Twin city Krakow (Poland)
History and profile of the twin city
Krakow was first mentioned in 965/66 as a trading centre and a bishopric was founded here in the year 1000.
It was granted town rights in the year 1257 and was the capital of Poland from the 11th to the end of the 14th century.
From the 14th to the 18th century, the coronations of the Polish kings were held in Krakow and it was also the place where they were laid to rest.
During the division of Poland from 1795 to 1918, Krakow was in the Austrian part of Poland.
Today, Krakow is a major traffic junction and an industrial centre with steel industry, metal-processing, engineering, electronics, chemical, textile, leather and food industry, cement and wood production, construction companies and publishers.
The arts and university city can also refer to a substantial tourism trade as an important economic factor.
92,000 students are enrolled at the university, technical colleges and academies. The city has an observatory, museums and libraries, numerous galleries, several theatres, an opera and musical house and a concert hall for the philharmonic orchestra.
The main sights include Wawel Hill with the former royal residence and a gothic cathedral.
Besides numerous other sights, the Cloth Halls by the market square and the tower of the town hall as well as the gothic St. Mary’s Church with an altar by the famous German artist Veit Stoss are worth pointing out.
Facts and Figures
- Third largest city of Poland and capital of the region Little Poland
- Population: approx. 740,000 inhabitants
- Twin city since 1973 (renewed 1995)