KRAKÓW , POLAND 🇵🇱 STREET ART & GRAFFITI: I’M HAPPY AGAIN

A stencil of the iconic image of Gene Kelly singin’ in the rain (“I’m happy again!”) has even here since the spring of 2014.

Entitled ‘Judah,’ this large mural by Pil Peled – one of Israel’s most famous street artists – was created in July 2013 as part of the Jewish Culture Festival. According to the artist, the image of the child represents fear, vulnerability and the inner child, and the lion represents the Jews’ struggle to survive and preserve their culture, as well as the strength to overcome their fears. https://www.inyourpocket.com/krakow/judah_120346v

Created by the artist Broken Fingaz, this large-scale mural was created during the 2014 edition of Kraków’s Jewish Culture Festival. The mural takes inspiration from well-known art nouveau era artist Maurice Lilien – a native of Drohobycz (now in Ukraine) and graduate of the Kraków Academy of Fine Arts – and is dedicated to the memory of the Bosaków family who built the building and lived there through the generations for 400 years, before relocating to Israel after World War II. https://www.inyourpocket.com/krakow/plac-bawol-3_136577v

This mural by Piotr Janowczyk was installed outside Pub Wręga in autumn of 2015 as part of the Kazimierz Historical Murals (Kazimierskie murale historyczne) project. Featuring five portraits of Polish historical figures – namely, (from left to right) Emperor Józef Hapsburg II, Helena Rubinstein (born in the district), Karol Knaus (local architect, artist and conservator), Esterka (the lover of King Kazimierz the Great), and finally King Kazimierz the Great himself. https://www.inyourpocket.com/krakow/kazimierz-historical-mural_140658v

20sep18 Kraków Poland 🇵🇱

KRAKÓW , POLAND: Niedoskonałość jest doskonała (Imperfection is Perfect)

IMG_7739

IMG_7746
Pierogi ruskie topped with fried onion (filled with cottage cheese and potatoes) 
IMG_7738
The Battle of Grunwald, fought between the joint armies of Poland and Lithuania against the Teutonic Knights on July 15, 1410, is considered to be one of the greatest battles ever to take place in medieval Europe. A defining moment in Polish history, the battle was immortalised in Kraków with the unveiling of this weighty monument in front of an estimated 160,000 people on the 500th anniversary of the event in 1910. Antoni Wiwulski’s (1877-1919) original masterpiece was, not surprisingly, destroyed by the occupying Nazis during WWII and the copy that now stands in its place dates from 1976, having been faithfully reproduced using sketches and models of the original. At the top on his horse is the King of Poland Władysław Jagiełło, his sword pointing downwards in his right hand. At the front is his cousin the Lithuanian prince Vytautas (Vitold), who is flanked on either side by victorious soldiers from the joint army. The dead man at the front is Urlich von Jungingen, the Teutonic Order’s Grand Master, who lost his life during the battle. https://www.inyourpocket.com/krakow/grunwald-monument_21891v

IMG_7736

IMG_7743
Street musicians (Muzycy uliczni)
IMG_7744
Church of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven (also known as Saint Mary’s Church; Polish: Kościół Wniebowzięcia Najświętszej Maryi Panny, Kościół Mariacki) is a Brick Gothic church adjacent to the Main Market Square in Kraków, Poland. Built in the 14th century, its foundations date back to the early 13th century and serve as one of the best examples of Polish Gothic architecture. Standing 80 m (262 ft) tall, it is particularly famous for its wooden altarpiece carved by Veit Stoss (Wit Stwosz).
On every hour, a trumpet signal—called the Hejnał mariacki—is played from the top of the taller of Saint Mary’s two towers. The plaintive tune breaks off in mid-stream, to commemorate the famous 13th century trumpeter, who was shot in the throat while sounding the alarm before the Mongol attack on the city. The noon-time hejnał is heard across Poland and abroad broadcast live by the Polish national Radio 1 Station. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Mary%27s_Basilica,_Kraków

19sep2018. Krakow, Poland.

DCIM100GOPROG0078819.
the ever-popular antique horse-drawn carriages that line the market square
IMG_7742
Adam Mickiewicz Monument in Kraków, (Polish: pomnik Adama Mickiewicza w Krakowie), is one of the best known bronze monuments in Poland, and a favourite meeting place at the Main Market Square in the Old Town (Stare Miasto) district of Kraków.
The statue of Adam Mickiewicz, the greatest Polish Romantic poet of the 19th century, was unveiled on June 16, 1898. (wiki)There’s a fascinating history behind the monument which is as interesting as the statue is recognizable. One of the most curious facts is that Adam Mickiewicz had never actually been to Krakow. His remains arrived to the city posthumously in 1890. This was 35 years after his death in Istanbul in a cholera epidemic in 1855. Meanwhile in the same year, the remains of the poet are put onto a ship, which transports him to France, before finally burying him in Paris. After transporting the remains to Krakow in 1890, the great Pole poet was put to rest in the crypt of the Wawel Cathedral. http://www.absolutetours.com/blog/adam-mickiewicz-monument/
IMG_7741
Cafe Culture (Kultura kawiarni)

IMG_7740DCIM100GOPROG0028804.DCIM100GOPROG0168828.IMG_7734