Kraków, Poland - Intercultural City
Photo: Jan Graczinski
Krakow is a city with a rich cultural heritage and significant historical values. It owes these attributes both to its native residents (born in Krakow) and to visitors from other parts of the country and abroad. However, apart from its outstanding and unique individuals, Krakow has always attracted ordinary immigrants who brought diverse cultural influences to the city's fabric and at the same time contributed to its socio-economic development. As a result, Krakow -despite the tragic events of the Second World War -preserved its traditions of a multicultural city whose history is related to the stay of Jews, Germans and Armenians. The multicultural heritage of the city translates into its tourist appeal, thanks to which Krakow is annually visited by millions of foreigners.
Kraków is a city with a thousand-year-old history. The former seat of the Polish kings and the capital of the country nowadays Kraków is an important European metropolis.
Kraków’s Old Town is a unique treasury of works of art, historical monuments and historic buildings, representing almost all architectural styles, from the Middle Ages to the present day. For hundreds of years, the Main Market Square has remained the heart of the city. It is the largest town square of medieval Europe, preserved in unchanged form since 1257 and included in the first list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites already in 1978. Additionally, the Cloth Hall – the medieval market hall located in the middle of the Market Square – is one of the most recognizable Polish monuments.
Apart from the monuments of the Old Town, Kazimierz district, which is an example of a centuries-long coexistence of Christian and Jewish culture, filled with Jewish monuments of global importance, continues to amaze. It is a district of antique and work of art markets, of cozy cafes, restaurants and pubs where live music can be enjoyed.
In recent years, the city has seen the emergence of many new communities, with the largest increase in numbers being from Ukraine, Belarus, and from South Asia.
Kraków is also a city which devotes particular importance to higher education, with 23 institutions and the second oldest institution of higher education in Central Europe – the Jagiellonian University.
Approximately 160.000 students contribute to making Kraków’s life diverse and dynamic.
The city is also home to over 200 international corporations employing almost 80,000 staff in the IT, services, research and development, business analytics and finance sectors.
The city is also very much engaged in sustainable development and deploys smart management strategies thanks to the energy and creativity of its citizens.
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