The first day in Kraków was rather damp, although this fortunately still provided opportunity for some rather atmospheric shots. I can’t help but notice however the stark contrast between the photography I did in Berlin with that I did in Kraków – evidently the latter was less experimental. Is this a bad thing? I don’t know, I felt that the overall quality in photography in comparison to Berlin was lacking to an extent, and I don’t know whether that was fatigue or just a change in mood. Regarding architectural photography, the thing I found the hardest was capturing the rather magnificent, and plentiful, basilicas dotted about old Kraków and its environs. Often I resorted to highly angled shots, or the one or two places where I could, a long distance shot.
With that being said, it turns out that I arrived in Kraków for Poland’s Constitution Day, and thus along with being a tad damp, there were plenty of flags around along with the main tourist areas being pretty much deserted in the morning. This allowed me to have a wander around the old town relatively unhindered, heading towards the Stare Miasto to see the Bazylika Mariacka and the massive plaza upon which it borders. I also stumbled upon the medieval college courtyard of the Jagiellonian University, whose botanic gardens I would visit at the end of the trip. Old Kraków itself was developed according to the Magdeburg Law of town development (information courtesy of an old friend), and has quite a regular grid to it, but still allows for irregular moments – especially when churches/basilicas enter the fray.
From the old town, I walked South over the Vistula towards the Cricoteka, which was built entirely for Tadeusz Kantor – a significant character and lead member of the Kraków Group of artists formed in the mid-20th Century. From here I followed the spires to St Joseph’s Church before making my way to the MOCAK – Museum for Contemporary Art in Kraków, where I learnt about the aforementioned Kraków Group, and was introduced to some hitherto unknown Polish artists who have since taken my fancy; namely Kazimierz Mikulski, Daniel Mróz, Jerzy Tchórzewski as well as a few more whose names I stupidly forgot to make a note of… Afterwards I walked back along the Vistula towards the Forum Przestrzenie, hopefully getting some rather striking shots of the approach to the area.
On the Thursday visited the Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau Museums. If anyone has the inclination to visit the museums in their lifetime, I strongly encourage you to do so. Even if you don’t, I would ask that you reconsider.
That afternoon, back in Kraków, I walked over to the Wawel Royal Castle, which ended up being another classic case of “how do you photograph a cathedral?”. I didn’t manage to pop in to either the castle or the cathedral this time around – perhaps something for a return trip one day. It was also at this point that I had completely forgotten about a certain rather famous ecclesiastical character who hailed from Kraków – the late Pope John Paul II, whose statue is within the castle grounds.
B/W photograph of Forum Przestrzenie taken from opposite bank of the Vistula. Taken with a Sony RX100.V
B/W Photograph taken at the Jagiellonian Botanic Gardens. Taken with a Sony RX100.V
I was utterly shattered on the final day, and also having forgotten to pack suncream (original forecast was for it to be cloudy all week), my forehead actually hurt when uncovered for too long. Fortunately, I had packed a hoodie.
I started by walking over to the Jagiellonian Botanic Gardens, having some fun with shadows along the way. After, per an old friend’s advice, I hopped on the tram to Nowa Huta, although didn’t get too far from the central plaza which was amusingly named after Ronald Reagan. Had a lovely lunch in the Kazimierz district, and then headed back into the old town, getting another chance to photograph the area in clear-ish skies. That evening I rounded off the trip by walking along the Vistula bank once more, and then watching the sunset from the old royal castle.
The morning of the final day was spent riding the trams and walking around one of Kraków’s parks, before visiting the archeological museum in the centre of the old town. If you’ve ever visited somewhere like Jorvik or Vindalanda, then I’d thoroughly recommend it.
Sunset over Kraków from the Wawel Royal Castle. Taken with a Sony RX100.V