Golden Capital
MOST VIEWED
به زبان فارسی
PICTORY
LATEST MUSIC
SEARCH
My guide pointed to the drape-like walls and said it is the combination of all these magnificent arts that made a visiting Pablo Picasso remark that this church was “the 7th wonder of the world”. The Basilica has 13 altars of which the most cherished is the 15th century altar of the Ascension of the Blessed Virgin Mary with its elaborately decorated triptych.
I went into St. Mary’s Basilica to see the famed gothic stained glass windows of its nave with the blue, starred ceiling.
This was in the midst of many pigeons who have given this area its name, the “pigeon pasture.” My guide said “people are actually encouraged to feed the pigeons.” Flower stalls in the background were run by women; a monopoly which they have kept since medieval times.
Statue of Adam Mickiewicz, Poland’s 19th century great bard, surrounded by four allegorical figures representing poetry, learning, motherland, and valor.
On the day I was there a group had come from a small town an hour away, as they told me. They were having a group picture taken.
A jaunty professor got up from his seat and took my hand and dragged me to the stage where I followed him in vigorous steps which he said were Krakowiak, the traditional dance of Krakow. Three musicians accompanied us with exuberant sounds of their two violins and a base.
it a century ago. I walked into the ground floor which was now full of souvenir stores. One was selling wooden chess sets for three players. The original that the Indians had invented to depict a battle between the armies of two parties had been modified to fit the age of multilateral conflicts.
One corner of the Square is still anchored by the domed Church of St. Adlbert which dates to the 11th century. The remarkable acoustics of its nave make the small church an ideal venue for concerts of medieval music, as the one held on the night of my visit.
Wawel Hill is at the southern tip of Krakow. By 962 Krakow had become a trade center as reported by a traveling merchant from Cordova, Ibrahim ibn Yagub. It was made a bishopric in 1000 and the capital of Poland some forty years later. The town center was designed in 1257, after devastation by the invading Tatars, and has remained mostly unchanged since. Its Market Square (the Rynek) is one of the largest medieval squares in Europe.
We walked in the old neighborhood around the Hill. Here was one of the oldest streets in town, called Canonist Street, where the “Canonical Advisors” to the king used to live.
He pointed out that typical for the era, buildings in this area were identified by figures of animals, and not by numbers.
RECENT COMMENTS
MOST DISCUSSED
| Title | Date | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Islamo Fascist Paedophiles in London. | Dec 01 | 87 |
| Forgotten Captive | Nov 27 | 61 |
| The New Iranian.com Is Ready! | Dec 05 | 39 |
| The Women of Camp Ashraf | Dec 01 | 35 |
| Persian parties are like Persian history! | Dec 03 | 34 |
IRANIANS OF THE DAY
| Person | About | Day |
|---|---|---|
| نسرین ستوده: زندانی روز | Dec 04 | |
| Saeed Malekpour: Prisoner of the day | Lawyer says death sentence suspended | Dec 03 |
| Majid Tavakoli: Prisoner of the day | Iterview with mother | Dec 02 |
| احسان نراقی: جامعه شناس و نویسنده ۱۳۰۵-۱۳۹۱ | Dec 02 | |
| Nasrin Sotoudeh: Prisoner of the day | 46 days on hunger strike | Dec 01 |
| Nasrin Sotoudeh: Graffiti | In Barcelona | Nov 30 |
| گوهر عشقی: مادر ستار بهشتی | Nov 30 | |
| Abdollah Momeni: Prisoner of the day | Activist denied leave and family visits for 1.5 years | Nov 30 |
| محمد کلالی: یکی از حمله کنندگان به سفارت ایران در برلین | Nov 29 | |
| Habibollah Golparipour: Prisoner of the day | Kurdish Activist on Death Row | Nov 28 |