WE INVEST IN CULTURE
Krakow owes its attractiveness not only to places, but also to people, who try to build the cultural offer of the city taking into account the needs of the wide public, including both the natives and the visitors. Krakow is a city of numerous festivals, many of which have developed long-lived tradition and regular audience. New projects emerge each year, such as those initiated by Jacek Majchrowski, the mayor of Krakow: Misteria Paschalia, Sacrum-Profanum, Night at the Museums, an event during which all the major museums in Krakow are open to the public all night long and free of charge), Polish Music Festival (Festiwal Muzyki Polskiej) featuring the masterpieces of Polish music in the world's most eminent interpretations, and Dramas of Nations Theatre Festival (Festiwal Dramaty Narodów).
Each year the mayor of the city of Krakow awards prizes for outstanding achievements in science and culture and endows young and promising authors with scholarships. The Nicolaus Copernicus scientific award funded from the municipal budget is granted every five years.
Some new cultural institutions were established during the term of mayor Jacek Majchrowski. The Łaźnia Nowa theatre was created in 2005, seated in its privately acquired building of the former vocational school workshop on Osiedle Szkolne, one of the housing estates in the district of Nowa Huta, and Teatr KTO, the theatre known earlier as Klub incorporated in the structures of the Dworek Białoprądnicki Cultural Centre in Krakow. For nearly 20 years Teatr KTO has been organizing one of the most popular festivals in Krakow, the International Street Theatre Festival. Yet another cultural institution in the city, the Cracovia Danza Court Ballet of Krakow was established in 2006.
Krakowiacy Song and Dance Company Cultural Centre, established in 1951, had been seated in leased premises until January of 2006, when it moved into a new location at 4 Gertrudy street in the centre of Krakow. A new department was attached to the Krakow History Museum, devoted to documenting the historical legacy of Nowa Huta and transformed into the History of Nowa Huta Branch of the Museum in 2005. Apart from the Jan Matejko Manor, this is the only museum situated in Nowa Huta. The branch is located at 16 Osiedle Słoneczne housing estate in the district. The 'Eagle's Pharmacy' Branch of the Krakow History Museum was renovated as well.
Aiming at expanding the cultural offer of Krakow, the municipality acquired the premises of the former cinemas called Związkowiec and Światowid and renovated the Sfinks cinema for the purposes of cultural institutions.
The Centre for Contemporary Art Museum will be established in the buildings of the former Emalia factory (also known as Schindler's factory), acquired and adapted owing to the efforts taken up by the mayor of Krakow.
A backstreet at the city's defensive walls and the Barbican were revitalized. The plans for the future involve restoration works and making the walls available to visitors.
Since 2006, on the initiative of the mayor, funds have been assigned by the City Council to renovate objects which are not the property of the Krakow municipality, such as the corner tenement at the junction of Bracka and Gołębia streets, or the Przebendowski mansion at 13 Św. Jana street. The redesign works in the Planty area included the renovation of the elevation of the Dominican Convent with the Rzeźnicza gate and the picture of Our Lady of the Swedes.
The investment outlays on culture and renovation in the years 2003-2006 amounted to nearly 100 million Polish zlotys, which is several times more than in the previous years.
An attractive all-year cultural offer was created, which, supported with a relevant promotional campaign, proved effective. According to the survey carried out by the high-circulation monthly 'Travel + Leisure' in August of 2006, Krakow ranked among the five best perceived European cities, next to Florence, Rome, Venice and Istanbul. At the end of 2006, Orbitz, a major American travel agency, called Krakow the Hotspot of 2007. Earlier, Project for Public Spaces considered the Market Square in Krakow the best square in the world, better even than St. Mark's Square in Venice.
In 2006, Krakow was visited by 8,000,000 tourists, including 2,100,000 foreigners. The statistics increased considerably as compared to 2003, when there had been 5,500,000 visitors, though only 600,000 of them had been foreigners.
