Kraków

Kraków (Polish: Kraków [ˈkrakuf]?, Yiddish: Kroke) is the second largest city in Poland after Warsaw, with a population of 774,839 (as of June 30, 2019). The city is located at an altitude of 188–393 meters above sea level on the Vistula River in southern Poland and is the capital of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship (Małopolska). It was the capital of Poland until 1609 and was also situated on the Via Regia, a Hanseatic city. It is also a bishop's town. Kraków is one of the most important cultural cities in Central Europe. It is therefore sometimes called the "Florence of Poland" and, according to many, one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. Furthermore, the city was one of the few cities in Poland to survive the Second World War unscathed. The city center is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Krakow was the European Capital of Culture in 2000. Krakow is a UNESCO City of Literature.