Krakow's oldest Polish cities

Is one of the oldest and second-largest Polish cities, the city located on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the seventh century. Krakow was traditionally one of the leading centers in Polish, cultural, artistic and academic life. The most important economic centers in Poland. It was the capital of Poland 1038-1569; and the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth 1569-1596; and became the city without being the capital of any state or province 1815-1846; the capital of the Grand Duchy of Krakow 1846-1918, and the capital of Krakow Voivodeship from the 14th century to 1999. It is now the capital of Lesser Poland province. The city has grown from a Stone Age settlement to Poland's second most important city. It also started a small village on the Wawel Hill and was already being mentioned as a trading center crowded in Europe slave in 965. With the establishment of new universities and cultural venues in the emergence of Second Polish Republic in 1918 and throughout the 20th century, Krakow confirmed its role of academic, artistic and major national hub. The city has a population of about 760,000, while about 8 million people live within 100 kilometers (62 miles) radius from the main square. After the invasion of Poland by German forces during World War II, Krakow turned into the capital of the general government. The transfer of the Jewish population of the city to the walled area known as the Krakow ghetto, which were sent to extermination camps such as Auschwitz and Plaszow. Krakow was the European Capital of Culture in 2000. The city also hosted the World Youth Day in 2016