KrakowInformer.com

 People in Krakow

There are about 750 thousand people living in the city of Krakow, but this doesn't give the full picture about the number of Krakow people. When the inhabitants of the small towns and villages near Cracow that have virtually become parts of the city are counted in, the number of people doubles.

That's not all – many of the students of the Krakow universities have come from other parts of Poland, and not all are registered as living in the city, so the total number of people can be quite different than the official data – especially given that the number of Krakow students exceeds 150 thousand.

What is consistent about the number of Krakow people is that there are significantly more women than men (400 vs 350 thousand).

Contrary to the situation of the beginning of the 20^th century, when Krakow was a truly multicultural and multireligious city, now the Polish people dominate. The number of foreigners grows constantly, though, and after Poland joined the EU, the movement's speed increased, and as of now several thousand expats live in Krakow more or less permanently, bringing a fresh breeze of the unusual to the city.

What attracts people – not only foreigners – to moving to Krakow are, firstly, the Krakow universities, and, perhaps more importantly, the job offers. With a registered unemployment rate of 3,3% in 2008, Krakow is one of the Polish cities where work seems easiest to find, and where many international companies decide to invest. One shouldn't be too optimistic, though – the official numbers can be slightly different from what is really happening, and the economic crisis might change the job market in Krakow in 2009.

That's what you can learn from the numbers - but the most important things are those that you will learn directly from the Krakow people. A common stereotype is that people from Krakow are misers, hence the nickname "centusie" (penny-pinchers) they are sometimes given. This is in fact far from the truth - you will find that Krakowians are friendly, generous and helpful, although may seem a bit detached at times. More importantly, more and more of the Krakow people speak English, so communication shouldn't be much of a problem.