Cracow, Lesser Cracow, Lesser Poland & TatryPoland & Tatry

By Agata Cieplik,

Natalia Naklicka

& Monika Zegadło

                                                                                 

Lesser PolandLesser Poland

Little Poland is one of the historical regions of Poland. It forms the southernmost part of the country.

Lesser Poland lies in the upper confluence of the Vistula river and covers a large upland, including the Holy Cross Mountains.

CracowCracow

CracowCracow

Cracow is one of the oldest and largest cities of Poland. This historic city is situated on the Vistula (Wisła) River at the foot of Wawel Hill in the south of Little Poland. It is the capital of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship.

Cracow has traditionally been one of the leading scientific, cultural and artistic centres of the country, the former seat of the Polish kings and national capital, and is considered by many to still be the heart of Poland, due to its history of more than a thousand years. Cracow is also a major centre of local and international tourism, attracting seven million visitors per year.

Cracow’s Flag

History of CracowHistory of Cracow

The earliest known settlement on the present site of Cracow was established on Vavel Hill, and dates back to the 4th century. Before the Polish state existed, Cracow was the capital of the tribe of Vistulans, subjugated for a short period by Great Moravia. Cracow's first appearance in historical records dates back to the 8th century, and notes that the prince of the Vistulians was baptized. The first mention of the name dates to 966.

MonumentsMonuments

There are many monuments in Cracow. Most of them are on the UNESCO list.

-St. Mary’s Church

- St. Andrew’s Church

-Vavel Hill

-Barbican

-Cloth Hall

- Jagiellonian UniversitySt. Andrew’s Church

University

Monument to Nicolaus

Copernicus next to the Jagiellonian

University's Collegium Novum (New College) in

Kraków.

Front of the University

Jagiellonian Jagiellonian UniversityUniversity

Vavel Hill The Zygmunt’s ChapelVavel Cathedra

Vavel Dragon

VavelVavel

Gothic Altarpiece by Veit StossExterior of the BasilicaInterior of the Basilica

St. Mary’s ChurchSt. Mary’s Church

Cloth HallCloth Hall

Cloth Hall in Cracow

BarbicanBarbican

Barbican in Cracow

ZakopaneZakopane

Zakopane is a town in southern Poland with approximately 28,000 inhabitants (2004), situated in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999 (it was previously in Nowy Sącz Voivodeship from 1975-1998). The town, called the Winter capital of Poland, lies in the southern part of the Podhale region at the feet of the Tatra Mountains, which is the only alpine mountain range in the Carpathians.

Zakopane - Gubałówka Hill Funicular entranceZakopane - view from Gubałówka Hill over Zakopane Zakopane - Gubałówka Hill Funicular

Zakopane

Krupówki Street

ZakopaneZakopane

WieliczkaWieliczka

Wieliczka is a town in southern Poland in the Kraków metropolitan area, and situated in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, previously in Kraków Voivodeship. The town was founded in 1290 by Duke Premislas II of Poland.

Located under the town of Wieliczka is one of the world's oldest operating salt mines, which has been worked since prehistoric times.

Bottom of Kunegunda's Shaft.Da Vinci's The Last Supper, sculpted into the rock salt.

Wieliczka Hall

Wieliczka

WieliczkaWieliczka

Auschwitz-BirkenauAuschwitz-BirkenauAuschwitz, Konzentrationslager Auschwitz-Birkenau, KL Auschwitz, Nazi German Concentration Camp of Auschwitz was the largest of the Nazi German extermination camps, along with a number of concentration camps, comprising three main camps and 40 to 50 sub-camps. Auschwitz is the German name for the nearby town of Oświęcim, situated about 60 kilometers west of Kraków in southern Poland. Beginning in 1940, Nazi Germany built several concentration camps and an extermination camp in the area, which at the time was under German occupation. Gate to Auschwitz

Railway tracks to Auschwitz-BirkeunauAuschwitz - indoorThe Pope Benedykt XVI in Auschwitz

Auschwitz-BirkenauAuschwitz-Birkenau

Holy Cross Holy Cross MountainsMountains

Świętokrzyskie Mountains (sometimes also known as the Holy Cross Mountains, Góry Świętokrzyskie ) are a mountain range in central Poland, in the vicinity of the city of Kielce. In general they consist of several separate ranges, the highest of which is Łysogóry. The highest peaks are Łysica at 612 metres and Łysa Góra at 593 metres. Together with the Jura Krakowsko-Częstochowska they form a region called the Lesser Poland Uplands (Wyżyna Małopolska).

Tatra Mountains Tatra Mountains

The Tatra mountains, Tatras or Tatra (in Polish and Slovak Tatry), constitute a mountain range on the border of Poland and Slovakia, and are the highest section of the Carpathian Mountains. The major part, and all the highest peaks, of the range are situated in Slovakia; the largest mountain lakes can be found in Poland. The highest Tatra peak, at 2655 m, is the Gerlachovský štít,, located in Slovakia. Rysy, at 2499 m, is the highest Polish peak (on the Polish-Slovak border).

Mountain streamMorskie Oko (Sea Eye)

Cross on the Giewont MountainTatra Mountain in winter time

Tatra MountainsTatra Mountains