- This former capital city was named for King Krak.

It is known for its exquisite architecture, it's UNESCO Old Town, a mighty castle, Copernicus, and a cute little dragon.

Today we're getting curious about Krakow, Poland.

(bright upbeat music) (bright upbeat music continues) "Curious Traveler" is made possible by the following.

(peaceful piano music) (bright music) (bright piano music) Formed along the Vistula River during ancient times, Krakow became an intellectual and cultural center of Europe throughout the Middle Ages and the modern era.

It suffered greatly during World War II, of course, but today it is a thriving city with beauty, curiosities, folklore, tradition, and secrets around every corner.

So come along and get curious about the unique city of Krakow.

(bright upbeat music) So, here's what I'm curious about in Krakow.

Who built this castle on the hill?

And who lives under it?

What is a Lajkonik?

No, seriously, what is this?

Where can you find an underground chapel?

I mean really, really, really underground?

Why is there a statue of Copernicus here?

And an even bigger one here?

When did a Pope attend this medieval university?

And how has the same tune been playing from this church for 600 years?

(peaceful trumpet music) Who, what, where, why, when, and how?

So much to be curious about in Krakow.

(bright music) Krakow is the second largest city in Poland and was once the capital of Poland for hundreds of years before it was moved to Warsaw.

The name Krakow comes from the legendary King Krakus, who, the story goes founded the city in 700 AD.

(bright piano music) Over its history, Krakow of course, has suffered greatly.

Through the 13th century Mongol invasions, the 17th century Swedish wars, the 18th century partitions, and the most horrific, the 20th century Nazi invasion, occupation, and concentration camps of World War II.

(bright piano music continues) After all that tragedy and turmoil, Krakow is now looking back to its royal, cultural, religious and intellectual past for its identity.

And it is that history that we explore in this episode.

(bright piano music continues) (upbeat music) Kings were crowned here.

Kings are buried here.

An important moment for the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth happened here, and the golden age of Polish culture was celebrated here.

The history of Wawel castle, Wawel Cathedral, all here on ancient Wawel Hill tells the history of Poland itself.

The history of Krakow begins here at Wawel Hill.

It is said that Wawel Hill is to Krakow what the Acropolis is to ancient Athens.

Of course, legend says that ancient King Krakus, and his dragon, were the first royals to live here.

But we do know for sure that up until 1609 this is where the Polish royal families lived through three dynasties of power.

The architecture has changed significantly over that time, so today's complex includes Romanesque, Gothic, and Italian Renaissance styles.

(bright music) In the 10th century, King Mieszko I Christianizes Poland and beautiful Wawel Cathedral is then built in the 11th century.

(bright music continues) This is where the Polish kings were coronated, and where in 1386 Queen Jadwiga of Poland marries Lithuanian Grand Duke Jagiello, which marks the beginnings of the huge and historic Polish-Lithuanian Union.

(bright music continues) And this is where Pope John Paul II gives his very first public Mass.

(bright music continues) And Wawel Hill overlooks the Old Town, which is still somewhat encircled by its medieval walls.

At one point, these thick walls stretched around the city for two miles, with 39 towers and eight gates.

(upbeat music) And in the center of Old Town is Krakow's main market square, still in its original shape that was laid out in the year 1257, and framed by elegant townhouses and palaces.

Over the centuries, this is where life happened in Krakow, from the commerce of the market stalls and the 13th century Cloth Hall, to its government symbolized by the 14th century Town Hall, and its two lions guarding it, to a symbol of Krakow's history of cultural and intellectual heritage, with its national poet, Adam Mickiewicz forever standing proudly in the center of the square, to its religious history represented by the elegant St. Mary's Basilica.

(upbeat music continues) To learn more about the history of Old Town, we climbed to the top of the Cloth Hall to chat with local guide Jerzy Korta.

- In the first half of the 13th century, the former town, in fact, part of the wooden houses was burned by Mongols, invaded Europe a few times in the 13th century.

After that event, Duke rebuilt a town in the present shape.

When the Duke built the town about 800 years ago, the size and shape of the square and grid of streets around the square, they were not changed for centuries.

Still the same.

- Didn't change at all?

- Yes.

- And those Mongol invasions also explain a curious tune played from high above in St. Mary's Basilica.

(peaceful trumpet music) We can hear the trumpet player right now.

- Yes.

- Tell us the legend of the trumpet player.

Why do we hear that every hour?

- Doing one Mongol invasion- - Yeah?

- A guard who saw enemies try to warn citizens and he began to play the melody.

But the Tatar warrior shot him.

An arrow pierced guard's throat, the melody was stopped.

And to commemorate that fact, every full hour the melody is played still in the same shape.

It is suddenly interrupted.

(peaceful trumpet music continues) - Yeah, it's understandable how an arrow through one's neck might make one stop mid-tune.

And because that brave guard and trumpeter managed to still save the town, arrow in neck and all, to this day the trumpeters call is played every hour, on the hour here in the square.

(peaceful trumpet music continues) Next, just a few steps away from the church is a beautiful palace all decked out in yellow.

(peaceful piano music) This is the Krzysztofory Palace, built in the mid-17th century for a Polish nobleman named Adam Kazanowski who was pals with the king.

And as it usually happens, that friendship contributed to Kazanowski's wealth.

In fact, at one point it was said that he "Was the wealthiest nobleman in the entire country."

So it is no surprise that his palace is so lavish.

(peaceful piano music continues) But what might come as a surprise is the palace's name.

(peaceful piano music continues) Krzysztofory Palace is named for St. Krzysztof, or St. Christopher, because St. Christopher is the patron saint of tenement houses.

Yep, before this was a lavish palace in the 14th and 15th centuries, this was tenement housing.

Today the palace is part of the historical museums of Krakow, along with other buildings in the city.

The palace's collection, as you can see, specializes in fine arts, sculpture, and treasured pieces of Krakow and Polish history.

(peaceful music) One of the most culturally important collections has its own UNESCO status.

It incorporates the major landmarks of the city, Christmas and a whole lot of color.

Have you ever seen an nativity scene that looks like this?

Well, this is Krakow's, bigger, better, more colorful version of the nativity scene called the szopka.

And as you can tell, it looks a bit more like a castle than a manger.

But we do have a scene of the baby Jesus in His crib in the center, which I'll show you in just a minute.

This particular nativity scene, of course, incorporates all the different beautiful architectural elements and landmarks throughout the city.

The tradition began back in the 19th century with masons, who would make small versions to sell as souvenirs and then giant versions like this size to sell for a bit more money.

So this particular one is a more modern-day one, and it is from an annual competition, held around Christmas time of course, for everybody to participate in to see who can make the best one.

So right there at the top we have our little trumpeteer from St. Mary's Church.

A little bit further down we can see those beautiful stained glass windows that you can find throughout the churches here in Krakow.

Down a little bit further there is what we would consider the more traditional nativity scene of the manger with baby Jesus in His crib.

And then a little further down from there we have the beautiful golden lions that you can find in front of Town Hall Tower.

And last but not least, because it's Krakow, right down there at the bottom, we of course have our very legendary Wawel Dragon.

(dragon growling) (bright music) Next, we go from traditional Krakow crafts to the traditional Krakow folk costume.

(bright music continues) For women, the traditional costume included these beautiful embroidered vests, a kerchief for married women, or a flower garland for unmarried women or little girls.

And my favorite part of the costume, these wonderful bright red silk tassels.

(bright music continues) For the men, here's an overcoat called a sukmana, some fabulously striped trousers, and the even more fabulous krakuska cap, all decked out in ribbons and topped with a peacock feather, a symbol of vitality.

(bright music continues) And this regional Krakow costume became the national costume of Poland because of its curious history and because of a Polish hero named Thaddeus Kosciuszko.

(suspenseful musical notes) Kosciuszko was a military leader and engineer, and a pretty cool guy.

Because before he became a Polish legend, he helped out Americans in the American Revolution.

As a field commander and an engineer, most notably in the Battle of Saratoga.

After the success of the American Revolution, he came back to Poland and becomes commander-in-chief and leads the 1794 Kosciuszko Uprising, which was a brave insurrection against foreign rule by Russia and Prussia.

But what does all of that have to do with this costume?

Well, this is what the Krakow peasants wore during that uprising.

And as a symbol of solidarity, Kosciuszko wears it too.

And because Kosciuszko was so brave and such a great leader, this becomes the national costume of Poland.

(bright music) Next, there's one more costume I want to show you, which also has its origins in an important battle in Krakow.

But it is from a completely different time period.

And its wearer was certainly not a Polish hero.

(quizzical music) There are so many beautiful works of art and fascinating exhibits here at the museum, but this one is my favorite.

Come on in here.

It's a little bit of a cramped space, but I'd like you to meet my very colorful friend, the Lajkonik.

Oh yes, you will see him here at the museum and also throughout the city.

Isn't he a beautiful work of art?

He's got a horse with feathers on the top of his head and beautiful beads on his cone hat and a very colorful outfit.

And of course, as you might imagine, here in Krakow, this guy has a legend associated with him.

So back in the 13th century there were some townspeople working along the Vistula River, and then off in the distance they could see their arch-enemies, the Tatars, getting ready to invade the city.

But instead, those townspeople had a plan.

They went out to their arch-enemies, stole their beautiful costumes and their horses, defeated them and then rode triumphantly back into town.

And so that is why today the Lajkonik is a symbol of the city.

(quizzical music continues) In fact, the Lajkonik is such a symbol of the city, you will see it everywhere, from sidewalks to the bakeries, to train seats and Krakow proudly hosts a iconic festival every year.

(quizzical music continues) Next, we leave the legends behind for a little while and delve deep into Krakow's rich cultural and intellectual heritage.

(peaceful music) Poland's golden age peaked in the Renaissance when everything from art to science, to the economy was thriving.

Part of the reason for this success can be found in Jagiellonian University, considered to be the most prestigious in all of Poland.

It dates back to 1364 when King Casimir the Great founds Krakow Academy.

After his death, Queen Jadwiga and King Jagiello expand the school, and in later years it is renamed Jagiellonian University in their honor.

This is the original building, Collegium Maius, which is Latin for Great College.

And joining us is Jagiellonian University Professor, Andre Mania.

- Generally, it is the oldest part of the university.

In the 14th century, part of this building were built, by the way, both by the king, and then partition of other building were added.

And it was and still is part of university.

In this medieval time, professor used to live over here, students used to live over here, and sometime in the location outside of this central building.

- And one of those students, an 18 year old named Nicolaus Copernicus, enrolls here in 1491 as a liberal art student.

Copernicus, of course, was the first scientist to propose a heliocentric theory that the Earth and all the planets orbit around the Sun.

A copy of his original manuscript called "On Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres," is safely stored here at Jagiellonian University.

His groundbreaking work went on to influence Galileo and Isaac Newton and changed the way we view the universe.

And he is considered as one of the founders of modern science.

But before all that, it's kind of fun to remember that he was just a regular student here, maybe making new friends, learning new subjects, and having lunch in a Renaissance cafeteria.

No, there aren't any records of his report cards, but we can safely bet that his grades were pretty good.

(bright music) And Copernicus isn't the only famous graduate of Jagiellonian University.

Future kings, world leaders, Nobel Prize winners, and a very important church leader all graduated from the university, including Pope John Paul II, who earned a doctorate in sacred theology in 1953.

And then came back in 1987 for an honorary degree ceremony which was held right here at Collegium Maius.

I believe you were sitting here when the Pope was up here.

- Yes - Tell me that story.

- That was really- - That's amazing.

- Moving moment, the Pope was getting the honorary degree on the main hall, and then he come over here and we standing in a huge crowd over here.

And it just, it was applause, by the way, what was important that it was honorary degree for the Pope which was proposed by all faculties.

I think that nobody was thinking about some sophisticated idea concerning theological aspect.

He was Pope, and to some degree, I have to add, we treated as our Pope.

- Absolutely.

Absolutely.

- Maybe he is a world feature, but for us, let us have a moment of joy because- - And pride.

- Holy Pope, or join pride, that was perfect board, okay.

- Yeah.

- I really remember it very well.

- And this Polish Pope, as he was known, who made his country so very proud, has another incredible accomplishment connected to Jagiellonian University that you may not know about.

For that story, we meet with Assistant Professor of History, Kamil Ruszata, who tells the important yet tragic history of what happened here in World War II.

- 6th of November, 1939, the professors of Jagiellonian University and also another universities in Krakow were gathered in this building in room 5056.

And officially, the decision for calling all of professors to this building was just to discuss the issue about re-establishing the education in the time of the occupation.

Because that was the time of the Nazi time and the Nazi regime.

As a matter of fact, the professors were just imprisoned and sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp.

Some of them died and some of them after some, let's say diplomatic issue, or also some pushing from the Western intellectual society were released but quite big group of them died.

That was the part of the intelligence action, it was the deliberately plan to eradicate the Polish culture, to kill the Polish professor.

So the same what happened here in Krakow, and simultaneously happened also in the University of Lviv, Lemberg, nowadays in Ukraine.

- This tragic history has become part of the fabric of the university.

A horrific chapter never to be forgotten.

This is the plaque that honors those victims.

(melancholic music) But the will to preserve Polish culture, identity, and academia persevered through an underground university of sorts during the German occupation, with the idea of preparing students for a future Poland, free of Nazi Germany.

This underground university had a few professors and about 800 Polish students.

One of those students was the future Pope John Paul II.

(melancholic music continues) Next, we travel a few miles outside of Krakow to one of the Pope's favorite pilgrimage sites.

It is a very special church, especially if you like pretzels.

This is the beautiful Chapel of St. Kinga.

It is equal parts massive and magical.

At more than 100 feet long, 60 feet wide, and 60 feet high, with those lovely little chandeliers illuminating this sacred space.

Over those 70 years, only three different people did all the beautiful carvings and the sculptures that you see today.

Those sculptures and carvings tell different Bible stories and also different periods of Jesus' life, including the Last Supper on this wall.

Way down at the altar, of course, we see the Virgin Mary.

Now, if you're interested, you can come to service every Sunday at 7:30.

And there was something else I wanted to tell you that made this chapel unique.

What was it?

Oh yeah, it's made completely out of salt.

Because right now we're inside a salt mine more than 300 feet underground.

Yep, that's right.

This is the Wieliczka Salt Mine, one of the first landmarks in the world to be given a UNESCO status.

And it is also a national historic monument of Poland.

(bright music) (bell rings) And while this level is about 300 feet underground, the deepest section is about 1,000 feet underground, with a labyrinth of nine levels, 150 miles, an entire underground lake and hundreds of chambers like these, the salt mine is so big that visitors can only visit 2% of it, and that usually takes about three hours.

(bright music continues) The mine was built more than 700 years ago to extract rock salt.

The salt was so valuable that it was called white gold.

Over the centuries, the thousands of miners and workers needed places to worship, so they carved out multiple chapels like this one, the Chapel of St. Kinga.

(bright music continues) The chapel is named for Saint Kinga, the patron saint of salt miners.

(bright music continues) And the reason she's the patron saint is a complicated one, so listen up.

The legend of St. Kinga goes like this.

Kinga was a princess of Hungary and engaged to the Prince of Krakow.

Because she was a lovely and generous princess, for her dowry she wished for a salt mine so that Poland could become wealthy.

So she throws her engagement ring down into a Hungarian salt mine, then travels over to Krakow, has her servants dig, and they dig up a chunk of salt, opened it up and found her ring.

Thus her wish was fulfilled and the profitable salt mine was formed here in Poland.

Got all that?

Now let's look at the detail of the sculptures.

Here you can see the Last Supper, the nativity scene, and other Bible stories.

Just look at the details on the faces.

It is hard to believe that this is made completely out of salt.

And these were all carved by the miners, not hired artists, which makes the artwork all the more special.

(bright music continues) But as exquisite and enormous as the St. Kinga Chapel is, there are several other chapels way down here, including this precious one dedicated to St. Anthony.

This is the earliest chapel built here in the mine back in the 1600s.

Miners would pray here every day before their shifts.

(bright music continues) And then there's one more special chamber, dedicated not to a heavenly saint, but to a very important person who studied the heavens.

(bright music continues) So as we know, Krakow is incredibly proud of their adopted son, Copernicus.

because Copernicus went to university in Krakow.

But what does that have to do with this 15 foot tall statue made completely of salt here, more than 200 feet underground?

Well, apparently when Copernicus wasn't sitting around figuring out that the planets revolve around the Sun and not the Earth, you can see him holding the Sun up there.

One day in 1493, he decided to go on a little field trip.

And do you wanna guess where he went?

Right here to the salt mines.

And he was and is still considered to be the very first tourist here.

Or as I like to call him, the very first "Curious Traveler."

(bright upbeat music) All right, time to come back up for some fresh air.

Our final stop takes us back to where we began, back to Krakow's Old Town.

Because it appears that someone or something has escaped from under Wawel Castle.

If you are here in Krakow at the right time of year you might see a giant dragon floating around the Old Town.

Why in the world is he here?

Well, it is all because of the weird and wonderful legend of the Wawel Dragon.

So here's how the story goes.

Underneath Wawel Castle, the legend says a dragon lived there for centuries and every once in a while, he would come out and terrorize the townsfolk, and unfortunately eat one of them every once in a while until one day a young cobbler had an idea.

He took a dead sheep, stuffed it with sulfur, I told you the story was weird, fed it to the dragon and then the dragon exploded, and the townspeople cheered.

And now, once a year, Krakow holds a Dragon Festival, full of balloons, parades, and most importantly, fireworks at night that represent that exploding dragon.

Don't you love it?

A fierce, fire-breathing, man-eating dragon, today embraced as a family-friendly festival, complete with balloons and cute little fuzzy versions of this treasured legend.

(bright upbeat music) So, from an ancient hilltop, which holds up the royal and religious origins of a city, to a tumultuous battle with Mongols, which created legends about arrows and trumpets, (peaceful trumpet music) and horses and jingly hats, (cymbals ringing) to a palace named for a saint, which today holds the unique treasures of Christmas.

A Polish hero forever intertwined with a folk costume, to one of the finest universities of Europe, good enough for a Pope and a scientist who changed a worldview, to a salty but sweet underground labyrinth of chambers, chandeliers, saints, chapels, and that scientist again, to finally, a high flying fantastical beast who surely is too cute to have meant any harm, Krakow has so much to be curious about.

(bright upbeat music continues) Thank you for joining us on our educational journey.

And hopefully now you're even more curious about the who, what, where, why, when, and how's of curious Krakow.

As they say here, do widzenia.

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