Krakow, Poland: Gastronomic Capital of Culture 2019

Arriving in Krakow on a hot and muggy national holiday, I noticed on a map that the UNESCO World Heritage designated “Old Town” was encircled by a park. What was my first thought? Tour the city on a bike, of course. I watched gleeful residents and their kids zooming along wide pathways cooling off under a canopy of low hanging branches. Ten minutes later we were seated on our Treks and ready to rumble. What a difference a set of wheels makes! I was here to explore the culinary scene which recently erupted to a full-blown Michelin level with Poland’s intellectual capital being named the Culinary Capital of Culture, 2019.

Exploring by Bike

We pedaled easily along the circuitous trail passing the Jagiellanian University, the second oldest in central Europe, and the statue of Copernicus, the Polish born astronomer who affirmed a theory about the sun’s revolution that survives today. Skirting the Vistula River that runs through central Krakow, we made our way over the Father Bernatek Footbridge where playful trapeze figures clung to the bridge’s suspension wires.

The spritz of a sun shower provided some relief as we glided downward into the neighborhood of Podgórze, the former Jewish Ghetto during the Nazi invasion and the sight of Schindler’s factory and Ghetto Heroes Square. The square is home to the Empty Chairs Memorial which commemorates the atrocities committed there. We were told the story of the Under the Eagle Pharmacy on the far corner, the sole drugstore permitted to dispense drugs to the Jews. The light downpour seemed appropriate for a quiet moment of reflection.

The Jewish Quarter

Turning back toward the Old Town, we tracked narrow cobblestoned streets to Kazimierz, the former Jewish quarter, stopping at the old temple, now a museum, and the Remuh Synagogue, the only surviving temple today with its ancient cemetery. Krakow is visited by 17 million tourists each year, many of them to connect with their Jewish roots.

In 1939 after the outbreak of World War II and the rise of the Third Reich, Jews living in the city were forced to leave their homes and possessions to reside in the ghetto under unbearable conditions. Many died within weeks and by the time the ghetto was emptied in 1943, the remaining ones had been sent to Nazi concentration camps nearby at Auschwitz-Birkenau to be killed in the gas chambers. Today the camps, a little over an hour’s drive from the city and visited by throngs of tourists, are solemn museums that are reminders to maintain a reverence for all those sent to their deaths.

We left the cacophony of the quarter passing gentrified loft apartments and bustling open-air bars filled to the brim with happy drinkers enjoying the intense summer heat to resume another historical connection.

Fairy Tale Castle

Wawel Castle, its exterior glowing with gold, ochre and red bricks, sits grandly atop Wawel Hill, an almost Disney-esque beacon overlooking the Old Town. After climbing to its summit, you find yourself in the middle of a medieval fairy tale. Krakow is called the City of Kings and as you enter the castle and weave your way through some of the 100 rooms contained here that fact becomes crystal clear. Dating from around the 10th century when the area was chosen as the seat of Polish kings, the castle stood as the home of Polish royalty. Almost entire floors are embellished with 16th-century Flemish tapestries, 170 of them in all, some woven with gold and silk threads. The colors of these mesmerizing pictorials still pop even after hundreds of years.

Afterward, we hop on our bikes to head down the back side of the hill to catch a dragon in action. In Polish folklore the famous Wawel Dragon’s lair was in a cave at the foot of Wawel Hill on the bank of the river. Today, a large interactive sculpture by Bronislaw Chromy marks the spot. Loudly spewing flames every 10 minutes, it’s a fitting curtain call for the whole experience.

Foodie Heaven

Krakow is consistently named one of the 10 most beautiful towns in Poland, the Gothic church spires of its Old Town looming above a patchwork of Baroque and Romanesque buildings. It was the country’s first capital. Today it maintains a different capital status as the 2019 Gastronomic Capital of Culture, no small feat for a city with a little over 750,000 people. This prestigious first-time ever designation was awarded by the European Gastronomic Academy. What exactly does that mean for visitors?

Firstly, it means that the sky’s the limit when it comes to choosing a restaurant thanks to the attractive exchange rate of the Polish zloty to the dollar. Secondly, and perhaps more importantly it means that chefs are pulling out all the stops by recreating national dishes in ingenious ways and devising adventurous tasting menus with food pairings showcasing Poland’s excellent wines. When people eat well, they’re happy and this is what you feel all around in Krakow right now.

Just one example is Robert Koczwara of Fiorentina Dom Polski, a rustic culinary find off the Rynek Glowny on the street leading to the Castle. There Chef Robert has re-invented many of the Polish staples like his Kluseczki (potato dumplings with a vegetable demi-glace) and has carved out a niche for international dishes like Risotto and dry aged beef. His Creamy Cherry Fois Gras molded into the shape of a cherry is just one of the standouts on the 7-course tasting menu that ends with an utterly whimsical dessert sampling that’s extraordinary. He’s one of numerous chefs in Krakow right now offering creative tasting menus to adventurous diners.

Salt of the Earth

We’re standing in a chilly waiting area as a clanging bell indicates a lift is coming up. Stepping inside the tiny car with our guide Alicia and only 3 others, we slowly descend several levels into the hallowed corridors of Wieliczka, an abandoned salt mine on the outskirts of Krakow. This day trip from the city is also UNESCO World Heritage designated and regularly classified in guidebooks as the city’s top attraction. Supposedly drawing over a million visitors a year, I can pretty much confirm this as I watch the hordes of tourists getting off their tour buses.

I first heard about it from a Polish friend of a friend in the US who told me I shouldn’t miss it. But I didn’t quite understand what she was talking about because I’d never heard of a salt mine. Some favor sweet, others savory. Alighting in the first of many viewing chambers, Alicia encourages us to lick the walls and taste the salt. Sure enough, the walls are pure salt.

The mine is nothing less than an entertainment complex today with 2391 chambers, some with intricate tableaus incorporating life-sized statues carved in salt. There are over 150 miles of corridors accessing 9 levels starting from 200 feet down to well over 1000 feet. To put its size into perspective, the touristic area is a mere 2% of it! There’s even a health resort at the bottom for treating stubborn respiratory ailments.

After a casual lunch in the onsite restaurant, we once again squeeze into the elevator car and slowly ascend. Bidding farewell Alicia dryly states, “Today the salt mine is a gold mine” … too true! If you’re lucky enough to be planning to visit Krakow, put it at the top of your list.

www.poland.pl/tourism