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00:00Hey, I'm Rick Steves, back with more of the best of Europe and always learning.
00:05What's a good day?
00:06Dzie艅 dobry.
00:07Dzie艅 dobry.
00:08What's thank you?
00:09Dzi臋kuj臋.
00:10Dzi臋kuj臋.
00:11What's this?
00:12Svodka.
00:13Nastrowie.
00:14We're in Poland in its most visited city, Krak贸w.
00:17Thanks for joining us.
00:30Poland's political capital may have moved to Warsaw centuries ago, but Krak贸w remains
00:57the historic, cultural, and intellectual capital, a proud symbol of the Polish national identity.
01:04Krak贸w is ideally set on the Vistula River.
01:08We'll explore one of Europe's most crowd-pleasing squares, marvel at medieval glory, visit Wawel
01:14Hill, a site sacred to Poles since the 11th century, learn how to make a classic Polish
01:20dish, or at least try, and then eat what we cook.
01:24We'll remember the Holocaust at a concentration camp memorial, and with a guide, we'll take
01:29a nostalgic communist-era joyride.
01:32Finally, we'll cap our visit with a twilight stroll.
01:36Medieval Poland was prominent on Europe's map.
01:39In the late 1700s, it disappeared, partitioned by its powerful neighbors, and it didn't reappear
01:45until after World War I.
01:47Then, after World War II, it was part of communist Eastern Europe.
01:52And today, with the Iron Curtain long gone, it's a leading country in Central Europe.
01:57We're visiting Poland's historic and cultural capital, Krak贸w, and side-tripping to Auschwitz.
02:06Krak贸w, or as locals say, Krak贸w, was a crossroads, a trading center that boomed back in the 11th century.
02:13Today, it's a sprawling city of a million with a delightful old town.
02:19And everything converges on the majestic and massive Main Market Square.
02:24It's hard not to be drawn to this square.
02:27It bustles with life, enticing cafes, families out for a stroll, fairytale carriages,
02:38a youthful energy, and, it seems, half the tourists in Poland.
02:46St. Mary's Church stands tall over it all.
02:51Its spire doubles as the town watchtower.
02:59At the top of each hour, literally 24-7, a fireman with a trumpet comes to the window
03:04and plays a tune to announce All Is Well, a tune that suddenly dies,
03:13recalling a legend in which a watchman's throat was pierced by an enemy arrow.
03:29Inside St. Mary's, each midday, is a medieval moment.
03:33A nun swings open the door's much-adored altarpiece.
03:44This exquisite Gothic triptych, with hinged panels,
03:47was carved in the late 1400s by Weitz Sto脽.
03:52One of the most impressive medieval wood carvings in Europe,
03:55it depicts the Virgin Mary's ascent to heaven
03:58with a motion rare in Gothic art.
04:09The square's centerpiece is the cloth hall.
04:13Once a marketplace for cloth merchants,
04:15today it's home to souvenir stalls.
04:18Vendors sell gifty crafts from all over Poland,
04:23like painted wooden plates from mountain forests,
04:27colorful embroidery delicately hand-stitched,
04:31hand-painted pottery from Silesia,
04:34and amber jewelry from the Baltic coast for your favorite travel partner.
04:39Krakow's old town is compact and easy to navigate.
04:44The vibe is relaxed as modern and medieval mix it up.
04:48In the 13th century,
04:50after their city was destroyed by invaders from the east,
04:53Krakowians rebuilt it with a near-perfect grid plan.
04:56Today, it's pedestrian-friendly and thriving.
05:00They also encircled their city with a wall
05:03featuring classic ramparts and towers.
05:06The big, round, freestanding fort is a barbican,
05:11which provided extra protection at the main gate.
05:14Later, the wall was mostly torn down,
05:17leaving just a few evocative remnants.
05:20The moat was filled in,
05:23and a fine park was created in its place.
05:25This circular green belt, called the Planti,
05:29is popular with today's Krakowians.
05:32And if you need a break from all the tourists,
05:35you can bike or hike around the Planti
05:37and along the riverbank.
05:39It's a charming local scene.
05:42Fun-loving boaters, lazy picnics,
05:45but beware the dragon.
05:48Oh, and if you think you're good at chess,
05:57challenge one of these guys.
06:03The riverside path is inviting,
06:05and so is the playful rigging
06:07on its delightful pedestrian bridge.
06:14Krakow has been called Little Rome.
06:17That's because of its many churches.
06:19There are 23 in the Old Town alone.
06:24The country is devoutly Catholic.
06:29Almost two-thirds of Poles attend weekly mass.
06:33So churches here aren't just tourist attractions.
06:35They're alive with worshipers.
06:39Catholicism is central to Polish identity.
06:44They're alive with the people of the world.
06:47They're alive with the people of the world.
06:50Squeezed for centuries between Protestant Germans
06:53and Orthodox Russia, Poles were united
06:56and strengthened by their Catholic faith.
06:59And after World War II,
07:01when Poland was ruled by anti-church communists,
07:04going to mass was more than worship.
07:06It was a political statement,
07:08a chance to express both dissent
07:10and a desire for freedom.
07:13It was during these challenging times
07:15that a charismatic Krakow priest named Karol Wojtyla
07:18led his flock in defiance of communist authorities.
07:22Throughout the 1950s, 60s, and 70s,
07:25he fought for the right to worship inside the communist state.
07:29The church hierarchy was impressed,
07:31and in 1978, that humble Polish priest
07:34was elected Pope John Paul II.
07:38The first non-Italian pope in centuries
07:40was made a saint in 2014.
07:43Although he's a controversial figure to some,
07:46many locals consider him the greatest Pole.
07:50Krakow's Franciscan church was special to John Paul.
07:54He'd come here all alone to pray.
07:58This was his favorite pew, way in the back.
08:01To people across the Eastern Bloc
08:03and to Catholics worldwide,
08:05Pope John Paul II embodied
08:07the resistance fighting Soviet rule.
08:09And he inspired the Polish people
08:11with his soothing refrain,
08:13Have no fear.
08:16The church is also a fine introduction
08:18to Art Nouveau, Polish style.
08:22With its stained glass weaving together images
08:25of the favorite Franciscan saints,
08:28it employs the movement's characteristic
08:30organic swoops and floral motifs.
08:33Another window shows God in the act of creation,
08:36turning natural light into spiritual energy.
08:45The Art Nouveau style flourished across Europe
08:47in the early 20th century.
08:49While Klimt was painting in Vienna
08:51and Mucha was busy in Prague,
08:53Poland's Art Nouveau movement
08:54was led by Stanislav Wyspenski.
09:00At the museum dedicated to the artist,
09:02you see how the movement was playful,
09:04lyrical, and inspired by folklore.
09:12Wyspenski and his fellow artists
09:14mixed gloom and mysticism into beauty
09:17that came with a message.
09:20The spirit of Poland will live on.
09:27To learn more about Polish culture,
09:29I'm joined by my friend and fellow tour guide,
09:32Tomasz Klanek.
09:33Every time I travel in Poland,
09:35it seems vodka is quite important.
09:37What does vodka mean to Poland?
09:39Vodka is definitely our national drink.
09:42We take it very seriously.
09:43We're very proud of it.
09:44Polish vodka is a brand that is renowned all over the world,
09:48and we do take our vodka very seriously.
09:50So Polish vodka, does that mean Polish ingredients?
09:53Polish vodka has to be not only made in Poland,
09:56but made from Polish local ingredients.
09:58And those could be either potatoes,
10:00so we have potatoes vodka, or grain.
10:02So is this potatoes or grain?
10:04This one is grain vodka.
10:05Which do you like better?
10:06I like grain better.
10:07That's my favorite.
10:08So is there a ritual for drinking it in a pub or a bar?
10:12Yes, there is.
10:13When we celebrate, we drink it with our friends,
10:17and we do mainly the shots.
10:19And we don't sip it like this.
10:21We just do the bottoms-up.
10:23Is that right? No sipping?
10:24No sipping.
10:25What if I sip? What do people think?
10:27Well, if you want to be really local,
10:29you better do the bottoms-up.
10:31Okay.
10:32So really, you just throw it right down.
10:33Exactly.
10:34And how do you say toast?
10:36Na zdrowie.
10:37Na zdrowie.
10:38And bottoms-up.
10:39Yes.
10:44For dinner, Tomasz has promised to teach me
10:48how to make a classic Polish dish at his house,
10:51a dish that all Polish grandmas make.
10:54I'm learning how to cook pierogi.
10:57First, you knead the potato dough to just the right texture.
11:01Like a Play-Doh.
11:02It's very relaxing.
11:03It's like going to a spa for your body and soul.
11:06Is Grandma looking down?
11:08I hope she is.
11:10Then you roll it out, flat as a Polish crepe.
11:14We want it as thin as possible,
11:16because our dough is generally flavorless.
11:19What gives the flavor to our dish is the filling and the topping.
11:23And cut out small discs.
11:25Beautiful.
11:26Mm-hmm.
11:27Circle.
11:28Making cute little pockets,
11:30you tuck in the cheese, onion, and meat filling.
11:33Then you seal it watertight around the edges.
11:36Pinch it firm.
11:37There you go.
11:38It has to be your first pierogi.
11:40Congratulations.
11:41Nice.
11:42All right.
11:43And we just wait for them to float.
11:45After a short boiling bath, they're ready to eat.
11:48In true family style, we enjoy a little sunshine in the backyard
11:55and a classic Polish meal,
11:57just like Grandma, or babcia, used to make.
12:00Cinque babcia.
12:01Cinque babcia, yes.
12:02I hope she's proud.
12:07From Krakow's old town,
12:09a ramp leads up to the most hallowed ground in all of Poland.
12:13Wawel Hill is sacred to the Polish people,
12:17a castle and royal residence since the 11th century.
12:21The park-like scene entices Poles to drop by
12:24and celebrate their nation's epic story.
12:27Everything is layered in history,
12:29including the venerable Wawel Cathedral.
12:33Architecturally, it's a hodgepodge,
12:35a riot of towers and chapels.
12:38This national church, with its many tombs,
12:42is a who's who of the nation's most beloved figures,
12:46from saints to generals to kings and queens.
12:52And if you're going to remember only one name,
12:55make it Kazimierz the Great.
12:57He ruled Poland from Krakow in the 14th century.
13:01The larger-than-life Kazimierz was a great warrior,
13:04diplomat, and patron of the arts.
13:07His scribes bragged that Kazimierz found Poland made of wood
13:11and left it made of stone and brick.
13:14In fact, he even made it on the 50s Loddy Note.
13:17Kazimierz provided refuge for Jews expelled from other lands,
13:21and he established the tradition that Poland
13:23would provide safe refuge for Europe's Jews.
13:26In fact, for centuries,
13:28an estimated one-third of the world's Jews lived right here,
13:32in a land known as the Jewish Paradise.
13:37While they still faced some persecution,
13:39Jews carved out a relatively vital niche in Polish society,
13:43as Poland became home to an estimated one-third
13:46of the world's Jews.
13:48Krakow's historic Jewish district is named for Kazimierz.
13:52Until the 20th century,
13:54Jews made up a quarter of Krakow's population.
13:57Of the neighborhood's many historic synagogues,
13:59some are still places of worship.
14:02But today, the economy is mostly tourism,
14:07and touristy restaurants feature klezmer,
14:10a Jewish traditional folk music
14:12that stokes a nostalgia for their poignant story.
14:16the city 褌褉械斜 rigorously
14:23Alandro
14:27o
14:28o
14:29o
14:31o
15:04The Old Cemetery of Kazimierzch
15:08also honors the Jewish past.
15:11This grave remembers a beloved 16th-century rabbi.
15:16Prayers are lovingly tucked into the cracks and crevices
15:19of his tombstone,
15:21and rocks stacked atop tombs, also representing prayers,
15:25recall the ancient Jewish tradition
15:27of covering sandy graves with stones
15:30to prevent them from being disturbed.
15:34Jewish cemeteries, like the community of Kazimierzch itself,
15:37were nearly destroyed
15:39after Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939.
15:44Gravestones, crushed under Nazi tank treads,
15:47were later assembled into memorial mosaic walls.
15:51During the Holocaust,
15:55the vast majority of Krakow's Jews
15:57ended up in concentration camps,
16:00and fewer than one in ten survived World War II.
16:05About an hour away
16:06is perhaps the most powerful Holocaust memorial
16:09in all of Europe,
16:11the concentration camp at Auschwitz-Birkenau.
16:15This was the biggest and most notorious concentration camp
16:18in the vast Nazi system.
16:21After invading and occupying Poland in 1939,
16:24Nazi Germany built many such camps here,
16:27far from mainstream German society.
16:30Ultimately, they murdered an estimated six million people,
16:34mostly Jews,
16:36and about half of those came from Poland.
16:40The Nazis turned this army base into a death camp.
16:44Over a million people,
16:46the vast majority of them Jews,
16:48were systematically exterminated here at Auschwitz.
16:53The notorious gate welcomed inmates with a cruel lie.
16:57Arbeit macht frei.
16:59Work will set you free.
17:03The former cell blocks
17:04now display powerful museum exhibits
17:07that, while difficult to see,
17:09must, out of respect to its victims, be seen.
17:13People were told they'd be starting new lives
17:18and to bring luggage,
17:19clearly labeled with their names.
17:22After they were killed,
17:23everything of value was seized and sorted.
17:28Crutches and prosthetic limbs remind us
17:30that the first people exterminated
17:32were the mentally and physically ill.
17:35they were killed.
17:36Piles of glasses.
17:38A seemingly endless mountain of shoes.
17:41It's hard to comprehend the numbers.
17:44Even children.
17:46The Nazis spared no one.
17:50Halls are lined with photographs of victims.
17:54Men.
18:00And women.
18:02Each marked with the date of arrival
18:05and the date of death.
18:07Inmates rarely survived more than a couple months.
18:12The gas chamber and crematorium is marked by its chimney.
18:15Up to 700 people at a time could be gassed,
18:19but it required two days to burn that many bodies.
18:23The Nazis wanted an even higher death toll,
18:26so they built a far bigger camp nearby.
18:31That camp, called Birkenau,
18:33was an efficient factory for the mass production of death
18:36designed to implement the Nazis' final solution.
18:40Genocide.
18:41The murder of all Jews.
18:45It could hold about 100,000 prisoners at a time.
18:49People from all over Europe were loaded like animals
18:53into train cars like this.
18:55They'd pass under the infamous gatehouse,
18:58into the camp, into the dividing platform.
19:03A Nazi doctor stood here
19:15and evaluated each prisoner as they stepped off the train.
19:18If he pointed one way,
19:19that prisoner marched unknowingly
19:21directly to the gas chamber.
19:23If he pointed the other,
19:24that person was judged fit to work
19:27and would live a little while longer.
19:29It was here that countless families from across Europe
19:32were torn apart forever.
19:35The gas chambers,
19:36where the mass killing was done,
19:37were disguised as showers.
19:40At Birkenau,
19:41the Nazis gassed and cremated
19:43thousands of people per day.
19:46The camp monument represents gravestones
19:48and the chimney of a crematorium.
19:51Plaques in each of the languages
19:53spoken by camp victims
19:55explain the mission of this memorial.
19:58Back in Krakow, tourists can learn
20:08about the next chapter of Poland's story,
20:10becoming a Soviet satellite after World War II.
20:15One entertaining yet informative way
20:17to get a peek at that
20:18is by looking through the windows...
20:19Hello.
20:20...of tiny communist-era cars.
20:22Hop in.
20:23And we'll do the same,
20:24visiting the communist-planned workers' town
20:27of Nowa Huta.
20:28Oh, I love this little car.
20:30Ha!
20:31Don't get too comfortable.
20:33And our guide is Cornelia.
20:36This is such a treat.
20:37Tell me about this little car.
20:39So we are driving a famous Trabant
20:42from East Germany,
20:43very popular family car in Poland,
20:46also one of few to choose from,
20:48so people had no choice
20:50and they were happy with what they got.
20:53So tell me about this neighborhood.
20:54What is this?
20:55We are in Nowa Huta district.
20:58It's a communist-model city from the 50s.
21:01The only place like that in Poland, actually,
21:03so it's supposed to be a showcase
21:06kind of proving that communism works.
21:08People get jobs, apartments,
21:10and they're happy.
21:11Nowa Huta was designed
21:13around a new, enormous steel mill,
21:15the largest in Poland.
21:17Called the Lenin Steel Works,
21:19it employed nearly 40,000 workers
21:21who worked in three shifts
21:2224 hours a day.
21:24It was intended as a high-production factory
21:26to show off the Soviet bloc's industrial might.
21:29How many people lived in Nowa Huta?
21:32The design was for 100,000 people,
21:34but it was like a workers' paradise,
21:37so most men had a job in one factory
21:40over here, steel works,
21:42and families, women,
21:44you had jobs like services, hospitals,
21:46so it was a self-sufficient town.
21:48So why did Stalin want to give that plan to Krakow?
21:52Well, one of the main reasons for sure
21:55were to punish the intelligentsia,
21:58to kind of contrabalance this society in Krakow,
22:02with a lot of churches, universities,
22:04with workers which before were farmers
22:06and had quite simple life.
22:07Yeah, so punish Krakow for having culture,
22:10education, and churches.
22:12Yeah.
22:13What was it like to actually live here in the 50s?
22:15So after the war,
22:17this was a very attractive place for people to come.
22:20So they had jobs,
22:21they had apartments for free,
22:23and shops were even better than the center.
22:26They wanted to show people in Krakow that it's working.
22:30So after the war, that was a good place to live.
22:33What about now?
22:36What do people think of Nowohuta now to live in?
22:38It's getting way more popular than in the past.
22:42Now, within 30 years' time,
22:44this is a pretty nice place to live in.
22:47People are happy,
22:48people have beautiful space to live in,
22:51and they definitely prefer it more than being in a busy center.
22:54Probably one of the best districts to live in, Krakow.
22:57And the central plaza,
22:59reflecting the transition from communism to democracy and capitalism,
23:03is called Ronald Reagan Square.
23:12Let's enjoy one last slice of Krakow with an evening walk.
23:16The Jewish quarter, Kazimierz,
23:18has transformed into a thriving night spot,
23:20with trendy pubs and restaurants,
23:23and an inviting energy.
23:25The round market hall is now a food circus,
23:28popular with families and locals out on a cheap date,
23:31many-munching zabikanka, the local pizza.
23:37And back at the main market square,
23:39locals and visitors alike make the scene.
23:43Cafes are full.
23:46The horse carriages add to the genteel atmosphere.
23:50And it's all about another great travel tip,
23:54savoring the moment.
23:57As the sun sets and the lights come on,
24:00Krakow takes on a timeless and romantic aura.
24:07Surrounded by the floodlit wonders of Krakow,
24:09and having learned so much in this jewel of a city,
24:12I'm reminded how travel connects us with the past,
24:16with rich cultures, and with inspiring people.
24:19I'm Rick Steves.
24:21Until next time, keep on traveling.
24:25It was also the nickname of her lover.
24:28I guess it's up to the viewer to decide what's really going on.
24:31Like painted wooden plates from mountain forests.
24:38That was good!
24:40Like painted wooden plates from mountain forests.
24:44Like painted wooden plates.
24:46Like painted wooden plates.
24:47Like painted wooden plates.
24:49Like I found a stone waving at night.
24:50So it was a judge by going into bunches and democORY,
24:52loving archetypes in his sketches.
24:59And we're all about to learn how to glow together.
25:01And all of these gems we've got together for these dimensions.
25:05And all this treasure map works with all those small points.
25:10Any BSN stopwatchers' A part of what I can try and be a genius while
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