History of Kraków

History of Kraków

Medieval

The earliest known settlement on the present site of Kraków (Cracow) was established on Wawel Hill, and dates back to the 4th century. Legend attributes the town's establishment to the mythical ruler Krakus, who built it above a cave occupied by a ravenous dragon, Smok Wawelski.

Before the Polish state existed, Kraków was the capital of the tribe of Vistulans, subjugated for a short period by Great Moravia. Kraków's first appearance in historical records dates back to the 8th century, and notes that the prince of the Vistulans was baptized there. The first mention of the city's name dates to 966, when Abraham ben Jacob mentioned it as a notable commercial centre of the Bohemia/Czechs.

After Great Moravia was destroyed by the Hungarians, Kraków became part of the kingdom of Bohemia. By the end of the 10th century, the city was a leading center of trade. Around that time, it was incorporated into the holdings of the Piast dynasty of Poland. [Krystyna Van Dongen (née Wyskwarska) and Frank Van Dongen, ] [pl icon Andrzej Chwalba. " [http://letters.krakow.pl/books/cracow_german_occupation.html Krakow w latach 1939-1945] " Cracow under German Occupation, 1939-1945. Dzieje Krakowa tom 5. Cracow: Wydawnictwo Literackie, 2002.]

The Red Army's arrival brought mass rapes on Polish women and girls, as well as the brutal plunder of all private property by Soviet soldiers. This crime wave reached such scale that even the communists installed by the Soviet NKWD in the city wrote a letter of protest to Joseph Stalin; meanwhile, masses in churches were held in intention of the quick Russian withdrawal from Kraków.

After the war, the government of the People's Republic of Poland ordered the construction of the country's largest steel mill in the suburb of Nowa Huta. This was regarded by some as an attempt to diminish the influence of Kraków's intellectual and artistic heritage by industrialization of the city and by attracting to it the new working class.

The city is regarded by many to be the cultural capital of Poland. In 1978, UNESCO placed Kraków on the list of World Heritage Sites. In the same year, on October 16, 1978, Kraków's archbishop, Karol Wojtyła, was elevated to the papacy as John Paul II, the first non-Italian pope in 455 years.

21st century

Kraków's population has quadrupled since the end of the war. Offshoring of IT work from other nations in recent years has become important to the economy of Kraków and Poland in general. The city is the key center for this kind of business activity. There are about 20 large multinational companies in Kraków, including centers serving IBM, General Electric, Motorola, and Sabre Holdings, along with British and German-based firms. [ [http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/printable/india2_info_print.html] [http://www.sabre-holdings.com/aboutUs/locations/poland.html] ]

Notes


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