Google Arts & Culture is a project initiated in 2011 by Google designers and museums worldwide. It aims to capture art at a resolution around a thousand times greater than the best cameras and to make it available to Internet users in the simplest way possible. Culture, traditions and all kinds of art are presented on the platform, and collections are divided into different categories by, for example, colour, place, tradition or museum collections. Many objects can also be visited virtually.
Google Arts & Culture, in collaboration with thirteen Krakow cultural institutions, has created an online collection entitled. "Kraków-wow!" is around 50 exhibitions covering more than 2,000 objects. With the help of Street View, Internet users can walk in the footsteps of the Wawel Castle courtiers or the Wieliczka Salt Mine miners. Thus, Krak's City will join other urban collections on the platform, alongside Parma, Rio de Janeiro, Atlanta or Dubai.
Medieval Kraków is present in many aspects of the City's culture. The historical roots of the City of the Kings can be traced back to this era, which left a significant mark on the urban space in the form of the Royal Castle, the magnificent market square, or the site of the most significant state revenue, the salt mines. However, medieval architecture and legends of the dragon, Lajkonik and the bugler are not everything. Each of the successive eras has left its mark, ensuring that lovers of specific styles will find something for themselves. The art exhibitions in several museums are open to the public, where one can admire great artists associated with the City, such as Stanisław Wyspiański, Olga Boznańska, Jan Matejko and Leon Wyczółkowski. Artists' contemporary works can also be viewed in the "Bunkier Sztuki" Gallery of Contemporary Art.
Kraków's traditions (link to the Arts and Culture website about traditions) are not only legends but also folk costumes, toys, colourful decorations and farmers' daily life in bygone times presented by the Ethnographic Museum. In the evening, the City revives in the Jewish Quarter - Kazimierz, where artists, residents and tourists meet in bars and art cafés. The Kraków Festival Office takes care of the City's national and international publicity by organising various festivals, e.g., Sacrum Profanum, Misteria Paschalia and the Film Music Festival.
The traditions of the art scene, which are also alive today, are also linked to the heart of Małopolska. Court dances are still performed today by Cracovia Danza Court Ballet artists. Piwnica pod Baranami is the centre of Kraków song, and on the stage of the Juliusz Słowacki Theatre, the transformation of Gustav into Konrad is performed, Balladyna's crimes are revealed, and Henryk Siemiradzki's elaborate curtain falls after Hamlet's death.
The "Kraków-wow!" project is divided into four main thematic blocks: traditional, legendary, beautiful and artistic Kraków. Each one shows a different aspect of Krakow's culture. The cooperation of many Kraków cultural institutions has made it possible for the heritage of Małopolska to be presented to a broad audience. It is worth visiting the website www.artsandculture.google.com/project/krakow, as even a Kraków resident can experience the culture in their City differently.
We invite you on a virtual journey throught selected exhibitions!