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History and facts:

The city with a long history dating back to the 1st-4th centuries when in the place of present Cracow there were settlements of tenants engaged in e.g. trading and handicrafts. In the 9th century there was already a prince castle on the Wawel and in 11th century the city became the capital of Poland. Officially Cracow received its city charter in 1257. In 1364 King Kazimierz III the Great founded a university here (as second after Prague in Middle Europe), which was later called the Jagiellonian University. Cracow had its greatest heyday in the 15th, 16th and the first half of 17th centuries. Nowadays it is the capital of the Little Poland (Małopolska) Province, the third city in Poland in respect of number of inhabitants - nearly 750 000, an important cultural and scientific centre, and it plays more and more important role in tourism and service development. A big communication junction. It can be easily reached by air from the John Paul II International Airport Kraków-Balice, as well as by land thanks to rail and road connections: the crossroad of international roads no. 4 (E40 - the A4 highway) and no. 7 (E77).

Location:

It is picturesquely situated in so called Cracow Gateway, which separates Krakowsko-Częstochowska Upland from the Carpathian Foothills, in the Vistula valley. It is situated in the region which is full of green lands and because of its landscape it is admirable. In the parks (Jordan Park, the Planty Gardens, Twardowski Rocks, Bednarski's Park), gardens (botanic and zoological), neighbouring woodlands (the Wolski Forest with one of the Cracow mounds, in Józef Piłsudski's memorial, and many tourist routes), nature reserves (the Skałki Przegorzalskie and the castle in Przegorzały, the Skałki Panieńskie (Virgin Rocks), the Skałki Bielańskie) and landscape parks (the Bielańsko - Tyniecki Landscape Park with the Camaldolite monastery of Srebrna (Silver) Hill and the Benedictine Abbey in Tyniec, or the Dolinek Podkrakowskich Landscape Park) one can rest far away from the city noise, admire the nature and an unforgettable view, see unique rock forms, river valleys hidden among the trees and interesting plants.

The Ojcowski National Park, which is situated about 30 km from Cracow, is especially worth seeing. It is situated on jurajski limestone cliffs and it attracts wiyh its unique landscape which is varied with steep walls of canyons and different rock forms, outliers and caves (about 400). In its borders there is also a health resort - Swoszowice, which is famous for mineral water with curative characteristics. Close to the city there is a mysterious underground town made of salt: Wieliczka Salt Mine, inscribed on the UNESCO's World Heritage List in 1978.