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nestling in Krakow

Environmental Protection in Krakow. 

Poland has adopted the environmental standards of the European Union or stricter in the run-up to membership. Environmentalists have always been particularly sensitive to air quality in Krakow. Monitoring stations in every part of the city constantly watch concentration of all principal pollutants in atmosphere. Yet street panels that used to display results in real time are long gone as air pollution has stayed consistently low in the recent decade against acceptable air-quality standards. 

Dismal ecological record of the communist era.

Forced industrialization under the communist rule degraded the environment in many parts of Poland, including Krakow. Particularly emissions of sulfur dioxide and other gases as well as fine particulate matter reached levels hazardous to people and damaging to historical buildings. Also water pollution and contamination of the land alarmed environmentalists. With the fall of communism the situation changed abruptly. In the early 1990s most of the polluter plants in Krakow and its environs closed and the rest have been reined in. The government introduced strict environmental regulations and has been able to enforce them. 

Current pollution in Krakow.

Throughout the whole year 2008 every part of Krakow managed to meet the air-quality standards. Fine particulate matter stayed within the range of the acceptable concentration. And the sulfur dioxide, responsible for acid rain, stayed in Krakow’s central Grand Square at half the level UNESCO allows for its World Heritage Sites. Air quality in central Krakow has kept on improving for years as the city scraped most of its dirty industries and replaced coal heating with the gas one. 

In the recent years both the local government and residents have been mostly concerned about municipal waste management and recycling. 

Krakow – population and industry combined – produces 51.5 cubic hectometers of sewage a year (2007), almost all treated. Some 0.5 domestic sewage is dumped untreated because eight percent of Krakow’s households remain outside the municipal sewage system. Gas emissions in Krakow total 66,107 tons a year (2007) including 16,514 tons of sulfur dioxide. As regards particulate matter 99 percent of it stays retained in pollutant reduction systems. Krakow generates some 2,723,200 tons of solid waste a year (2007) of which 1,743,100 tons recycled, 795,200 ton treated, and 184,900 temporarily stored. 

Nature sanctuaries of Krakow. 

The city boasts 4,840 hectares of legally protected areas of unique environmental value within its limits. Nature reserves in Krakow total just over 48 hectares while landscape parks cover 4,721 hectares of the city's area. Also, there are 192 monuments of nature in Krakow.

Krakow in Poland


Weather in Krakow

Krakow's Wildlife

Krakow Parks

Ojcow National Park

Krakow Geography


Malopolska Province

Polish national parks near Krakow

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