Krakow is a city with thousand-year tradition, the former seat of Polish kings and capital of Poland. Krakow Old Town is an unique treasure of works of art, historical monuments and objects representing almost all architectural styles from the Middle Ages to present day. The heart of the city is the Main Market Square – one of the largest city squares in the Medieval Europe, unchanged since 1257 yr. and inscribed on the first UNESCO World Heritage list in 1978. Every hour a bugle call is heard from the Tower of Saint Mary’s Basilica, played to 4 sides of the world. On the other hand in the middle of the square – the medieval Market Hall – is one of the most recognizable Polish monuments. The Wawel Royal Castle – the beginnings of the Polish rulers’ residence on the Wawel hill date back to the mid-11^th century.

Apart from monuments of the Old Town, the Kazimierz district is invariably intriguing – a place of centuries – old coexistence of two cultures – Christian and Jewish.

Nowa Huta district still surprises with its monumentality and unusual symmetry – the most interesting and complete implementation of the plan of architects of the socialist realism era.

In Kraków there are working 24 universities with 397 fields of study with first of all well-known Jagiellonian University, which is one of the oldest universities in Europe. Among others, Nicolaus Copernicus and Pope John Paul II studied here. The AGH University of Science and Technology is the only university in Poland that educates specialists in mining and metallurgy from the very beginning (1919 yr.). Now, at the AGH UST students can acquire knowledge and practical experience in many modern engineering fields as computer sciences, robotics, renewable energy sources and others The Jagiellonian University and AGH University of Science and Technology always rate as the best universities in Poland and are very well known in Europe and in the world. Graduates of these universities care for their good name.

Krakow is also a city teeming with cultural life, selected in 2000 year as the European Capital of Culture.

Wieliczka, the historical town, which history is closely related to the salt deposits and the mine, which has been operating over 700 years is located 15 km from Krakow. The Salt Mine in Wieliczka is a monument inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The mine is visited by near 1.3 million tourists annually. Organized tourist traffic has been going in the mine since the end of 18^th century. The Mine was visited by many famous people including F. Chopin, J.W. Goethe, I. Paderewski and Karol Wojtyła – the Pope John Paul II. Currently, the tourist route is over 2.5 km long and includes more than 20 chambers. A mining route was also lunched in previously unavailable recesses of the mine. A brine graduation tower was built on the surface, which similarly to the underground spa, is used by patients. In 1978, the mine was inscribed on the 1th UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List.

https://wawel.krakow.pl – WAWEL ROYAL CASTLE

https://www.wieliczka-saltmine.com/ - HISTORY OF THE MINE

http://www.krakow-info.com/ - KRAKOW’S KAZIMIERZ HISTORIC DISTRICT

https://culture.pl/en/article/nowa-huta-the-story-of-the-ideal-socialist-realist-city