Christmas Markets 2024: KRAKOW

Our journey from Warsaw to Krakow included a visit to the fortified Baroque Monastery of Jasna Gora (Bright Mountain) in the town of Czestochowa. The monastery is home to 90 Pauline monks as well as the venerated icon of Our Lady of Czestochowa (The Black Madonna) who is also the patron saint of Poland.

Since 1711, thousands of pilgrims leave Warsaw every August 6th to make the 9 day, 140 mile trek to Czestochowa. Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians believe that the Madonna has special influence to intercede for the granting of special requests from the Baby Jesus, whom she is holding. Numerous miracles have been attributed to her intercession. Over the years, grateful recipients have left symbolic assistive devices, rosaries, silver hearts, eyes, and plaques which are displayed throughout the monastery.

Every day at Noon, a silver screen slowly covers the icon during which the faithful observe 90 minutes of silent prayer.

Our guide at the monastery shared many interesting stories about the Madonna and we were moved by the devotion so many people showed to her on an ordinary dreary November day.

We arrived in Krakow in late afternoon to see the illuminated Wawel Castle towering over the city.

Wawel Hill is symbolic of Polish statehood. The castle has been home to Polish royalty since the 10th century. Today it is a museum. The cathedral has been restored over the years and is the burial site of royal families.

Krakow’s Main Market Square is the largest medieval city square in Europe. The Main Square served as the primary center of commerce throughout the ages. Today it is a bustling hub where people gather night and day to shop, eat, socialize and even worship. At its center is St. Wojciech’s, the oldest of Krakow’s 200 churches and St. Mary’s Basilica, its grandest.

Cloth Hall, shown at the top of this post as a backdrop to the Christmas Markets, has been the heart of the city’s trade since the 13th century. For centuries merchants traded textiles, lead and salt from the Wieliczka Salt Mines in exchange for a variety of exotic products imported from the East. Today, mostly jewelry, souvenirs, amber and arts and crafts adorn the hall.

And from the first weekend of Advent until Christmas Eve, vendors surround the area with a wide variety of holiday fare ranging from hand-made crafts to hot and cold foods to clothing and toys

The Wawel Dragon (Smok Walewski) is a famous Krakow legend. With seven heads, the dragon has become symbolic of the city of Krakow. His statue stands at the foot of Wawel Hill overlooking the banks of the Vistula River. Every few minutes the dragon breathes fire.

Whenever we can, we enjoy learning more about a culture through its food. In Krakow, we spent an absolutely delightful afternoon on a private food tour with our charming guide Kasia. We visited four different locally-owned venues, each unique and off the beaten path, and each providing a true taste of Poland!

Kasia then took us to an underground entertainment cave for our next course.

We then took a break and walked about 15 minutes to a family-owned restaurant where everything is locally-sourced and made from scratch.

Just when we thought we couldn’t eat another bite, we boarded a charming boat on the Vistula River for dessert and vodka (we passed on the vodka and enjoyed coffees instead!)

Needless to say, we needed a good walk followed by a nap after all that deliciousness.

Unlike Warsaw, the city of Krakow was spared physical  destruction in WWII and remained largely intact. Its people, however, and in particular its Jewish people, experienced similar  devastation at the hands of the Nazis. A somber reminder is a commemorative memorial at the site now known as Ghetto Heroes Square. Formerly called Place Zgody, it was a vibrant gathering point as a marketplace, factory and pharmacy. In 1941, it became the staging ground for Jews who were forced to gather there before deportation and/or execution. The empty metal chairs symbolize the lives as well as the belongings left behind in the square.

A short drive from Krakow, the horrors of the Nazi regime are brought vividly to life at Auschwitz. We spent a somber yet poignant morning walking along and through the sacred  grounds of the former concentration and death camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau.

Auschwitz is the site of the largest mass murder in a single location in history. At least 1.3 million people were detained there, and at least 1.1 million were killed. Close to 900,000 were gassed upon arrival; the rest were murdered by starvation, exhaustion, disease, execution, beating, or medical experimentation. The horrors of the Holocaust are respectfully displayed in a way that is intended to teach future generations the danger of treating human beings as “less than,” regardless of their circumstances. It brings to life the following quote that hangs prominently near the entrance:

Although photos are allowed in most areas, some are off limits out of respect for the victims.

We continued our day with many sobering feelings along with a much deeper understanding of this terrible chapter in human history. The haunting pictures and stories will stay with us for a long time to come.

Our quest for cultural insight led us to our evening activity, and it was a welcome respite from our heavy feelings of the day. The charming Ariel Restaurant offers delicious Jewish-inspired food and Klezmer Jewish folk music.

Our three days in Krakow flew by. This is a lovely city with gracious people, interesting yet complex and heartbreaking history, and so much to see and do. It’s definitely a place we would love to see again, but tomorrow’s another day and more Christmas Markets await!