Krakowskie Przedmieście Street, Main historic street in Śródmieście, Warsaw, Poland
Krakowskie Przedmieście is a main thoroughfare in Śródmieście running from Castle Square to Nowy Świat Street, lined on both sides with palaces, churches, and buildings from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. It forms a straight section within the Warsaw Royal Route and connects several public squares together.
Merchants and travelers used the street from the fifteenth century onward as a trade route toward Krakow, which was then the capital of the kingdom. Polish monarchs later traveled this path from their residence to the coronation cathedral, turning it into a ceremonial route.
The street takes its name from the direction toward Krakow, pointing to its role as part of a centuries-old link between the two cities. Today it connects government institutions with university facilities and busy cafés that line the sidewalks.
Buses and trams run along the street and stop at several points giving access to the buildings and squares. Walking the full length takes around twenty minutes, with both sides offering sidewalks lined with shops and entrances.
Bernardo Bellotto, an Italian painter, created detailed views of the street in the eighteenth century that served as blueprints for reconstruction after the destruction of World War II. These paintings show the facades, roofs, and proportions so accurately that architects used them to rebuild the structures.
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