KrakowInformer.com

The Blonia

Situated between the Wisla Krakow and Cracovia Krakow stadiums, near the historic Krakow Old Town, just across the street from the main building of the National Museum is... a meadow. A pretty large one, too, since its area is 48 hectares. Strictly speaking, the Blonia are not a meadow, but a park, and also, since 2000, an official Krakow Landmark.

The Blonia have been listed as a landmark for a reason. Or quite a few reasons, to be exact. Firstly, the meadow has been there for a long time, at least since 1162, when the Blonia were given to the sisters of the St. Norbert's Convent by the knight Jaksa of Miechow. About two centuries later, the nuns traded the Blonia for a house on the Florianska street, which burned down soon after – and the Norbertan nuns tried to have the Blonia returned to them, but although they moved heaven and hell (and the pope), and tried for centuries, the Blonia have remained Krakow's possession.

Used mostly as grazing land, the Blonia have also been put to a much more spectacular use. In 1809, Napoleon Bonaparte had a name day parade organized on the Blonia. Some 100 years later, the Blonia were the starting lane for the first airplane to start in Krakow.

Now, the Krakow Blonia are used mainly as a recreation ground for families with children and pets – occasionally, the pets are as big as cows. Also, with a capacity of a few million people, the Blonia are the place where some of the biggest Krakow events are organized: during their visits, the popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI gave masses on the Blonia; some of the biggest Krakow concerts and festivals – like the Krakow Film Music Festival  – are organized on the Blonia.