It happens that we find ourselves in a place completely by accident, completely unaware of the treasures of history hidden there. However, there is something in them that somehow attracts us. Do you know where mummified bodies are located in Krakow? How to enter the shelters in Nowa Huta? Where was the best bar in the Middle Ages? I invite you for a walk through some mysterious places. I am going to share with you stories that make your skin go chills and make your heart beat faster. They say that each city has its secrets, the roads to which are usually unknown to tourists eager for new interesting knowledge and curiosities. Secret places will be hard to find on the map, and in order to discover them, you have to start searching and explore the city with greater care. Let this short guide be a clue that will help you discover at least some of Krakow's secrets during your next visit.
Knife in the Sukiennice: One of the popular Krakow legends is associated with this knife. When walking through the center of the Cloth Hall (eg going from ul. Szewska to the monument of Mickiewicz), a knife hangs on one of the walls, at the very entrance. How did he get there? This legend circulates in several versions - I will tell the darkest one. Apparently, the knife hung in the Cloth Hall to warn people, reminding them of the law in force - according to the Magdeburg law, the penalty for theft was cutting off the ears.
How will you react when I tell you that there are underground crypts in Krakow in which over 1,000 people are buried? What if I add that they have a natural microclimate, which meant that the bodies of the dead were preserved in a very good condition? We are talking about the catacombs at the church of St. Kazimierz Królewicz at ul. Reformed. The dead from 1672 were buried in underground crypts. Some of the coffins are covered with glass lids. This place is not open to the public on a daily basis. Until now, the crypts were opened only on November 2 - on All Souls' Day. Unfortunately, this year the monks decided not to open the catacombs. Of course, this place cannot be treated as a tourist attraction, but the history itself is interesting and worth knowing.
Reformacka Street is hidden quite carefully from trips, although it is not far from Market Square. Time stood here centuries ago and having wandered around here, it is hard to believe that the 21st century is vibrant with life behind a few blocks. Even better, the tiny church of St. Casimir the Prince. He is a Polish Jagiellonian, son of Kazimierz IV Jagiellon, patron of Lithuanian and Polish youth, an extraordinary figure. He was one of the numerous siblings: 7 brothers and 6 sisters. Educated by Długosz himself, at the age of 13, he led 12,000 soldiers to the war to regain the Hungarian crown. The expedition failed and from that moment on, the Prince, deeply sensitive and intelligent, did not undertake any major undertakings. He writes: "The ruling of the kingdom of great wisdom needs and heavy account before the Lord God of this ruling." This should make him a patron of all politicians, because for a few of the power is associated or associated, mainly with responsibility. For some time the prince rules very prudently and fairly in Radom, then, suffering from tuberculosis, he leaves for Lithuania. There, he lives a simple and austere life, in piety and chastity, and dies at the age of 25, already surrounded by a halo of holiness during his lifetime. A modest church in Krakow would surely appeal to the Prince. Built-in 1666-1672, it is a typical model of a reformatory temple (the then Franciscan faction). Above the entrance, there is an image of the patron, and if we look a little further along with the monastery building, we will see an extremely rare, small "bell for the dying" under a wooden roof. It was called when someone close to you was dying. The single-nave church is dusk with scattered chiaroscuro playing on gilded, baroque ornaments. According to the Reformed principle, a magnificent crucifix is placed on the altar. And only the initiated know that an extraordinary phenomenon is hidden here: hundreds of extremely well-preserved mummies of people buried in the church cave-crypt since 1667.
The crypts are basically forbidden, and they are not a tourist attraction announced in guidebooks. Just like to ensure the peace of the dead, as well as to protect the delicate atmosphere of the rock cave in which it is located. Only on November 2 and 3, they are open to outsiders. However, if we really care, we can ask the porter and support his request with the motivation to contribute to the maintenance fund. They don't usually refuse unless it's mainly to satisfy empty curiosity. The secret of such perfect mummification, without any chemicals, is explained by scientists by the specific microclimate of the grotto. However, how it was created, and how exactly the same air humidity has been preserved over the centuries, remains a matter of guesswork. The entrance is in the main nave of the church. Just a few steps down will lead us to an unusual grotto crypt. From the very beginning, members of the mighty families of Wielopolski, Szembek, and Morsztyn were buried there. The monastic books indicate that almost a thousand people are buried there: 730 lay people and 250 religious brothers. Only about 50 mummies are on display. In the coffins covered with glass lids, we can see extremely well-preserved figures, in period costumes that should have disintegrated a long time ago. Only the mummies of the religious brothers, still in the same habits, lie directly on sand and rock. Even the facial expressions, the hair color, are still visible. Each of these characters has a story.
One of those buried in the crypt is Daniela Skalska, who appeared in the church out of nowhere. For 20 years she made church vestments and cleaned. It was only on her deathbed that she confessed (she died in 1864) that she came from a powerful family. Next to her is a Napoleonic soldier in full uniform. He, too, appeared seriously wounded at the convent's gates in 1812 and died there. Apparently, it was Daniela's great love, for which she ran away from home and with which she decided to stay. There is also a young woman in a gorgeous wedding outfit with an equally sad story. Apparently, she was poisoned on her wedding day by her father, who could not bear the mesalliance, and gave her poison in the wedding wine to "save the honor of the family". Perhaps these stories are just legends, perhaps they are true: the monks carefully guard the privacy of their unusual tenants. A little further there is the "Niche of Death", a crypt with the bodies of monks covered with limestone pieces of rock. Supposedly, the brothers who were feeling death brought these stones from the Silver Mountain to serve as penitential "pillows". On the other side of the street, opposite the church, there is an interesting Way of the Cross, built in the form of chapels from 1814-1816. It used to be a cemetery there. The stations have deep recesses with pictures painted by Michał Stachowicz. They are opened during the celebration of services. Just like the whole modest Reformacka Street, and the place where time really stopped in a strange grotto.
Nowa Huta is one great mystery - a city built from scratch according to a specific plan. Looking at this district from a bird's eye view, you can see the non-accidental layout of streets and neighborhoods. In my opinion, it is a small urban masterpiece. Much is said about the bunkers in the area of Nowa Huta. It is said that in one of the newest districts of Krakow - Nowa Huta, there are shelters in most of the buildings. There would be nothing extraordinary about it, if not for the fact that all of them were once to be connected to each other, creating something like an underground city for residents in case of an emergency. Today, three historical sites are available to visitors - the Command Center in the Kombinat building, a shelter in one of the buildings, and the underground of the former Światowid cinema. All of them are in excellent condition, and being in the area it is worth going and seeing some elements of the unfinished underground city with your own eyes. Apparently, most of the buildings contain shelters that were to be connected with each other, creating an almost underground city. Yes, shelters were planned in many of the buildings there, but from the very beginning, there was a lack of financial resources for their construction. According to reports from the 1970s, the bunkers were already in poor technical condition, some of them were not finished, and there was also a lack of equipment. In short: today they would not be able to fulfill their functions. Command Center in the Combine building. The facility is in excellent condition. In the event of an emergency, people responsible for the rescue operation and supervision of technological processes were supposed to stay in the shelter. The bunker consists of several rooms and is fully equipped. Anyway, look at the photos! Shelter in the Z building. Another place in the Combine building, which is available to visitors. The bunker was prepared for the employees of the Administrative Center, then underwent partial modernization, which was to adapt it to the hazards associated with the atomic bomb. You can visit these two buildings during trips organized from time to time by the Małopolska Association of History Lovers "Rawelin". They are enthusiasts who deal with the subject of World War II, look after the shelters, and talk about them with a sparkle in their eyes. The third place is the underground of the former Światowid Cinema (now the Museum of the People's Republic of Poland). There used to be two air raid shelters there - today it houses the exhibition "Atomic Terror". Being in the area, you must go there.
Some of Krakow's secrets are closer than anyone might imagine. Already the Old Town, and more specifically the Town Hall, hide the first of them. Few people know that hundreds of years ago there was an inn called Piwnica Świdnicka, named after one of the Silesian beers imported to it from Świdnica. This place enjoyed a bad reputation, and among its regular visitors were the inhabitants of Krakow with the most colorful life, which over time even gained the infamous name of the "pig's cellar". Do you know what I like in Krakow? The fact that the city is so old. Sometimes I walk down the street and I wonder what it looked like hundreds of years ago. Since I got to know the history of Piwnica Świdnicka, I have a completely different view of the market square and the town hall tower. In the past, in the market square, apart from the tower, there was also a town hall, and in it, there was ... an inn. You're probably wondering why the bar was located in the town hall. Well, according to the medieval laws in force, beer imported from outside the city limits could only be sold under the control of the City Council. To this pub, as the name suggests, they were brought from Świdnica. The bar has had its better and worse times. Kazimierz Jagielloński deprived this place of the privilege of importing beer, but after a short time, Jan Olbracht restored it. Piwnica Świdnicka by the locals was also called India or simply Swine. In 1717. The common people used to say: "Let's go to India for vodka, for a beer" or "I danced in India." Oh, there are no such bars anymore! You can read more about this place on the Ciekawy Kraków blog, where you can find even more amazing stories.
The history of the bar is even more interesting. Imagine that right next to the mentioned inn there was a prison dungeon where people suspected of the most serious crimes were held, and a torture chamber. People feasted in one room, enjoying Świdnica beer, and just behind the wall, someone was experiencing elaborate, medieval tortures. If you are interested in the topic of torture, you must visit two places where you can learn more about the profession of the executioner:
- The first place is… Jan Matejko's house at ul. Floriańska 41. You will find there a small exhibition of tools of torture, which Matejko bought from the city when torture is a thing of the past.
- The second place is in close proximity to the town hall tower. At the address: Rynek 29, there is Kacia Nora - a museum created by a private collector. It is located in the basement, so you can feel the dark atmosphere while looking at the medieval tools of torture.
The equipment of this Krakow torture chamber, as it is later called, gives you goosebumps. Some torture tools can be seen today in the house of Jan Matejko, who bought them from the city, as well as in "Kaciejnor" - an underground museum created by a private collector.
From the busy, cheerful and crowded with tourists ul. Floriańska, we turn to the gate of one of the tenement houses. We enter a small courtyard, where a dingy tenement house stands in front of us. On one of the floors, we see something disturbing: dark posters stuck in a strange disorder. Nevertheless, we take the risk and go inside. We climb up the creaky stairs - that's where the worst awaits us. I have passed Florianska Street many times, where I was encouraged to enter Lost Souls Alley. However, I always ignored the street invitation, because it seemed to me that it was one of those miserable spook houses that used to be in the traveling amusement parks in Poland.
Secret gardens have nothing dark about them - on the contrary: they are beautiful and a nice time to spend in them. I add them to the entry because most people have no idea about their existence, which gives them a lot of mystery. one secret garden is located at the back of the Pedagogical Institute of the Jagiellonian University at ul. Batory. While standing in front of the main entrance to the building, you have to find a statue of Stanczyk - next to him is the entrance to the secret garden. There are more secret gardens.
The stories of the Lanterns of the Dead are among the kind of curiosities I like the most. Inconspicuous chapels that we often pass without even realizing how old they are and what functions they once served. The name itself indicates that these were not ordinary city candlesticks. In addition to lighting, they were to perform another, additional function. Lanterns of the dead were small buildings equipped with lamps, usually placed near cemeteries or hospitals. They were to inform passers-by that the place they are in is not friendly to the living, so it is worth leaving it as soon as possible. Today, you can still find some of these lanterns, but they are only an urban decoration and no longer give you creeps like hundreds of years ago. The lanterns of the dead were small structures in which a lamp was placed. They were usually placed in places where death was present: near cemeteries or hospitals. They informed passers-by that a given place is not friendly to live people, so it is not worth rushing there. For example, they warned against the possibility of getting infected and illuminated the darkness. Such lanterns were also found in Krakow and you can still find them. Where to look for them?
- Near the church of St. Nicholas at ul. Copernicus. This lighthouse comes from the fourteenth century and initially stood at the hospital for lepers in Kleparz.
- In the Krakowski Park at Plac Inwalidów.
- At ul. Copernicus 44.
- At ul. st. Sebastian. This lighthouse is from the 17th century. It probably once stood at the hospital for venereal patients, which no longer exists.
There are even more of them. Today they function as small, inconspicuous chapels, and yet there is such an interesting story behind them.
Above we have examples showing that Krakow, apart from what can be seen in many tourist guides, hides many dark curiosities. For all tourists who love alternative attractions and original stories, the city will not disappoint. Sometimes it is worth exploring a given topic and getting to know the stories related to the area in which we live because they can turn out to be really original.
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