Get Cracking in Krakow

The centrepiece of this square is a 15th century Saint Mary’s Basilica and its twin spires that overlook the behemoth Cloth Hall. Once an important centre of medieval trade route stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea,it is now home to souvenir stalls selling the best of Polish handicrafts — blue pottery,amber jewellery and lace napkins. Always insist on a rabat (discount) and you may end up getting a generous 10 per cent cut on your purchase. The sprawling maze of underground tunnels has recently been converted into a tech-savvy museum,the Rynek Underground,which showcases archaeological findings on laser beams and glass panels.

The freshly painted Renaissance and Baroque-style townhouses that ring the stately square have been converted into cafes and high-end restaurants. Many eateries pull out their tables on the sidewalks offering their diners ample sun. Cushion yourself in one of the cane chairs and sample some Polish beer with a plateful of steaming hot pierogies (much like dimsums,they are stuffed with creamy mashed potatoes,mushrooms or even beetroot and served with a generous drizzle of melted butter). The cheque totals up to the same fare you shell out at Delhi’s uppity Khan Market. For dinner,its best to choose traditional over trendy especially when there are Polish restaurants like Wierzynek (at Rynek Glowny 15) and Wesele (at Rynek Glowny 10) dishing out suckling ducks and serving mushroom soup in baskets made of crusty bread.

Krakow thrives on its nightlife. When the sun goes down,the cobbled streets reflect a warm glow from the neon signs of beer bars and night clubs. Fiddlers and amateur bands keep up the musical fanfare till dawn. Many pubs are nestled in cellars that were used as hideouts during World War II and you may miss them,unless you keep an eye out.

Bordering the square on its south is the Wawel Royal Castle. A concrete pathway climbs up into a beautiful hilltop courtyard showcasing a somewhat messy complex of towers,cupolas and bastions that date back to the 11th century. The castle hugs the green banks of the Vistula River on one side and from the other, you can get a view of the city’s Old Town and former Jewish quarter — Kazimierz. A 20-minute walk away from the market square,Kazimierz hauntingly preserves the ash-coloured tenements and cluster of narrow streets which were the setting for Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-winning film Schindler’s List (1993). Once a Jewish-dominated settlement,several synagogues are still intact and now serve as cultural attractions.

Kazimierz also boasts of a cluster of cafes including Klezmer Hois and Café Alef where you can sample local vodka infused with fruits,honey and even bison grass with Klezmer music played by live bands in the background.

Oskar Schindler’s enamel ware factory,that employed Polish-Jewish prisoners of war in an attempt to save them,is now a museum. It exhibits letters written by Jews during World War II and takes visitors through Poland’s dark history with spine-chilling narratives and documentaries.

For nature lovers,the closest spot is Ojcow National Park. Among Poland’s 20 national parks,Ojcow is the smallest,but tops the charts with its scenic landscape. There are limestone sculptures and many accessible caves that nurse folktales about their prehistoric inhabitants. Several local stalls at Ojcow sell traditional Polish cheese called oscypek. This salty sheep-milk cheese produced in Tatra Mountains is given traditional designs with wooden spoon impressions. The pale-yellow spindle-shaped cheese offers a light toasted aroma and a mild nut flavour and is often minced and layered on hot pancakes with a blob of cranberry jam.

Krakow’s ski capital Zakopane wears a lush green coat on its steady slopes during summers and is worthy of a night halt. Two hours away from Krakow,Zakopane’s fashion street Krupowki is a shopper’s delight,peppered with designer stores and handicraft shops. For a quick lunch on-the-go,stop by at the greasy kebab windows that dish out chunks of spit-roasted beef or chicken with a pile of lettuce on a pita or get to the pizza stalls for Zapekanka,a traditional street snack. One half of a foot-long bread is baked with a topping of cheese and meats (there are veggie toppings too,if you want to skip the meat). This crusty open sandwich is delicious and filling.

A visit to Krakow cannot be complete without a tour of the State Museum of Auschwitz-Birkenau,one of the largest Nazi death camps set during World War II,two hours away from the city. It is best to take a guided tour here and make sure you put on comfortable walking shoes to cover the vast empty fields that stand in eerie silence. The tour begins at the iron gates crowned with the infamous motto “Arbeit macht frei” (work makes free) and takes you through the living quarters,gas chambers and medical halls where prisoners were experimented upon by Nazi doctors. It is almost impossible to come out unchanged,or ungrateful for the blissful routine life we otherwise frown upon.

(The writer is a former journalist,who now lives in Krakow)