Autumn’23

We want to build a modern city, shaped by the coexistence of different values and norms while remaining loyal to local historical processes and rules which have been developed here, by the Vistula, based on regional and national heritage. A city which is complex and diverse in the cultural sense.

Kraków’s long, rich history makes the entire city into a museum, but it is also constantly changing and evolving in response to the latest needs and challenges. The very concept of cultural heritage – which shapes Kraków’s identity – is fluid, since it means using the past to reach contemporary goals.

The Greek philosopher Sallust explained stories told by people to help them make sense of the world around them by saying, “Now these things never happened, but always are”. Cracovian tales come from a melting pot of legends, the departed, the sacred, anniversaries and anecdotes. The city boundaries are marked by mounds of Krak, Wanda, Kościuszko and Piłsudski.

Festivals are celebrations of culture and a manifestation of the city’s potential. To understand Kraków is to understand their annual rhythm, to notice how they reach for Cracovian identity and heritage to build new meanings and become an indelible part of the contemporary city life.