Excursions

As you walk down 360 steps into the salt mine, you get the impression of entering a vast underground city, complete with huge caverns and underground lakes. This underground world has earned a place on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List thanks to the creativity of the miners who carved chapels out of the walls, hundreds of metres below the surface. Legend has  it that the salt mines in Wieliczka were a part of the dowry of the Hungarian princess, Kinga, when she wed Bolesław the Chaste over 700 years ago, making the Wieliczka Salt Mine one of the oldest in all of Europe. Over the centuries, devout and superstitious, miners have carved fabulous figures, monuments and altarpieces out of its salt walls. Our route through the mine leads you through galleries and chambers on three levels, from 64 to 135 meters below the ground, including the unique and richly ornamented Chapel of the Blessed Kinga. The last stop in the mine is the souvenir shop. From here, a lift carries you back to the surface. (Lift down instead of walking down stairs - only on special request).

 

 

 

Walking between the Cloth Hall (Sukiennice) and Saint Mary’s Church, one may not realise that hidden away a few metres under the ground is a treasure trove of knowledge about Kraków’s past. To discover it, you just have to step down into the Rynek.  Opened on 24th September 2010 was the “Following the traces of European identity of Kraków” tourist route. The establishment of this interactive exhibition was made possible thanks to the archaeological study that was conducted continuously from 2005 to 2010, on the eastern side of the Main Market Square. Discovered at the time were an abundance of traces of the many centuries of history of the site. To accommodate them, an archaeological reserve unique in Europe, covering nearly 4000 sq.m (43,000 sq.ft), was fashioned under the surface of the Main Market Square to provide a display for the treasures that had been found and narrate the turbulent history of Medieval Kraków.
The Rynek Underground exhibition presents not only Kraków’s rich history, but also the connections between the city and mediaeval Europe’s chief centres of trade and culture. Moreover, it portrays the significance of the capital of Poland in the operation of the Hanseatic League. The tourist route under the Main Market Square leads between the stone and brick walls of the cellars of former trading sites, including the Kramy Bolesławowe Stalls, Kramy Bogate Stalls, the Great Scales, and the Cloth Hall. Another curio is the preserved stretches of transport routes, which provide an idea of what the mediaeval technology of road building was. The untouched layers in archaeological section explain how the surface of the Main Market Square has risen over the last few hundred years.

Source: https://muzeumkrakowa.pl/

 

 PLEASE NOTE:

For over a thousand years, Kraków has been a place of many events that changed the fate of Polish history. Our tour of this beautiful city is a great introduction to learn about its history, monuments and to know the most important figures related to our city. You will begin your tour walking from conference venue, through  the Planty Park – the largest urban park in the Europe, encircling the oldest part of the city - to the Main Market Square which is a part of the The Royal Route - the most ceremonial route through the city, the route of grand entrances, parades, and funerary processions. Royal Route begins by St. Florian’s Church in the Matejki Square and runs past Krakow’s Barbican (built late in the 15th century), Florian’s Gate, across the Main Market Square, the route leads to the Wawel Hill  – the seat of royal power until 17th century and Wawel Cathedral – the largest necropolis of royalty and national heroes in this part of Europe. Nearly every Polish monarch was buried at Wawel. The Cathedral and its vaults contain the tombs of kings and queens, their children, national heroes, great poets and Church dignitaries.

 

• Departure time: 16.00
• Departure place: conference venue
• Duration:  3 hours
• Minimum number of people: 10
• Tour includes: English speaking guide 
• Itinerary may be change due to weather, traffic, etc.
• The tour is on foot.

 

The name of Poland’s best –known part, the Planty, is derived from the word ,,plantowanie’’ which means the levelling of the ground. It included the demolition of ramparts and the filling of the moats. The green belt was established in place of the  medieval walls between 1822–1830 as part of the urban development projects to preserve the concept of a "garden city".  The park has an area of 21 ha and it consists of a chain of thirty smaller gardens designed in varied styles and adorned with numerous monuments and fountains. The  university area and unique Collegium Maius is ranked among the oldest medieval university buildings in Europe. Krakow’s University has lasted for over six hundred years at the same location. Among the University graduates was Nicolaus Copernicus, the creator of the heliocentric system. The courtyard of the Collegium Maius – the time has stood still here since 15th century. The Main Market Square it is the natural centre of Kraków, a stage for various minor and major events. The centrally located Cloth Hall has survived to this day. In the north-eastern corner of the square stands St. Mary’s Church with its two slender, twin-spired towers reaching high above the whole city. Inside, there is a monumental altar sculpted by famous polish sculptor named Wit Stwosz.  On the beginning of the Royal Route stands the Barbican with part of defence city walls -  remaining relics of the complex network of fortifications and defensive barriers that once encircled the royal city of Kraków.