Editor Pick
Uliza Florianska
- May 21, 2002
- Rated 4 of 5 by
Hajo from Witten, Germany
The best choices for original Krakow food and nightlife are to be found on Uliza Florianska, the street which links the market square with Brama Florianska, the Florian Gate. Here you will find the traditional cellar bars, almost all of which are a great experience.
These bars are called Kneipe, a German word which has remained from the time of the Austrian occupation in the 19th century. At this time, the previously empty cellars were turned into cafes, restaurants and bars, and much of today's Krakow lifestyle took shape.
The original Galician food can best be enjoyed in the Kneipe cellars, at very low prices. Many of them have separate restaurants. The food consists mainly of heavy meat dishes, served with all kinds of cabbage. Whereas during the summer months you will get fresh cabbage in all variations, the winter side dish is pickled cabbage, again with many different variations and tastes.
These pubs resemble very much the traditional student clubs in Austria and southern Germany, where they are linked to the history of the Student Corps, the old dueling fraternities. In Krakow, too, students from Krakow University populate these pubs, but without the old-fashioned dustiness of the Austro- German fraternities. Instead, here you will find all kinds of lifestyles and faculties, all featuring their own bands.
Live music is offered on weekends, including everything from the charts to alternative Polish rock, and jazz. There isn't much of a night-club scene in Krakow because that's mostly covered by the pubs.
From journal Little Poland, Big Time