Brief synthesis

The Historic Centre of Kraków, located on the River Vistula in southern Poland, is formed by three urban ensembles: the medieval chartered city of Kraków, the Wawel Hill complex, and the town of Kazimierz (including the suburb of Stradom). It is one of the most outstanding examples of European urban planning, characterised by the harmonious development and accumulation of features representing all architectural styles from the early Romanesque to the Modernist periods.

The importance of the city, which was chartered in 1257 and was once the capital of Poland, is evidenced by its urban layout, its numerous churches and monasteries, its imposing public buildings, the remains of its medieval city walls, and its palaces and townhouses, many designed and built by prominent architects and craftspersons. The value of this urban complex is determined by the extraordinary density of monuments from various periods, preserved in their original forms and with their authentic fittings. Wawel Hill, the dominant feature of the Historic Centre of Kraków, is a former royal residence and necropolis attesting to the dynastic and political links of medieval and early modern Europe. The medieval town of Kazimierz, which includes the suburb of Stradom (chartered in 1335), was shaped by the Catholic and Jewish faiths and their respective cultures and customs.

One of the largest administrative and commercial centres in central Europe, Kraków was a city where arts and crafts flourished, and the culture of East and West intermingled. The importance of Kraków as a cultural centre of European significance is reinforced by its being home to one of the oldest universities of international renown – the Jagiellonian University. Together, these three built-up areas create a cohesive urban complex in which significant tangible and intangible heritage have survived and are cultivated to this day.

Criterion (iv): Kraków is an urban architectural ensemble of outstanding quality, in terms of both its townscape and its individual monuments. The historic centre of the town admirably illustrates the process of continuous urban growth from the Middle Ages to the present day.

UNESCO WHC site