October 11, 2025
The overnight flight from Boston had a tight connection at Copenhagen to Kraków, in Southern Poland, descending through low clouds to a cold, rainy city. The city lies at a sharp bend in the Vistula River with modest hills on both sides, making the site a strategic location.
The Wawelu castle complex is on one of the hills on the Vistula River, reflecting Kraków's status as the capital of Poland from 1038 until the creation of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1596. The castle complex has multiple museums, but I opted to explore the outside after being cooped up in a plane all night, sitting with a cup of coffee in the gardens, watching people go by (1). Kraków's Catholic Cathedral is within the castle walls, where Cardinal Karol Woytyła tended the local faithful before becoming Pope John Paul II in 1978.
Wandering back to the old town to check in and freshen up, I walked by St. Mary's Basilica to a trumpet sounding in the cardinal directions from the tower at 2:00. The tradition of playing the hejnal dates back to at least as early as 1392 and now occurs hourly. The player is a member of the city's fire brigade, who also uses the tower's high vantage point to watch for fires.
I had stopped earlier for a timed-ticket to climb the tower, opting for a late entry at 5:10 just in case the clouds broke enough to see the sun descending in the western sky; no joy there. I entered last to be able to back out in case the stairs were claustrophobic. While narrow at the beginning, we soon arrived at a wide landing at the bottom of the square tower (2). Ascending the old wooden staircase offered views of thick wood timbers supporting the brick tower structure.
Emerging at an enclosed viewing platform 54 meters (177 feet) above the square, I was glad the timed ticketing system restricts the number of visitors in the small space. The windows open for better pictures and to catch the breeze. Pictures posted here suggest views of the Tartras mountains rising to the south (3), but not with the low clouds ceiling today.
Pondering either a Chopin Piano concert (offered daily) at a church or the Kraków Philharmonic, I opted for the latter, mainly because it started 15 minutes after descending back to the main square, and Philharmonic Hall was closer than the church. I'm glad I did, even though Hayden was not a Polish composer, the hall was actually designed for music. The oratorio The Creation of the Earth was being performed. Expecting German words, I leaned in to listen carefully (4), and was surprised to hear English being sung (5) (6). At the end, the conductor called for an encore of the final few minutes of the piece, for which the performers did not seem quite ready (7), but pulled off well.
(1) The old city and castle were bustling with people despite the raw, drizzly weather on this Fall Saturday. Most appeared to be locals (or at least Polish) judging by the voices in the street.
(2) A group of three late-teens stopped on the landing, panting and holding their chests. They pointed at the automatic defribulator on the wall and said something in Polish with a laugh.
(3) The spine of the Tartras forms the border with Slovakia.
(4) Causing the woman behind me to move; apparently my head was blocking her view. I apologized at the intermission.
(5) The poem forming the basis of the libretto was written in English, with quotes from the Bible and John Milton's Paradise Lost. Hayden oversaw productions in multiple languages, including German and English. At the French, an assassin made an attempt on Napoleon's life.
(6) Programs were sold out for this second and final performance. I downloaded a libretto from a choral group in California that added the whimsical phrases "let there be intermission," and "let there be applause" mimicking the phrase from Genesis "let there be light."
(7) The soprano looked on at the tenor's score, as he pointed at the correct bars to sing, and the woman who had given flowers to the soloists, appearing not to know what to do, took them back to the audible amusement of the choir and audience.
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