Kraków’s Street Art: A Walk Through History, Creativity & Profound Thought
The districts of Kazimierz and Podgórze in Kraków host some of the most beautiful and distinct murals in Poland. Size is not their only impressive feature, they often have a more in-depth meaning people often miss upon first glance.
People come from near and far to see the multitude of murals; however, not everyone is lucky enough to be able to take a tour. So journey through the streets of Kazimierz & Podgórze with Culture.pl as you discover the magnificent murals of Kraków.
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From spontaneous works by neo-avant-garde artists of the 1970s, via the eruption of political symbols and wall slogans under Martial Law, underground graffiti of the late 1980s, writing that accompanied the regime-change, anti-capitalist stickers and posters of the late 1990s, right through to the street art and public installations of the new millennium. Culture.pl presents a brief history of Polish street art.
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Mural in Bawół Square, Kraków, by Broken Fingaz Crew - an homage to Maurycy Lilien, photo: Mateusz Skwarczek/AG
The tour kicks off with a local favourite. Located at 3 Bawół Square, one of the most breathtaking murals in the city was done for the 24th Jewish Culture Festival (2014). It honours the Bosak family who used to live there for many generations. Their descendants are on record as living there for 400 years before the Nazi German occupation of Poland, and the eventual creation of a ghetto in Kraków, which the house sits on the border of.
Created by the artistic group Broken Fingerz, the mural was inspired by Maurice Lilien, an Art Nouveau-era artist, who graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Kraków. Their choice to use solely black and white was very intentional. These artists are usually characterised by their use of vibrant and bold colours, but this more subdued colour scheme allows for a more sombre feel aligning with the sad backstory of the canvas itself. The family that once lived there safely relocated to Israel. The building now lies vacant. They have not been back since the Nazi occupation, but their legacy lives on in this mural. However, this is not the only mural representative of Jewish culture.
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Mural by Marcin Wierzchowski on the Galicia Jewish Museum wall in Kraków, inspired by Jewish cut-outs, realised as part of the competition Mural na Muzeum, Muzeum na Mural, photo: Jacek Bednarczyk/PAP
Just down the street, there was previously an empty wall. Then, the Galicia Jewish Museum held an art contest. Artists from all over submitted their designs. The winning design would be featured on the side of the museum building. Artist, Marcin Wierzchowski, won the contest with what the Galicia Jewish Museum believes to be the biggest menorah in Kraków, if not in all of Poland.
The images on the right of the menorah represent old-Jewish traditions and life before industrialisation. The left represents a post-industrial world with factories and farms and various modes of transportation, including boats and planes.
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Mural on Wawrzyńca Street in Kraków’s Kazimierz district, photo: Jerzy Ochoński/PAP
Continuing within the Jewish quarter in Kraków, the next mural on the route was commissioned for the 2013 Jewish Culture Festival. Notable Israeli artist, Pil Peled, created the mural titled Judah. According to Peled:
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CNN’s feature article boasting Polish street art as "Bigger than Banksy" has made our murals known to the world. Let us introduce you to the house-size paintings that adorn grey concrete blocks across Poland …and their authors, whose creativity has been spreading abroad
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The image of the child represents fear, vulnerability and the inner child, and the lion represents the Jews' struggle to survive and preserve their culture, as well as the strength to overcome their fears. To us, it looks like Princess Mononoke.
Before the mural was painted, the street was fairly empty. Despite this, people came from all over to see its beauty, and businesses followed. Now the parking lot is a popular place for food trucks and has become known as ‘Judah Square’. Although today it’s covered by food trucks throughout most of the day and night, it just shows that its power to bring people together has become what this mural now represents in addition to the artist's original intention.
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Mural on Józefa Street, Kraków, from the Kazimierskie Murale Historyczne series, featuring Helena Rubinstein, Karol Knaus, Esterka, Kazimierz Wielki, photo: M.Lasyk/Reporter
Few murals are as historic as this one. The next mural on our tour brings historical figures from Kraków to life. Located on Józefa Street, it was created by Piotr Janowczyk in the fall of 2015. It features four of Kraków's most prominent past locals from left to right, along with Emperor Józef Habsburg II after whom the street is named. There’s Helena Rubinstein (founder of one of the first cosmetics companies), Karol Knaus (curator, architect and artist), Esterka (the influential lover of King Kazimierz), and lastly King Kazimierz the Great. It was said that King Kazimierz the Great had a tunnel created to connect his castle to the home of his lover, Esterka, so that they could meet up in secret.
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The documentation of these works is particularly valuable given the evanescent nature of the genre itself.
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Mural on Nowa Street in Kazimierz, Kraków, photo: Mateusz Skwarczek/AG
Our tour makes its way to the downtown area to explore some of the most colourful murals in Kraków, thanks to the 101 Murals for Kraków initiative. The project was created by local artists in response to the increased popularity of murals among locals and tourists. Their goal is to create a series of large-format murals throughout the city, with each mural referring to the context of the area it’s situated in. All the murals are funded by the Conscious Space Foundation.
Pictured above is one of the more colourful contributions to the project. Created in 2016, it is located on the corner of Nowa Street and Józefa Street on the side of an old townhouse. Painted by David Shillinglaw, Billy and Merny Wernz, it is a mural that illustrates the joy of life. The lively colours brighten up the street and complement the other street art done by locals on their own buildings.
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Mural in Podgórze on Lwowska Street, Kraków, designed by Marcin Wierzchowski and Mikołaj Rejs, photo: M. Lasyk/Reporter
Moving along we have another contribution to 101 Murals for Kraków, a beautiful, colourful representation of new and old ways of life. The message is conveyed by the two human-like figures. It was created in the summer of 2014, and is located on Lwowska Street.
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The works of art which were confiscated, stolen, or burnt on Polish territory between 1939 and 1945 number hundreds of thousands. Here, we haven't written about those which were destroyed and lost forever, but instead focus on the ones which still exist somewhere, and remain to be found.
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Lems’ Robot, a mural on Józefińska Street, Kraków, photo: Mateusz Skwarczek/AG
The next major site for murals has a very different feel. This mural is dedicated to science-fiction author Stanisław Lem. Artist Filip Kużniarz created it in November 2012 as part of the Conrad Festival of literature. The quote in Polish translated to English means:
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In the end, people are scorching the brainless servants of iron geniuses and, perhaps, they will begin to worship the divine…
Lem’s feelings are clear, and the straightforward depiction of the robot as a ‘human’ is a very bold statement. It is located at the corner of Józefińska Street and Krakusa Street. Continuing down the street, the other side of the same building hosts a very unique mural.
Maya by Aleksandra Toborowicz, mural, Kraków, photo: courtesy of Mall Wall Art Game over? Not so fast. This mural pays homage to the 2012 phenomenon of the Mayan Calendar predicting the end of the world on 21st December 2012. Completed the night before the supposed end of the world, the image is reminiscent of a video game.
It was completed in a single day by multiple artists and is located on 24 Józefińska Street.
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Mural by Blu on Piwna Street, Kraków, photo: Michał Łepecki/AG
Any street art tour would not be complete without seeing the work of one of the most famous street artists in Europe. In 2011, the street artist known as Blu painted perhaps one of the most controversial murals in Poland. The mural has a megaphone-bell above a mass of people, and is a commentary on the influence the Catholic church has on citizens and government. It is located at Piwna Street and Józefińska Street where a small part of the former Kraków ghetto was.
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As Łódź and Kraków compete for the title of Poland’s street art capital, Warsaw was on the verge of getting rid of an iconic mural painted by the world-famous artist known as Blu. But who is in the right, the defenders of the mural or those in favour of change?
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Literary mural at 3a Traugutta Street, created as part of the Strefa Wolnego Czytania (Free Reading Zone), photo: Jakub Ociepa / AG
The final mural of our tour is located at 3a Traugutta Street. This mural is more for locals than tourists, many of which walk right by it without taking a second glance. However, it offers more than aesthetic beauty for passing photographers. The mural is supposed to represent a bookshelf and each of the sideways words is the title of a famous piece of literature. Created by the ZNACZY SIĘ New Art Foundation and the Kraków Festival Office, it is meant to inspire passers-by to read something new.
The murals on this brief tour are just a few examples of the beautiful displays Kraków has to offer. Other districts also host murals sponsored by independent festivals as well as the 101 Murals for Kraków project, and other initiatives. One tour could not cover every mural Kraków has in store, but hopefully this small example inspires your own self-motivated exploration of Kraków’s street art scene.
