History of Krakow Timeline

Kraków rose to new prominence in 1364, when Casimir III of Poland founded the Cracow Academy (now Jagiellonian University), the second university in central Europe after the University of Prague.

The city continued to grow under the joint Lithuanian-Polish Jagiellon dynasty, which ruled from 1386 to 1572 and ushered in a golden age for Kraków and the Polish-Lithuanian union.

Image source: Jagiellonian dynasty

The Renaissance, whose influence originated in Italy, arrived in Kraków in the late 15th century along with numerous Italian artists including Francesco Fiorentino, Bartolommeo Berrecci, Santi Gucci, Mateo Gucci, Bernardo Morando, and Giovanni Baptista di Quadro.

Image source: Renaissance in Poland

In 1468, the Italian humanist Filip Callimachus came to Kraków, where he worked as the teacher of the children of Casimir IV Jagiellon, helping bring Renaissance humanism to the city.

Image source: Filippo Buonaccorsi

During the 15th century extremist clergymen advocated violence towards the Jews, who gradually lost their positions. In 1469 Jews were expelled from their old settlement to Spiglarska Street.

In 1475, delegates of the elector George the Rich of Bavaria came to Kraków to negotiate the marriage of Princess Jadwiga of Poland, daughter of King Casimir IV Jagiellon, to George the Rich.

Image source: Jadwiga of Poland

In 1485 Jewish elders were forced into a renunciation of trade in Kraków, which led many Jews to leave for Kazimierz, which did not fall under the restrictions due to its status as a royal town.

In 1488, the imperial Poet Laureate and humanist Conrad Celtes founded the Sodalitas Litterarum Vistulana ('Literary Society on the Vistula'), a learned society based on the Roman Academies.

Image source: Conrad Celtes

In 1489, sculptor Veit Stoss (Wit Stwosz) of Nuremberg finished his work on the high altar of St. Mary's Basilica, one of the finest examples of late Gothic art in Europe.

Image source: Veit Stoss altarpiece in Kraków

Following the 1494 fire in Kraków, a wave of anti-Jewish attacks took place, worsening conditions for the city's Jewish community.

In 1495, King John I Albert expelled the Jews from within the city walls of Kraków; they moved to Kazimierz, now a district of Kraków, where a vibrant Jewish community flourished for centuries.

By 1500, Johann Haller had established a printing press in the city, making Kraków an important early center of printing in Central Europe.

Image source: Johann Haller

Around 1502, Kraków was already featured in the works of Albrecht Dürer as well as in those of Hartmann Schedel (Nuremberg Chronicle) and Georg Braun (Civitates orbis terrarum), reflecting the city's European fame.

Image source: Nuremberg Chronicle

Art and architecture flourished under the watchful eye of King Sigismund I the Old, who ascended to the throne in 1507, presiding over the golden age of the Polish Renaissance.

Image source: Sigismund I the Old

Around 1511, Hans von Kulmbach painted a series of panels for the Church of the Pauline Fathers at Skałka and other churches in Kraków, enriching the city's artistic heritage.

Image source: Hans von Kulmbach

In 1520, Hans Behem made the largest church bell in Poland, named the Sigismund Bell after King Sigismund I. It remains one of the most famous symbols of Kraków.

Image source: The Sigismund Bell

In 1558, a permanent postal connection between Kraków and Venice, the capitals of the Kingdom of Poland and the Republic of Venice respectively, was established and Poczta Polska was founded.

Image source: Polish Post

In 1572, King Sigismund II died childless, and the throne passed briefly to Henry of Valois, then to Sigismund II's sister Anna Jagiellon and her husband Stephen Báthory, and then to Sigismund III of the Swedish House of Vasa.

Image source: Sigismund II Augustus

The reign of Sigismund III changed Kraków dramatically, as he moved the government to Warsaw in 1596, ending Kraków's role as the capital of Poland.

Image source: Sigismund III Vasa

The city was besieged and captured during the Swedish invasion in 1655, part of the devastating conflict known as the Deluge.

Image source: Deluge (history)

In December 1656, Kraków was occupied by the Transylvanian Prince George II Rákóczi, who was an ally of the Swedish king Charles X Gustav.

Image source: George II Rákóczi

In the late 18th century, the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was partitioned three times by Imperial Russia, the Austrian Empire, and the Kingdom of Prussia. After the first two partitions (1772 and 1793), Kraków remained part of the substantially reduced Polish nation.

Image source: Partitions of Poland

In 1794, Tadeusz Kościuszko initiated a revolt against the partitioning powers, the Kościuszko Uprising, in Kraków's market square, becoming a symbol of Polish national resistance.

Image source: Kościuszko Uprising

The Prussian army specifically took Kraków on June 15, 1794, and looted the Polish royal treasure kept at Wawel Castle. The stolen regalia, valued at 525,259 thalers, was secretly melted down in March 1809, while precious stones and pearls were appropriated in Berlin.

Image source: Polish crown jewels

Poland was partitioned for the third time in 1795, and Kraków became part of the Austrian province of Galicia, losing its status as a Polish city.

Image source: Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria

When Napoleon Bonaparte of the French Empire captured part of what had once been Poland, he established the Duchy of Warsaw in 1807 as an independent but subordinate state.

Image source: Duchy of Warsaw

West Galicia, including Kraków, was taken from the Austrian Empire and added to the Duchy of Warsaw in 1809 by the Treaty of Schönbrunn, which ended the War of the Fifth Coalition.

Image source: Treaty of Schönbrunn

The Congress of Vienna restored the partition of Poland but gave Kraków partial independence as the Free City of Cracow, a small nominally independent republic under joint Austrian, Prussian, and Russian protection.

Image source: Free City of Cracow

The city again became the focus of a struggle for national sovereignty in 1846 during the Kraków Uprising. After its suppression, Kraków became the capital of the Grand Duchy of Kraków under Austrian rule until 1918.

Image source: Kraków Uprising

In 1850, around 10% of the city was destroyed in a large fire, causing extensive damage and prompting significant rebuilding efforts.

Image source: Kraków Fire of 1850

After the Austro-Prussian War of 1866, Austria granted partial autonomy to Galicia, making Polish a language of government and establishing a provincial Diet, allowing Kraków's cultural life to flourish.

Image source: History of Galicia (Eastern Europe)

In 1901, the city installed running water and witnessed the introduction of its first electric streetcars, modernizing urban life ahead of many European cities including Warsaw.

Image source: Trams in Kraków

The most significant development of the early 20th century was the creation of Greater Kraków (Wielki Kraków), incorporating surrounding suburban communities into a single administrative unit. Overseen by mayor Juliusz Leo (1904–1918), it helped double the population from approx. 91,000 to 183,000 between 1910 and 1915.

Image source: Płaszów

Several important commemorations took place in Kraków between 1866 and 1914, including the 500th Anniversary of the Battle of Grunwald in 1910, in which world-renowned pianist Ignacy Paderewski unveiled a monument.

Image source: Grunwald Monument

Russian troops besieged Kraków during the first winter of the First World War. Thousands of residents left the city for Moravia and other safer locales, generally returning in the spring and summer of 1915.

Image source: Eastern Front (World War I)

With the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Poles liberated the city and it was included with the newly reborn Polish state in 1918.

Image source: History of Poland (1918–1939)

During the occupation, arrested Kraków academics were sent to Sachsenhausen concentration camp after two weeks, and in March 1940 further to Dachau, part of the Nazi campaign against Polish intellectual life.

Image source: Sonderaktion Krakau

From September to December 1939, the occupiers also operated a Dulag transit camp for Polish prisoners of war in the city.

Already in September 1939, the Organizacja Orła Białego resistance organization was founded, one of the earliest Polish underground movements opposing Nazi occupation.

Image source: Riflemen's Association

The Nazi German forces entered Kraków on September 6, 1939, beginning a brutal occupation during which the city served as the seat of the General Government.

Image source: Occupation of Poland (1939–1945)

The German government operated several forced labour camps in the city, and from 1942 to 1944 they also operated the Stalag 369 prisoner-of-war camp for Dutch, Belgian and French POWs.

Image source: German prisoner-of-war camps in World War II

In 1944, during and following the Warsaw Uprising, the Germans deported many captured Poles from Warsaw to Kraków, swelling the city's population with displaced persons.

Image source: Warsaw Uprising

In 1978, UNESCO placed Kraków on the list of World Heritage Sites, recognizing the exceptional value of the city's historic architecture and urban fabric.

Image source: Historic Centre of Kraków

On October 16, 1978, Kraków's archbishop Karol Wojtyła was elevated to the papacy as John Paul II, the first non-Italian pope in 455 years, bringing worldwide attention to his home city.

Image source: Pope John Paul II

On May 29, 1990, following the end of communism in Poland, Tadeusz Piekarz was temporarily appointed Voivode of Kraków; the appointment was formally confirmed a month later, on June 28, 1990.

In recent history, Kraków has co-hosted various international sports competitions, including the 2016 European Men's Handball Championship, the 2017 and 2021 Men's European Volleyball Championships, the 2023 World Men's Handball Championship, and the 2023 European Games.

Image source: 2023 European Games