Took a trip to Krakow, Poland in April 09 and thought i would share some of the experience in an attempt to make a photo blog!

First stop after dropping our bags at the hotel was to go to the market square aka Rynek Glowny which is where you will find the stunning St. Mary’s Basilica which was built during the 14th- 16th centuries. 

I wish i had some pictures of the interior, it is full of stunning stained glass windows and an amazing alter with a gothic design,  however i felt it was intrusive to take pictures whilst people were there to pray. 

The Town Hall Tower can also been seen in the Rynek Glowny.

Wawel Castle can be found next to the Vistula River which is the longest river in Poland.  At one time Wawel Castle was the offical residence of the President of Poland, however following World War II it was declared a national museum.

The Wawel Castle dragon can also be found in the castle grounds known by the name of Smok Wawelski.  Legend has it that a young girl would have to be sacraficed each month to the dragon until a poor cobber's apprentice named Skuba Dratewka accepted the challenge of killing the dragon in exchange for the Kings daughters hand in marriage.  The statue of the dragon breathes fire every 5 mins......to the great delight of the children who visit.

I couldn’t go to Poland without visiting the concentration camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau.  I  don’t need to explain these pictures but what i will say is that visiting these camps was one of the most humbling things i have ever experienced.  There are no words i can use to describe it but i know i will never forget it.

The Jewish district of Krakow is Kazimierz, at the time of the German invasion in 1939 almost all of the city’s 60,000 Jews lived here.  In 1941 the Jewis population was moved into the ghetto, this is a picture of the last remaining section of the ghetto wall.  By the time Krakow was liberated only 2,000 Krakow Jews were still alive.

Ghetto Heroes Square is filled with 70 bronze chairs representing the furniture left lying in the streets after the ghetto residents were rounded up for the final time in 1943.

Schindler’s factory can also be found in this area of Krakow and has recently been undergoing a renevation due to re-open in September this year as a museum.

Krakow was a fantastic city to visit in only wish i had more time there to see all it has to offer!