“Expansive Rynek Glowny, one of Europe’s largest town squares, is also perhaps its most animated. Minstrels and mimes entertain passing crowds, outdoor florists display brilliantly colored seasonal flowers, women sell bright-yellow corn on the cob or giant pretzels studded with poppy or sesame seeds from carts. The medieval square buzzes with activity, with mostly young people gathered at the many open-air cafés set outside Renaissance and baroque townhouses lining the 4-hectare square or frolicking flirtatiously around the fountain. Then a trumpet sounds from the top of St. Mary’s Church’s taller tower –– a long, plaintive bugle call, terminated mid-note. The bugler playing on the hour is a tradition going back centuries here in Krakow.

Krakow is an old city with a young spirit. Founded in the seventh century, it was Poland’s capital until 1596 and has long been a cultural and scientific center. UNESCO named the magnificent old town a World Heritage Site in 1976….”

Krakow Day,  by Garry Marchant, photos by David Sanger, in Japan Airlines Skyward, September 2009.

(more images of Krakow)

Tagged as: Editorial, europe, magazine, poland, skyward, Travel