Our first excursion in Poland took us by tram into the centre of Krakow, which until 1598 was the capital of Poland. Some of us spent longer on the tram than intended--the Polish street names confused one of the leaders.
The buildings that dominate the main square--the Church of St Mary’s with its two differently styled towers and the Cloth Hall in the centre--both originated in the 13th Century, when Krakow’s position on main trading routes to southern and central Europe made it very rich. We were there for the moment when a trumpeter plays a warning call from each of the four sides of the south tower to commemorate an attempt to seize the city by invading Tartars that was beaten off thanks to this alarm. Other attractions include the Bell Tower and nearby Francsican Church with its amazing Art Nouveau stained glass by Stefan Wyspianski.
For some the real attraction was the shops, with the Cloth Hall's long arcade of stalls selling all kinds of art and folk work from the region and around the square plenty of shops servicing those who need to have the latest branded items.
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