Krakow is considered the most beautiful city in Poland and one of the most beautiful in Europe. Few people realise that Krakow can also be reached by boat. The former capital of Poland is located on the Vistula, which flows into the Baltic Sea. However, the approximately 900 kilometres from the Baltic Sea to Krakow, which lies at the foot of the Beskid Mountains, can only be reached with difficulty by flat-bottomed boat or ship - always assuming that the river, which is unregulated for long stretches, has sufficient water.
But the upper reaches of the river are a different story: From Nowa Huta, the former industrial site east of Krakow, via the old town of Krakow and then further west to Oświęcim (Auschwitz), the river is regulated to be navigable for around 90 kilometres. The lock structures, designed for huge cargo ships, look somewhat alien in the landscape - especially as you never see a cargo ship travelling here. The canalised, wide waterway, called the Krakow Vistula, lies like a blue ribbon cut off on both sides in the low mountain range and has no connection to other waterways that are navigable by large ships.
One wonders what kind of planners they must have been to build a major waterway from the upper reaches of a river and leave the "remaining" 900 kilometres to the sea unregulated to the play of nature.
"We have the communists to thank for that," smiles charter company owner Lukasz Krajewski, owner of the Polish charter company Vistula Cruises. "They wanted to develop the Vistula from its source to its mouth as a shipping route. But after 90 kilometres they ran out of steam. Funnily enough, they didn't start building at the bottom, but at the top. I have them to thank for the fact that I now have an interesting area for my houseboats."
Krajewski drives us along the south bank of the Vistula to our mooring. We can see the famous Wawel in Krakow, the former seat of the Polish kings, with the Old Town behind it, dominated by the towers of the equally famous St Mary's Church. The only thing I don't see is a marina. As if reading my thoughts, the charter company points to a hotel ship called "Basia" moored on the northern shore. Surrounding the ship are four motorboats, a sailing catamaran and, at the stern, our "Weekend 820" houseboat.
"This is our marina, including sanitary facilities and a restaurant," says Krajewski. "There are only a few pleasure craft on the Krakow Vistula, but in a few years' time we will certainly have a marina."
We step over the stern of the hotel ship onto our houseboat. The "Weekend 820" is easy to operate, so we only need a short briefing. Where to go? The historic centre of Krakow, the coronation site of all Polish kings and a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978, lies ahead of us.
To get an impression of the city from the water, you should start in the north-west, exactly where a ghostly dragon still stands today and spits its fire over the Vistula. It is a reminder of the legend about the founding of the city at the time of King Krak.
Above the cave of the fire-breathing dragon lies the royal castle, the Wawel, where Polish kings were crowned and buried in the Wawel Cathedral for centuries. We travel downstream and cross the line of the Tramwaj Wodny, the water tram, several times.
The floating tram with outboard engine is part of the university city's low-cost tram network. We cross under the Grunewald Bridge and the St Paul's Church "Auf dem Felsen", a pearl of Eastern European Baroque, follows on our port side. We follow the course of the river in an easterly direction, with the towers of the historic city centre always appearing close enough to touch on the left.
The extract is from the travel report "Kings and Monasteries" about our charter cruise on the Krakow Vistula. You can find the full article in the current November issue of BOOTE, which is availablefrom 24 November on the market.
