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Kraków is one of the largest and oldest cities in Poland. It has the status of distriktsnivåby, and is the capital of the region of Little Poland and the little Polish voivodship. Kraków is located on the Vistula River and since the second half of 2007 in terms of population of Poland's second largest city, with over 750 000 inhabitants. Together with the surrounding areas make up the Kraków agglomeration of 1.2 million inhabitants. The city is considered one of Europe's most beautiful, and is entered on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Kraków has traditionally been one of Poland's leading centers for science, culture and art, and was the country's capital from the Middle Ages until 1609, when the capital was moved to Warsaw. The city is regarded as Poland's cultural capital, and attracts over 7 million visitors annually. Krakow's rich heritage and the many historical sites due to the city's long history and the many functions the city had as Poland's capital, and as a significant center of trade, culture and science. In addition, they showed great wars to be kindhearted towards Kraków buildings, especially World War II, when the Germans did not manage to destroy the city by its retreat. In the result, the city any of Europe's most important - and most beautiful - tourist centers. Among the most famous of the city's many historic buildings are the royal castle and cathedral on Wawel, the old town medieval university buildings, over 100 churches, as well as Kazimierz - the historical center of Krakow's Jewish religious and social life. Centrally located on the main square is also the 120-meter market place from the 1500s, the Cloth Hall. This has served as a focal point in the city trading in all years, and is still in active use. In the south of the Old City is one of Krakow's landmarks - the castle and cathedral on Wawel. Wawel Castle was the residence of the monarch while Krakow was Poland's capital, and its cathedral continued to be the place where Polish kings were crowned and buried after the capital was moved to Warsaw. Wawel is why the Polish history's natural midpoint, and visited by numerous tourists every year. |
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