Venue and City

VENUE

AVSS-2013 will be held at the International Cultural Centre (Międzynarodowe Centrum Kultury) located in the Old City's Main Square (Rynek Główny), the very center of a medieval city. There are several hotels within a walking distance from the conference venue, and numerous restaurants catering to a wide range of tastes are located right in the square.

Address:

International Cultural Centre

(Międzynarodowe Centrum Kultury)

Rynek Główny 25

31-008 Kraków

Phone: 12 42 42 811

Fax: 12 42 17 844

Parking

As in any large city's center, car parking is extremely limited. No motor traffic is permitted in the Old City's Main Square.

CITY

Kraków, the royal capital of Poland until late 16th century, today is a home to a quarter of country's museum resources. Visiting Kraków today amounts to an encounter with the most splendid time in Polish history. Its Old City, where AVSS-2013 will be held, the Wawel Hill (left) and the district of Kazimierz were all entered into the 1978 UNESCO World Heritage List. At the time, this prestigious status was given to only 12 other most precious venues in the world, including the Egyptian pyramids and the Great Wall of China. Today, the list includes over 900 names.

There are many other reasons to visit Kraków; see the booklet "21 Reasons to Visit Kraków" for some of them. We know you are busy, but if you find a day or two the booklet "Three Days in Kraków" should help you make most of your time. You can also arrange a private guided tour around Kraków or its environs (see offers from Congress Bureau "Jordan" under Social Program).

At the center of Old City's Main Square, next to the conference venue, is the Cloth Hall, built in the 13th century as two rows of At the center of Old City's Main Square, next to the conference venue, is the Cloth Hall, built in the 13th century as two rows of stalls belonging to cloth merchants. Destroyed and rebulit in 16th century today it hosts the Gallery of 19th Century Polish Art as well as charming cafés and plenty of gift shops. The Main Square is known for its large population of pigeons, florist stalls, horse-drawn carriages and beer gardens.

In a Main Square's corner is the 13th century St. Mary’s Church (left), one of Poland’s most beautiful Gothic basilicas. Its marvelous interior décor features a polychrome, stained glass works, and the largest Gothic altarpiece in the world.

The historic Old City is encircled by the Planty Park where the medieval city walls used to stand until the 19th century. The Barbican (above right) is a fortified outpost that once connected the city walls. A scenic walkway, the park is a cool and shady retreat from the nearby bustling streets in the summer.

A short walk from the conference venue is the Collegium Maius, the oldest building of the Jagiellonian University. Founded in 1364 as the Studium Generale, it was the first Polish university and the second oldest one in this part of Europe, after Prague's university. It has lasted for over six hundred years at the same location. Among Collegium's numerous scientific instruments documenting the development of human thought and science, a special place is held by a globe, known as "the Jagiellonian Globe", manufactured in 1508, serving for the determination of astronomical co-ordinates. It was the first such globe showing the newly discovered land - America.

You can learn more about Kraków's history from the Krakow Wiki Page. For current events, information about the city, etc. please visit the official page of the city at krakow.pl.

The information above was provided, in part, by: