Brand new old town

Last week a consortium consisting of Budostal-5 and RDM Śródmieście won the tender for reconstructions on ul. Floriańska in Kraków, which is a part of the city's Royal Route linking the Main Market Square and the Barbican. The city hall also plans to revitalize the Small Market Square (Mały Rynek) soon. The Road and Transport Administration (ZDiK), the unit within Kraków City Hall in charge of the projects, plans to invest some zł.3.7 million on the renovations.

"All Kraków's inhabitants would like to live in a beautiful city, but we still want to attract even more tourists," says Jan Tajster, director at ZDiK, explaining the reasons for the renovations. Works on ul. Floriańska are already in progress and should be completed by July at the latest. According to Katarzyna Król from ZDiK, new, stylish street lamps are to be put up and the house of Jan Matejko, the famous Polish painter, is to be illuminated.

The Mały Rynek, near ul. Floriańska, has been neglected for years. Now the City Hall plans to get rid of the parking lot and use the square for some of the events usually hosted in the Main Market Square. Work should be completed before Pope Benedict XVI's visit in May.

The National Museum of Kraków wants to renovate the historical Sukiennice building. The works are to be completed within two years and will cost zł.29 million. The city has also just begun the project to make over the vicinity of Wawel Castle. Architects want to hide some of the modern tourist center building underground. The two projects are scheduled for completion before celebrations of the 750th anniversary of the city, to be held in June 2007.