Pope John Paul II, where the much beloved pope often had conversations with the people through his bedroom window. After a bit of an uphill walk, we passed the entry to the castle complex. The first thing you can see is the Tadeusz Kościuszko Monument, honoring Poland’s national hero. A fun fact: the highest mountain in Australia is Mount Kościuszko, named this way as the first climber to reach the top was Polish, and dedicated the mountain to Kościuszko.
Continuing up we passed Wawel Cathedral, which of course has a legend of its own. You can see “dragon bones” hanging from the cathedral doors, which once belonged to the local dragon. According to the legend, if the bones were to ever be removed, the world would end. We quickly moved on to the castle’s central courtyard, our last stop on the walking tour, before heading back to the Main Square to wander around beautiful Kraków a bit more.
