Kraków is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland.
Situated on the Vistula River (Polish: Wisła) in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th
century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish
academic, cultural, and artistic life and is one of Poland's most important
economic hubs. It was the capital of Poland from 1038 to 1569; the
Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1569 to 1596; Free City of Kraków from 1815
to 1846; the Grand Duchy of Cracow from 1846 to 1918; and Kraków Voivodeship
from the
