Poland - Eastern Europe - page 427

Slawkowska 17. & 012/422-76-01. Lunch and dinner items 6 zl-15 zl ($2-$5/£1.60-£2.70). No credit cards.
Mon-Fri 11am-8pm; Sat-Sun noon-8pm.
Cafes
Jama Michalika CAFE In the early decades of the 20th century, this was the
epicenter of all things cool and a major meeting point for the M l oda Polska crowd.
Alas, those days are gone, and now it's largely given over to tourists. The incredible Art
Nouveau interior and the evocative period paintings on the wall are definitely worth
poking your nose in for a look. Beware the unfriendly cloakroom attendants (coat and
hat check mandatory). You may have to wrestle a waiter to the ground to take your
order.
Floria^ska 45. & 012/422-15-61. Lunch and dinner items 12 zl-27 zl ($4-$9/£2.20-£5). AE, DC, MC, V. Daily
9am-midnight.
Noworolski CAFE Lovingly restored Art Nouveau interior recalls Kraków's
elegant past. The perfect spot for a leisurely coffee and cake.
Rynek Glówny 1. & 012/422-47-71. Lunch and dinner items 12 zl-27 zl ($4-$9/£2.20-£5). AE, DC, MC, V. Daily
9am-midnight.
EXPLORING KRAKÓW
A sensible plan for sightseeing in Kraków is to divide the city into three basic areas:
the Old Town, including the Rynek G l ówny; the Wawel Castle compound (with its
many rooms and museums); and “Jewish” Kraków, including the former Jewish quar-
ter of Kazimierz and the wartime Jewish ghetto of Podgórze farther south. Ideally,
leave a day devoted to each. If you're pressed for time, you could conceivably link the
Old Town and Wawel in 1 day, while leaving Kazimierz for the next.
EXPLORING THE OLD TOWN
Kraków's Old Town is a pedestrian's paradise. It's hard to imagine a more attractive
town core. It's a powerful argument for historical preservation and the value of vital
urban spaces. The Rynek G l ówny by all accounts is a remarkable public space. Mea-
suring some 200m (600 ft.) square and ringed around by stately buildings, it creates
a natural arena for public performances of all stripes.
The most striking building on the square is the beautiful Gothic cathedral of St.
Mary's —its uneven towers evoking for Poles the very essence of the city. Be sure to
stop here at some point precisely on the hour to hear a lone trumpeter play his plain-
tive wail from the open window of the highest tower. As you listen to him play, you'll
hear the last note cut off in midblow. That's intentional and meant to recall the assault
on the city by the Tartars in the 13th century. Legend has it that as the trumpeter at
the time was calling the city's residents to arms, a Tartar marksman caught the trum-
peter with an arrow right through his throat. (I admit I'm a little skeptical of this story,
too. Judging from the height and size of the window, that Tartar must have been an
excellent shot!)
At the center of the square is the Cloth Hall, the Sukiennice, which dates from the
14th century and served as the stalls of the town's original merchants. The original
Cloth Hall burned down in the 16th century, and what you see today is a mostly
Renaissance building, with neo-Gothic flourishes added in the 19th century. Today,
it's still filled with marketers, hawking (mostly) cheap Polish souvenirs to the throngs
of visitors. Just near the Cloth Hall stands the enormous Town Hall Tower. It's the