Facts & stories
Fires at Wawel — when the royal residence suffered most
Fires at Wawel: 1305, 1499, 1536, 1595 and 1702 — what burned, the Sendivogius legend and the worst disaster in the castle’s history, caused by Swedish soldiers’ fires.
Facts & stories
Facts and stories about Kraków — history, legends and little-known details about the city and its people.
20 articles
Facts & stories
The curse of Casimir IV Jagiellon — what happened after the Wawel tomb was opened
The curse of Casimir IV Jagiellon: the 1973 opening of the royal tomb at Wawel, a series of sudden deaths and the Aspergillus flavus hypothesis.
Facts & stories
Piwnica pod Baranami — the most famous artists of Kraków’s legendary cabaret
Piwnica pod Baranami since 1956: Skrzynecki, Demarczyk, Wodecki, Grechuta, Turnau, Awdiejew and its composers — plus the 70th anniversary in 2026.
Facts & stories
The Wawel chakra — where it is and where the power-stone legend comes from
The Wawel chakra: where tourists look for the “power stone”, where the legend comes from (1935, “Lotos”) and why the Royal Castle asks visitors not to touch the wall.
Facts & stories
Famous Cracovians — the biggest names linked with Kraków
Famous people from Kraków: artists, actors, musicians, scientists and athletes born in the city, plus its honorary citizens — from Matejko to Szymborska.
Facts & stories
Famous young people from Kraków — influencers and musicians linked to the city
Influencers and musicians linked to Kraków: Friz and Ekipa, the Genzie group, Bletka, Viki Gabor and Kukon — young creators shaping the city’s culture today.
Facts & stories
The Mongol invasions of Kraków — 1241, 1260, 1287 and the city’s Tatar legends
The Tatar invasions of Kraków: the burning of the city in 1241, its capture in 1260 and the successful defence of 1287 — plus the hejnał, the Lajkonik and the Maiden Rocks.
Facts & stories
Prądnik bread — Kraków’s giant loaf: history and where to buy it
Prądnik bread: a 4.5 or 14 kg rye-sourdough loaf, EU-protected since 2011. Its history since 1421, how to recognise it and where to buy it in Kraków.
Facts & stories
Mayors of Kraków — chronological list and the longest-serving
Mayors of Kraków since 1989 — a chronological list from Salwa to Gibała, Majchrowski’s record, the 2026 referendum and the history of the office since 1792.
Facts & stories
Where does the name Kraków come from? And other Krakóws around the world
The origin of the name Kraków: the oldest records, “Krak’s town” and Kadłubek’s ravens — plus places with similar names, from Czech Krakov to Krakow in the USA.
Facts & stories
What is Kraków’s altitude? The city’s highest and lowest points
Kraków lies between 188 and 383 m above sea level. Where are the city’s highest and lowest points, how high are Wawel and the Old Town, and is Kleparz higher than Podgórze?
Facts & stories
The coats of arms in Kraków’s Cloth Hall — and other Cloth Hall facts
The coats of arms in Kraków’s Cloth Hall: when they appeared, what changed in 1948 and how many there are — plus Cloth Hall history and fun facts.
Facts & stories
The Lajkonik — Kraków’s legendary rider, its history and procession
The Lajkonik, a symbol of Kraków: the legend of the raftsmen and the Tatars, the real history of the custom, the procession route (2027: 3 June) and Wyspiański’s costume.
Facts & stories
Kraków of alchemists and witches — an occult history trail
Old Kraków as a centre of the occult sciences: the chair of astrology, the alchemist Michael Sendivogius, Twardowski legends and a trail from Collegium Maius to the Twardowski Rocks.
Facts & stories
Kraków dialect — “na pole”, “idźże” and other local words
The Kraków dialect in a nutshell: “na pole” instead of “na dwór”, “idźże, bajoku!”, obwarzanek, sznycel, piszinger and words from a Kraków home.
Facts & stories
St Mary’s Basilica in Kraków — secrets and fun facts you didn’t know
St Mary’s Basilica fun facts: the collapsed vault, the sermon dispute, the Chapel of the Condemned, the kuna, mismatched towers, the hejnał legend and the altarpiece’s war story.
Places to visit
Kraków in the footsteps of Jan Matejko — 10 places for a walk
Kraków in the footsteps of Jan Matejko: the Academy of Fine Arts, his house on Floriańska Street, St Mary’s polychrome, paintings in the Cloth Hall and his tomb.
Facts & stories
Books set in Kraków — from Wyspiański’s „The Wedding” to crime novels
Books set in Kraków: school classics, crime fiction and historical novels, „Kraków pub realism” and literary attractions of the UNESCO City of Literature.
Facts & stories
Why does a knife hang in Kraków’s Cloth Hall? Legend and history
The knife in Kraków’s Cloth Hall: where to find it, the legend of the two brothers who built St Mary’s towers and what historians say about punishing thieves.
Facts & stories
The Esterka Mound — why did it disappear from the map of Kraków?
The Esterka Mound in Łobzów: the legend of Casimir the Great’s beloved, the 1786 excavation and why the mound vanished from the map of Kraków.