Circling through Poland - with a bit of Germany thrown in.

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Around Krakow

Parts of the old city wall still exists and there is a lovely perimeter park that reminded us a bit of Muenster.





Krakow Barbican built around 1498 - "is one of only three such fortified outposts still surviving in Europe, and the best preserved."

Kraków Barbican - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

A very new addition to the city being built in 2010





A nearby building





Juliusz Słowacki Theatre. Erected in 1893.





St. Florian's Gate (Brama Floriańska) built in the 14th century

St. Florian's Gate - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[OZDUCK]

More around the Old Town area







Jagiellonian University and Museum,. The oldest in Poland it was founded in 1364 and established in Krakow in 1400.

Uniwersytet Jagielloński – Wikipedia, wolna encyklopedia

pl.wikipedia.org

The gardens

 

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The date on the plaque, 1928, is bang in the Art Deco era.



It seems to say the building was built as a Savings Bank





The Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. Completed around 1619





My store



It was busy at night

 

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I have previously complained that some Polish cities didn't seem to make much use of their river frontage. Krakow certainly has put some effort in it river frontage.








There was a park bench near here that played a song by a Polish artist when you pushed a button. We though it would only play for 30 seconds or so but it went on for over 3 minutes.

An electric bus recharging in the middle of a busy street





The trams were mostly pretty modern



The seats are embroidered with Lajkonik said, amongst other claims, to celebrate the defeat of a Tatar invasion at the city walls.

Lajkonik - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

You can never go wrong ordering cakes and pastries in Poland. All of them seemed very nice



And we got our own Lajkonik

 

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Former Power Station





Kazimierz Town Hall. Built in 1414 but destroyed and rebuilt twice. This is in what was once the Jewish quarter.





Nearby is Schindler's List Passage. Used in the the famous film.







Images from the film





Well of St. Stanislaus in the grounds of the Monastery of St Paul



One of the older trams.

 

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You rarely came away from a Polish meal feeling hungry





A little hole-in-the wall Pierogi place







This road leads off from the Market Square. Obviously trams once ran through the Old Town but now it is mostly pedestrianised



Krakow train station is pretty labyrinthine. A large shopping centre and car park is attached. You can take the lifts from the platforms directly to the roof top car park. This is also where you can take a taxi or ride share.









I think that Krakow was the most 'beautiful' of the major cities we visited. It would certainly be pleasant to go back again.

 

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More around the Old Town area

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Jagiellonian University and Museum,. The oldest in Poland it was founded in 1364 and established in Krakow in 1400.

Uniwersytet Jagielloński – Wikipedia, wolna encyklopedia

pl.wikipedia.org

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The gardens

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Loving this Tr and the photos but love the water spout

 

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It was actually a pretty interesting train trip from Krakow to Wroclaw. For once it wasn't mostly flat rolling fields

Just before Katowice we passed by some remnants of a lost Industrial Plant. The Water Tower and Administration Building of the former "Uthemann" steelworks







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Just after Katowice we passed by a Steam Train lovers paradise. The remnants of a railyard with a water tower, part of a semi-circular Roundhouse and old engines and carriages





Roundhouse with the turntable in front and water tower at the back



Old rolling stock









Gliwice Harbour - on the Gliwice Canal which connects to the Oder River.


A couple of crossings of the canal





This was at the end of the station platform at Wroclaw. I can't remember the last time I saw one of these in the 'flesh'. The was another one a bit further away but it was rusted out.



Two in one video. You get a quick glimpse of the water outlet and an engine named after Jan Czochralski the man who invented the method for growing single crystals that is still used in the manufacture of 90% of all electronics that use semi-conductors.

Jan Czochralski: the forgotten hero of the silicon age

Today's silicon chips are all made using a technique invented by this scientist more than a century ago. But his life ended in ignominy and tragedy

edconway.substack.com