About Cracow
Cracow, the former capital of Poland, was established at the junction of trade routes. Cracow in named after a tribal ruler called Krakus. According to its legend, Krakus established a fortified castle on the left bank of the Vistula River. The oldest description of Cracow was written by a traveler and tradesman named Ibn Jakub in 965. A bishopric was established in Cracow in 1000. In 1083, during the reign of the Piat Dynasty, the royal capital was transferred from Gniezno to Cracow. For over five centuries, until the capital was moved to Warsaw in 1596, all Polish Kings were crowned and laid to rest here. In 1241 Cracow was destroyed after the Tatars invasion. During the reconstruction a chessboard arrangements of the streets and the main market was traced out. The main market is the largest existing medieval square in Europe.
