Historical Cities And the Traps of Growth
As cities grow and compete for attention, domestically and abroad, questions inevitably arise as to how this growth can be managed and regulated by city strategists and supported by activists (if it’s not a contradiction in terms). Some even question whether it should be managed…
Managing Cultural Heritage And Tourist Experience in the Age of Overtourism
If you’re interested in tourism and world heritage cities, 11-12 March 2020 is probably the date when you might want to be in Kraków, Poland. During those two days a long-awaited conference entitled HISTORICAL CITIES IN SEARCH OF A PREMIUM TOURIST will take place at…
Fireworks In World Heritage Cities – Whenever & Wherever You Please?
The New Face of an Ancient Tradition Fireworks are not something humanity was ever meant to give up easily. The inevitable question almost instantly comes to mind: Why should we? For centuries, they have been associated with joy and celebration. Ever since televised broadcasting started…
Cities And Architecture Contrasts: When The New Meets The Old
One of the most interesting and creatively inspiring challenges for historic cities worldwide, especially UNESCO World Heritage Sites like Kraków, is building bridges and meaningful connections between the legacy of the past and the needs and expectations of today’s societies. It is fair to say that…
Greenery Extraordinaire And The Power of City Branding
In the entire urban-greenery discussion today, there are only two questions, perhaps, that really matter: (a) How green is your city? (b) Why, whatever it is you’re doing to preserve and promote greenery, it is probably not enough? Like many historic cities worldwide, Kraków is undergoing a…
The Packaging of Public Inconvenience: Repairs, Development And City Aesthetics!
Cities usually put their construction and repairs at full throttle during the summer season. There are obvious reasons, of course: reduced car traffic and good weather conditions are only a few. For those who stay in town, as well as those who come to visit,…
A Streetcar Named … Heritage and Cultural Identity
One of the biggest ironies of appreciation, or lack of it, rather, is that if we have access to something on a daily basis, we tend to underestimate its importance, not to mention its formative impact on our lives. Too much of a good thing,…
The 15th OWHC World Congress in Kraków Explained in 8 Minutes
A picture is worth a thousand words, they say. This is why it’s going to be one of the shorter posts in the (equally short) history of the Kraków Heritage Blog. To reach this stage, however, to be able to publish this 8-minute interview (having gathered…
One City and Millions of Photos…All Year Long.
The Meme Culture Do you like memes? I’m quite sure you’ve smiled, maybe even laughed uncontrollably, seeing one or two that matched your particular vein of humour. Have you come across the one with Neil Armstrong and a young woman (two separate photos juxtaposed) in front of…
The 15th World Congress in Kraków: 10 Days Later…
On June 13th, the Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC) published its first news update after the World Congress in Kraków (2-5 June 2019). It starts with the following words: “The 15th OWHC World Congress held in Krakow will be considered a landmark event for…
Kraków City Hall
Urząd Miasta Krakowa
pl. Wszystkich Świętych 3-4
31-004 Kraków
