Błonia Common

al. Focha / al. 3 Maja / ul. Piastowska

Błonia Common (besides the Vistula embankments and Planty Garden Ring) is the locals’ favourite place for walking and relaxing among nature. Covering 48 ha (120 acres), the Common is just 15 minutes’ walk from the Main Market Square. For centuries it served mostly as pasture until the Cracovia Hotel opened in 1965, and cow grazing was banned. Currently, it is a popular place for festivals, meetings, and concerts. The expanse commands a beautiful view of the Lasek Wolski Forest and the Kościuszko Mound. Situated within it are the Józef Piłsudski Memorial Boulder and the Papal Stone, commemorating great Poles.

Initially, the Błonia Common was a property of the Premonstratensian Order, yet in 1366 the nuns did a swap with the city, exchanging the meadow in return for a mansion on ul. Floriańska. The building burned down a few years after the transaction, thus starting a controversy between the order and the City Council that lasted for centuries. Dissatisfied with the unfortunate transaction, the Premonstratensians tried to regain the Błonia, appealing to the king and the Pope. All in vain, however. The great pasture, which Błonia was, remained a property of the city, and the order had to make do with cinders.

Between Focha, 3 Maja, and Piastowska streets, generally accessible