Cracow, Poland — History and Culture
Cracow took a severe beating from the Tatars, who burned it to the ground in 1241. But within less than two decades, the new town's center had been set on a grid pattern, with the Rynek Glowny (Main Market Square) in the middle, and Cracow's centerpiece, Wawel Castle, to the south. Economic prosperity and a cultural boom led to a golden age in the 15th and 16th centuries; when the Third Partition of 1795 effectively erased Poland from the map, the city became a major center for Polish culture and the spiritual capital of a country that no longer existed. Cracow's closest call came during World War II, when it was looted but didn't experience major combat or bombings. As a result, Cracow is now the most intact, large city in Poland.
