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Next to swanky apartments, expressions of outsized street art abound, lending the gentrifying air an element of edge. This unexpected joy of clashing sights and sounds continues with deeper explorations: Mercs mounted aggressively on the pavement stand inches from dusty old school cafes festooned with plastic plants while left-field galleries sit next to family-run stores selling spanners and mops.

TFNĬlose by, the Bernatek pedestrian bridge, a gently curving walkway decorated with overhead sculptures that wobble in the breeze, pulsates with evening illuminations that cast a glow over the inky, evening waters.

Brushing next to peeling, pre-war tenements, an outbreak of swanky, gated condos have risen by the river, the powerful contrast between old and new particularly pronounced by the looming presence of Cricoteka – a multi-functional, glass-encased arts venue built ingeniously to hover over a former power station.Ĭhallenging, witty and playful, the exhibitions form an immersive experience that’s a feast for the senses. Of course, being a traditionally working class suburb, Podgórze’s reputation hadn’t always been too engaging – in the social chaos of the immediate post-communist years, it earned the unwelcome moniker of “the land of flying knives” – and to my knowledge, that wasn’t because of the presence of a circus. MOCAK art gallery next door is a harmonious creative space that aims to “reduce prejudice against contemporary art.” TFN Yes I was in Kraków, but in a Kraków un-menaced by the Easy Jetting rabble. It was the start of January, 2017, I think, and a general lack of central hotel vacancies pushed my hand into settling for digs on the other side of the river as it turned out, this was a blessing in disguise.Ībsorbed into Kraków 110-years back, to all intents and purposes Podgórze has retained a strong independent identity and it was this that struck me first. My opinion turned long before covid-19 saw tourist figures flatline, with my change of heart largely attributed to an accidental stay in the district of Podgórze.Ī powerful contrast between old and new is the looming presence of Cricoteka – a multi-functional, glass-encased arts venue built ingeniously to hover over a former power station. Yep, for me, Kraków lost its magic a fair while ago.

The Bernatek bridge is decorated with overhead sculptures that wobble in the breeze. I mean, really, how can you ever fully enjoy a city when the only natives you’ll find in the Old Town are the ones selling fluffy dragons or trying to entice you into clip joints. In one of those curious Polish paradoxes, from a foreign set of eyes Kraków is often the first city visitors fall in love with, and yet often also the first they learn to loathe. “Tourist trap, blah blah, Disney Land, etc.” Give me the chance, and I’ll make sure you’re left feeling like a worm as I break the town’s faults down into a jillion broken shards. The Bernatek pedestrian bridge is a gently curving walkway, the illuminations of which cast a glow over the inky evening waters. If that sounds a little like a threat, then hell yeah, it should be treated as one, for I’m one of the growing wave of irritating long-term expats that can’t wait to launch into a diatribe about Poland’s second city.

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Kraków’s Podgórze district is full of mystery and desire.

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