Communism Tram and Walking Tour in Krakow
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Communism Tram and Walking Tour in Krakow
/ Poland / Lesser Poland Voivodeship / Kraków County / Kraków / Tours & Activities /
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Communism Tram and Walking Tour in Krakow

4 h
By walk
Instant confirmation
About this activity
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Pass By: Cracow Tours, ul. Krupnicza 3, Krakow 31-123 Poland

Situated by the Vistula river, Krakow is the cradle of Polish culture anda characteristic urban phenomenon. It is the former capital of Poland, the place of coronation and later the burial ground of almost all Polish monarchs. For a long time it has been attracting scholars with the oldest university in the country, artists with the cultural climate and pilgrims with the sanctuaries and holy relics. Since the beginning, Kraków has also been enticing tourists with its atmosphere, monuments, and recently also the memory of Pope John Paul II.

The legendary founder of the city was Prince Krak, the vanquisher of the Wawel Dragon (the effigy of the beast stands at the foot of Wawel Hill). Remnants of the oldest history of the city have been preserved in two mounds dating from the 7th century called the Wanda and Krak mounds. The first historical information about Krakow is contained in a 10th-century note of Ibrahim ibn Jakub. In the book of Muhammad al-Idrisi (dating from the 12th century) Krakow is described as a “beautiful and large city with many houses, residents, markets, vineyards and gardens.” At the beginning of the 12th century Gallus Anonymous depicted

Krakow as a thriving metropolis and wrote in his Chronicles: “Krakow, the capital city, excels all Polish cities.” Krakow was founded according to the Magdeburg law (by Bolesław V the Chaste) on the 5 June 1257. district) was inscribed on the UNESCO list of World Cultural and Natural Heritage

Sites in 1978 as the first of its kind.It is important for the residents of Krakow to cultivate their traditions such as the annual nativity crib contest or the Lajkonik wandering in the octave of the

Corpus Christi (June) from Zwierzyniec to the Main Market Square.

Among the many eminent people connected to Krakow are the Pope John Paul II; the Nobel Prize poets Czesław Miłosz and Wislawa Szymborska; the founder of the avant-garde theatre Cricot-2, Tadeusz Kantor; the playwright Stanisław Mrozek; Stanislaw Lem – the legend of Polish fantasy writing; Stanislaw Wyspianski – a painter, poet, playwright, designer and the author of works such as the stained glass decorating the Franciscan Church; and Dr. Feliks “Manggha” Jasinski– the benefactor of the Japanese collection displayed currently in the Manggha Centre of Japanese Art and Technology funded by Andrzej Wajda.

Stop At: Fundacja Promocji Nowej Huty, Krakow Poland

A living legend of communism. A flagship development from the times when comrade Stalin kept watch in Kremlin. But it is worth perceiving Nowa Huta from a different perspective – as a well-designed, functional town with long and at times dramatic history that dates back to way earlier than 1940s. It was here that a golden earring from around 2 thousand years BC was found. It is here that we will find one of the oldest churches in Kraków and a mysterious burial mound erected for the daughter of the legendary founder of the city. Although socialist in its form, Nowa Huta fascinates us with its content.

Duration: 3 hours 30 minutes

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Included
  • English speaking guide.
  • Tram ticket.
  • Drink at the Stylowa restaurant.
  • You are required to confirm with the supplier your pickup location and arrange your pickup time
  • no later than 24h prior to you tour.
  • Our guide will meet you at your centally located hotel at 9:00.
  • If your hotel is located outside the old town, you must make your own way
  • to the meeting point: the reception of Vienna House Andel's Cracow, 3 Pawia street.
  • Check-in at this location is 5 minutes prior to the booked tour start time.
Not included
  • Food and drinks, unless specified
  • Gratuities
Additional
  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Not wheelchair accessible
  • Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
  • Comfortable walking shoes are recommended
  • Children must be accompanied by an adult
  • Near public transportation
  • Infants must sit on laps
  • You are required to confirm with the supplier your pickup location and arrange your pickup time no later than 24h prior to you tour. Our guide will meet you at your centally located hotel at 9:00. If your hotel is located outside the old town, you must make your own way to the meeting point: the reception of Vienna House Andel's Cracow, 3 Pawia street. Check-in at this location is 5 minutes prior to the booked tour start time.
  • Most travelers can participate
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 10 travelers
Features
Tourism
85%
Cultural
80%
Sport
20%
Reviews
4.8
10
J
Joanne D
5 | 2018-03-11

The tour was fantastic. The guide had a genuine interest in the tour and his passion for the area and history was infectious. I learnt so much about the local area of Nowa Huta and the history of Poland in general. Speaking to somebody who lived in the Communist era readjusted my views.

C
ChristinaW
5 | 2016-07-27

This tour was just fantastic and the guide was very knowledgeable and planned a good variety of things to see. He had lived in the area his entire life, I believe. As it turned out, no one else signed up for the tour but me on the day I took it, so I got a private tour. Some companies would just cancel, I imagine, so I appreciate that. I wish I had gotten the guide's name, but forgot, but the company was Cracow Tours, I believe. For some odd reason, they don't seem to list this tour on their website, only one of those old car tours which seem to appeal to tourists who want some gimmicks. I didn't want gimmicks, and didn't even really want to ride in one of those. I am very interested in WWII history and really wanted a more serious and informative tour, which I got. I'm not sure how that works the car ones as the entire time we just walked around Nova Huta lots of walking, be warned, but all flat, but we took the tram to/from it. I actually wanted that as I had just arrived and wanted to find out a bit more about how the tram system worked, so it was quite useful for that, also. So highly recommend this tour and Viator's communication with the company, everythign went smoothly. Only note is that they do NOT pick you up at any hotel, I think there is a list on here of the ones they may, so I did have to walk to meet them in the morning to the nearest one they used, maybe .25 to .33 mile. I didn't mind but if that would bother someone, try to check that out ahead of time, if they will pick you up at your hotel or not. My hotel was deep into the Old Town so it would have wasted a lot of time anyway, as the meeting point hotel was right near the tram stop we used.

B
Barbara
4 | 2016-05-31

This tour was interesting and fun. The guide, Jacek, was excellent. He grew up in Nowa Huta, so he had first hand knowledge of the area. Barbara from Canada

D
David P
4 | 2016-05-30

This tour might sound a bit dull, especially if you know what Nowa Huta means New Steelworks but it was very interesting and well worth doing. Especially as our guide lived in one of the austere block of flats and was extremely enthusiastic and informative. It provided an insight into life under the post-war communist regime and some of the grievances that clearly still exist.

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