Pieskowa Skala Castle and Czestochowa the 'Black Madonna' Day Tour from Krakow

Itinerary
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Pass By: Cracow Tours, ul. Krupnicza 3, Krakow 31-123 Poland

Situated by the Vistula river, Krakow is the cradle of Polish culture anda characteristic urban phenomenon. It is the former capital of Poland, the place of coronation and later the burial ground of almost all Polish monarchs. For a long time it has been attracting scholars with the oldest university in the country, artists with the cultural climate and pilgrims with the sanctuaries and holy relics. Since the beginning, Kraków has also been enticing tourists with its atmosphere, monuments, and recently also the memory of Pope John Paul II.

The legendary founder of the city was Prince Krak, the vanquisher of the Wawel Dragon (the effigy of the beast stands at the foot of Wawel Hill). Remnants of the oldest history of the city have been preserved in two mounds dating from the 7th century called the Wanda and Krak mounds. The first historical information about Krakow is contained in a 10th-century note of Ibrahim ibn Jakub. In the book of Muhammad al-Idrisi (dating from the 12th century) Krakow is described as a “beautiful and large city with many houses, residents, markets, vineyards and gardens.” At the beginning of the 12th century Gallus Anonymous depicted

Krakow as a thriving metropolis and wrote in his Chronicles: “Krakow, the capital city, excels all Polish cities.” Krakow was founded according to the Magdeburg law (by Bolesław V the Chaste) on the 5 June 1257. district) was inscribed on the UNESCO list of World Cultural and Natural Heritage

Sites in 1978 as the first of its kind.It is important for the residents of Krakow to cultivate their traditions such as the annual nativity crib contest or the Lajkonik wandering in the octave of the

Corpus Christi (June) from Zwierzyniec to the Main Market Square.

Among the many eminent people connected to Krakow are the Pope John Paul II; the Nobel Prize poets Czesław Miłosz and Wislawa Szymborska; the founder of the avant-garde theatre Cricot-2, Tadeusz Kantor; the playwright Stanisław Mrozek; Stanislaw Lem – the legend of Polish fantasy writing; Stanislaw Wyspianski – a painter, poet, playwright, designer and the author of works such as the stained glass decorating the Franciscan Church; and Dr. Feliks “Manggha” Jasinski– the benefactor of the Japanese collection displayed currently in the Manggha Centre of Japanese Art and Technology funded by Andrzej Wajda.

Stop At: Our Lady of Czestochowa / The Black Madonna, Czestochowa Poland

Jasna Gora Sanctuary in Czestochowa

It is the holiest place of Poland and one of the world’s most iThe Monastery of Jasna Góra in Częstochowa, Poland, is the third-largest Catholic pilgrimage site in the world. Home to the beloved miraculous icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa, the monastery is also the national shrine of Poland and the center of Polish Catholicism.

Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Jasna Gora, PL 42-225 Czestochowa 25, via P. A. Kordeckiego 2, Czestochowa Poland

Jasna Gora Sanctuary in Czestochowa

It is the holiest place of Poland and one of the world’s most iThe Monastery of Jasna Góra in Częstochowa, Poland, is the third-largest Catholic pilgrimage site in the world. Home to the beloved miraculous icon of Our Lady of Częstochowa, the monastery is also the national shrine of Poland and the center of Polish Catholicism.

Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Zamek Pieskowa Skala, Ojcowski Park Narodowy, Suloszowa 32-045 Poland

The scenic valley of the Prądnik is dominated by Pieskowa Skała Castle, one of the finest examples of Renaissance architecture in Poland.

Pieskowa Skała Castle has loomed over the valley of the Prądnik for over 700 years. Founded by King Casimir the Great (Kazimierz Wielki), it was a fortress and an element in the chain of fortifications defending the trading route from Kraków to Silesia. In the 16th century, the rogue Szafraniec family turned it into a stately residence with a splendid arcaded courtyard with a loggia on the outside. The castle has survived in a nearly unchanged form, and today it provides one of the most beautiful examples of Renaissance architecture in Poland. Interiors boast collections of painting, sculpture, and artistic crafts from the collection of Wawel Royal Castle, and an exhibition devoted to Pieskowa Skała. A word of warning: the place is said to be haunted by the spirit of a previous owner, Krzysztof Szafraniec, a knight beheaded for brigandry in the 15th century.

Duration: 30 minutes