Almost two-metre high and those just over half a metre high, double-sided and single-sided, indoors and outdoors – 34 Christmas cribs will be waiting in Krakow’s urban space from 5th December. The pride of Krakow shimmering with a thousand colours, with soaring roofs, multicoloured facades, beautiful stained-glass windows, traditional figures but also characters that may surprise us – Krakow’s Christmas cribs attract thousands of visitors every year. Enjoying the beauty of winter in Krakow, we admire the results of work of enthusiasts who maintain this beautiful tradition with great dedication. This year, KFO also invites you to join guided walks. The cribs will be on display until 2nd February 2025.
More than 30 fairy-tale constructions can be admired in windows of shops, hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and also in illuminated free-standing showcases; obviously, the largest structures in popular squares attract particular attention.
The significance of Krakow crib-making – a unique tradition dating back to the 19th century and nurtured by entire multi-generational crib-making families – was confirmed in 2018 by the first Polish inscription on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Thanks to this peculiar generational relay, new unique works are created every year, combining the canonical form of the Krakow Christmas crib with the unfettered imagination of its creators. On this year’s route of the walk Around the Crib, we will see works by representatives of many famous families: Malik, Dłużniewski, Markowski, Czyż, Freiberg or Zarzycki.
Walks and walker
You are invited both to explore crib-filled Krakow on your own and to walk with a licensed guide. During an individual sightseeing tour, you will need a walker containing a map of this year’s locations and information about all Christmas cribs on display in the urban space. It is available atwww.wokolszopki.pl.
In December, on three occasions, we invite you to walk together on the trail of nativity scenes located near the Main Square. A unique walk with live audio description for the visually impaired and blind will take place on 15th December at 12 p.m. Appropriate narration will be provided by Dominika Mietelska-Jarecka (tickets available from 16th December). The next walks will be held on 22nd December at 12 p.m. (tickets available from 6th December) and on 26th December at 4 p.m. (tickets available from 16th December). Host: Emil Bajorek – licensed guide to Krakow.
Entrance tickets at the price of PLN 10 will be available at www.kbfbilety.krakow.pl.
Children up to the age of 3 enter for free.
Workshop at the Bronowice Gallery
On 14th December, between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., a workshop for children and young people will be held at the Bronowice Gallery. During the class, participants will learn about the beautiful Christmas crib tradition. They will have pre-made cardboard pieces to put and glue architectural elements together, and they will also learn about the next steps of building the crib by adding colour windows and internal lighting. Embellishments such as coloured visors, zircons and pearls will be a great finishing touch. Admission is free.
____
The annual competition for the most beautiful Krakow Christmas crib will take place on 5th December. The participating cribs will be on display at a post-competition exhibition of Krakow cribs at the Krakow Museum in the Krzysztofory Palace from 9th December 2024 till 2nd March 2025.
Organisers: City of Krakow, KFO, Krakow Museum.
Main Partner: Kazimierz Gallery
Partners: Bronowice Gallery, Suempol, Fabryczna 13, Mercure Krakow Fabryczna City