Historyczne centrum Krakowa (1978)

• Authors: SIWEK ANDRZEJ

Title variants

EN

Historic Centre of Kraków (1978)

• Languages of publication: PL EN

Abstracts

EN

The historic centre of Kraków is one of the most outstanding examples of mediaeval town-planning in Europe. It consists of three urban units: the Wawel Hill complex (a symbol of royal authority and a necropolis that testifies to dynastic and political connections of mediaeval and modern Europe), the pre-chartered city of Kraków; and the town of Kazimierz, including the suburb of Stradom. This homogeneous urban complex is characterized by a harmonious development pattern and an accumulation of successive layers of elements representing all styles from the early Romanesque up to modern architecture, which can be traced in numerous temples and monasteries, monumental public buildings, relics of the mediaeval defensive walls, as well as palazzos and townhouses designed and erected by highly accomplished architects and craftsmen. Criterion: (iv) The Historic Centre of Kraków – between preservation and the challenges of today Kraków is unique. Historically, it is one of the capitals of Poland, the city of kings, bishops, scholars, and artists. It is also a lens focusing dynastic, political, economic, cultural, and artistic threads that are highly significant for the history of European civilization in a perspective reaching back beyond the time frame of the past millennium. It is a city whose development owes much to the contributions of numerous eminent strangers from different parts of the world, which resulted in the original character of the local art and a cultural specificity that combines universal values and local tradition; a city whose undeniable asset is its history, still visible in the form of successive layers in the urban fabric itself, as well as in the works of architecture and art. Kraków provides a representative example of the historic European city, which is, at the same time, a local centre whose distinct, regional character only serves to complement the universal values it represents. Its special standing among the cities of Europe is further confirmed by the fact that it was among the first twelve sites inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1978. As such, the city can serve as a perfect research field and illustration of various processes connected with its presence on the List. It should be noted here that it was the historic centre of the city that was inscribed on the List. This consists of three settlement units: Wawel Hill with its royal castle and Roman Catholic cathedral; the historic centre of Kraków with the preserved pre-incorporation urban layout as well as the one from the time of the ‘Grand Charter’ of 1257; and Kazimierz, Kraków’s mediaeval satellite town with a suburb and rich complex of monuments documenting the existence of the Jewish quarter in its historical town structure. The centre of Kraków is surrounded with a ring of districts formed in the period of the city’s expansion (from the 18th to the 20th century), sometimes as competitive centres of development such as the town of Podgórze towards the end of the 18th century or the district of Nowa Huta in the mid-20th century. Yet the oldest part, the city centre, has actually played the role of the main administrative and economic urban core until the present day, which has its own impact upon the character of its protection. The historic centre’s functions and character have been changing under the influence of political and economic transformations. This, in turn, results in continual pressure upon its historic tissue and requires special activity on the part of the services protecting the city’s monuments and constant updating of the protection policies. The inscription on the World Heritage List was on the one hand a powerful stimulus to strengthen the protection policy but on the other hand it continues to exert its influence upon some of the longterm changes and transformations that are currently taking place. When it was inscribed on the List in 1978, Kraków was undoubtedly the most valuable historic urban complex in Poland; but, at the same time, it was also a city on the verge of ecological disaster. The industrial development, resulting partly from the regional tradition and partly from the Cold War strategy of building up heavy industry, was generating emergency levels of air pollution. ‘Acid rain’ would devastate the city’s historic tissue. To become equal to the protection standards associated with being inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, in 1978 the contemporary authorities established the Civic Committee for the Restoration of Kraków Heritage headed by the Chairman of the Council of State of the Polish People’s Republic. Thus in the conditions of the socialist state a collegial body was created whose task consisted in accumulating and distributing resources for the preservation of the endangered historic monuments. In 1985, the lower chamber of polish parliament, by way of legislation, created the National Fund for the Renovation of Kraków’s Monuments, a state fund that guaranteed annual allocations for the protection of monuments in the city. Following the political transformations after 1989, the management of the fund was passed into the civic hands and, from 1990 to the present, the fund has been guaranteed by the President of the Republic of Poland, while the distribution of its resources is supervised by the Civic Committee for Restoration of Kraków Heritage which consists of personages from the field of culture, experts on the protection of monuments, the clergy, and local representatives of the state administration and municipal or regional authorities. This solution, exceptional on a national scale, has proved correct both in the context of civic participation and from the perspective of the hundreds of renovated buildings and works of art housed in their interiors, and even in the context of the maintenance of the consistent implementation of a policy of monument protection which allows the continuity and periodicity of activities that guarantee the best results from the point of view of the monument protection services. Due to the political transformations and, first and foremost, to the fact that respect for private property rights was restored after 1989, the owners of historic properties have also become active and currently contribute sums equal to, or even higher than, the state allocations for the protection of Kraków’s monuments. This is also possible thanks to the opening of the national borders after Poland’s accession to the EU, which turned the historic centre of the city into a hub of the international tourism industry. The tourist traffic generates considerable income for the owners of the properties, but also poses a series of new challenges. The historic city centre has become depopulated. A distinct feature of Kraków – its specific community composed of academics, artists, and conservative burghers – has been dispersed, remaining partly in the 19th-century districts surrounding the city core, and partly moving away to satellite urban areas. Meanwhile, the historic centre has been dominated by tourist services, mainly hotels and catering businesses. A beneficial result of all the above changes is the fact that more and more of the historic interiors – such as mediaeval cellars or modern interiors with artistic decoration - are rendered accessible to the public. On the other hand, the interference with the spirit of the place, may be a downside effect. It should also be added here that Kraków has become the starting point for visiting other World Heritage sites nearby, such as the Wieliczka and Bochnia Royal Salt Mines, the Auschwitz Birkenau German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp (1940-1945), the Mannerist Architectural and Park Landscape Complex and Pilgrimage Park in Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, the Wooden Churches of Southern Małopolska, and Wooden Tserkvas of the Carpathian Region in Poland and Ukraine. New World Heritage routes are established, and a whole network is emerging whose focal point is still the city of Kraków. Thus, following a centuries-old tradition, Kraków and its historic centre play the part of a busy economic hub and regional metropolis. Awareness of the great value of its historic urban complex – and particularly of the area inscribed on the World Heritage List and of the need to protect it – still remains firm and universal. Yet the experiences of recent decades indicate that efficient protection of such values reaches far beyond the framework of the traditional activities of monument protection services. It requires an involvement of many different participants and calls for a protection-minded management. On a local scale, the whole monument protection system has been constantly evolving in Kraków. It seems that this evolution tends in the direction indicated by the theory and practice of world heritage, that is, towards management plans and active protection plans. Nevertheless, this process of change takes time and calls for the proper education of all the participants in the complex process of monument protection, which cannot ignore the tendencies prevailing in the development of the city. Thus the principle behind the way the monument protection system moves forward should be the statement that development is supposed to contribute to the preservation of the historic values which are, at the same time, the fundamental inspiration of the development.

Keywords

PL

Historyczne centrum Krakowa; Kraków; miasto historyczne; Lista światowego dziedzictwa

• Publisher: Narodowy Instytut Dziedzictwa
• Journal: Ochrona Zabytków
• Year: 2017
• Issue: Dodatek Specjalny. Dziedzictwo w Polsce.
• Pages: 68-74

Dates

published

2017

Contributors

author

SIWEK ANDRZEJ

• Oddział Terenowy NID w Krakowie
• National Heritage Board of Poland, Regional Office in Kraków

Identifiers

ISSN

0029-8247