One Day in Krakow in Black and White

You must have enough life-giving energy and vivid colors in your heart to see the beauty in monochrome. This is true at least for one person in the world - for me. 😊

And while it is so, I invite you to wander aimlessly with me in a fascinating web of medieval streets of the Old Town of Krakow.

A city that managed to preserve not only Royal chic but also the general harmony and synergy of modern life and ancient buildings. What I like so much and what cities in Ukraine lack so badly.

Walking through the ancient streets of Krakow is pure pleasure for the eyes. I am sure that this city has been a source of inspiration for many years for outstanding artists and ordinary amateurs like me.

This is my second visit to Krakow.

This time, after visiting Warsaw, the old city that was destroyed and rebuilt from scratch, I asked myself - how did Krakow survive WW II and preserve its thousand-year history?

The fact is that in 1939 Krakow surrendered to the German troops without a fight, and 6 days later it became the capital of the Governor General. After this, the Germans did not make sense to destroy it.

During the retreat, Hitler's forces were focused on delaying the advance of the Soviet army and having enough time to retreat. They did not blow up houses, as happened in Kyiv. Although in fact, after the collapse of the USSR, the Soviet myth about the destruction of the main street of Kyiv by fascists was disproved, and it turned out that the Soviets themselves did it.

Another thing I like about Krakow is that local businesses don't deface old facades with big, ugly signboards. Although I think that the locals may not agree with me. We rarely appreciate what we have. Until they see what the streets with old houses look like in Lviv or Ivano-Frankivsk, in the west of Ukraine.