THE CENTER OF KRAKOW IN POLAND REAL AUDIO
it is one of the oldest cities in southern Poland, it has 761,873 inhabitants and is the second largest in the state in terms of population and surface area. It has been the capital of the related Lesser Poland voivodeship since 1999; it was previously the capital of the Krakow voivodeship since 1308. It is also a large commercial and industrial center (fabrics, leather, agricultural machinery, paper mills, publishing) and an important railway hub.
Krakow has long been the country's capital and today remains its main cultural, artistic and university center - it is home, among others, to the Jagiellonian University, the oldest in the country and one of the oldest in Europe. With more than eight million visitors every year, it is Poland's main international tourist destination. It is famous for its small and well-kept historic centre, registered on the UNESCO List as a World Heritage Site, for its immense central square and for the Planty garden belt, 50 to 100 meters wide which completely surrounds the centre.
Furthermore, it is the first UNESCO site to be considered such in Europe and it is also the first inhabited center considered a world heritage site in the world (1978). The famous painting by Leonardo da Vinci, Lady with an Ermine, has long been kept in Wawel Castle, previously exhibited in the Czartoryski Museum, located in the Old Town. Since the summer of 2017 the painting has been visible at the National Museum in Krakow.
It has been an archiepiscopal seat since the 10th century and Karol Wojtyła, the future Pope John Paul II, was its bishop from 1964 to 1978. European Capital of Culture in 2000, in 2013 it also received the recognition of city of literature from UNESCO, the first city in continental Europe to receive this title and in 2014 the city was chosen as the European City of Sport. Krakow was the host city of the World Volleyball Championship in 2014 and the European Handball Championship in 2016. Furthermore, in 2016, it hosted the 31st World Youth Day.