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Krakow
Mounds
Krakow’s two prehistoric landmarks,
the Mound of Krak (Kopiec Kraka) and the
Mound of Wanda (Kopiec Wandy) have always
mystified historians. Scholars maintain they were
either the 7th-century monumental tombs or
fortifications or pagan temples. The pair of
man-made mounds some fifty feet high (16.7 m and
14.6 m respectively) upon natural elevations 5,5
miles apart were easily seen from afar. And
together with two natural Krakow hills they
constitute a gigantic astronomical calendar. From
the westernmost Sikornik mountain one can observe
the sunrise exactly over the Wawel Hill on the spring
equinox as well as on the autumnal one, and over
the Mound of Krak on November 1, i.e. the Celtic
New Year’s Day. While watched from the Mound of
Krak, the sun rises over the Mound of Wanda on
the eve of the second biggest feast of Celts, May
1. Curiously, in the early 19th century a
monument to Tadeusz Kosciuszko was erected atop
the Sikornik mountain in the form of a 34-meter
mound (Kopiec Kościuszki). And still
further to the west, on the Sowiniec hill, there
is yet another Krakow mound, the 36-meter-high Kopiec
Pilsudskiego which dates from the late 1930s
and commemorates Marshal Pilsudski, |
Krakow
Poland's prime tourist attraction and a
must in Central Europe boasts numerous
world-class monuments, charming vistas,
delightful atmosphere, and the best restaurants.
City
of Krakow map
In
the proximity of Krakow
Krakow is Poland's tourist mecca, and
also a gateway to many other must-see sites in
the region.
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