Medieval Krakow
Dan Snow's History Hit

Medieval Krakow

B2Upper-intermediateAugust 24, 20261h 2m
  • History

In the Middle Ages, Krakow was one of Central Europe’s greatest cities: a thriving crossroads of kings, merchants and legends, crowned by a royal castle and haunted by tales of dragons. But in 1241, catastrophe arrived. Mongol armies swept in from the east, devastating the region and reducing Krakow to ashes. Yet from the ruins, the city would rise again, stronger and grander than before. Join Dan on a journey to uncover Krakow’s extraordinary medieval story - exploring its castles, streets and legends to discover how invasion, destruction and remarkable resilience forged one of Europe’s most magnificent cities...

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It was a world in which people talked of dragons and magic.

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B2 · Upper-intermediate

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0:30

It was a world of kings and queens, knights and castles. It was a world in which people talked of dragons and magic. At its heart, it's at Kraków, the city in modern-day Poland. In the Middle Ages, Kraków was one of the great cities of central Europe.

0:52

A crossroads between the Baltic world, the German lands, the kingdoms of Hungary and Bohemia, with trade routes stretching east towards the Kievan Rus and the Black Sea. It was a city of bustling market squares and cobbled lanes, merchant caravans, church bells, the sparkling Vistula River, and the towering Royal Castle, high on a promontory.

1:16

Beneath that, according to the legend, a dragon lay in wait. In the 13th century, Krakow must have seemed as close to a fairy tale as anywhere on earth, much still does today. But like all fairy tales, there is threat, there is a dark twist in this city's story.

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