Bednarski Park in Krakow: limestone rocks and a playground

Bednarski Park in Krakow lies on Krzemionki in Podgórze, in a hollow left by a disused limestone quarry. The Municipal Greenery Authority lists it as Park im. Wojciecha Bednarskiego. The park stands by Parkowa Street and Krzemionki Street, about 250 m in a straight line from Podgórze Market Square. It is a public park, and there is no ticket.

• Address: Parkowa and Krzemionki streets, District XIII Podgórze, Krakow.
• Getting there: nearby stops are Korona, Rondo Matecznego and Smolki. Parking is on the Krzemionki Street side and the Parkowa Street side.
• Accessibility: some paths in the park are asphalt, but not all of them.

Limestone rocks, avenues and the gloriette

The park has two parts: an older neoclassical part and a newer modernist part. Its style is classed as a landscape park, and limestone outcrops add variety to the ground. More than a hundred species of trees grow in the park, and each species belongs to an avenue or to another element of the design. Today the park is used for recreation, mainly by people who live nearby.

Aleja Okrężna is lined with ash trees, and Aleja Cienista has rows of Norway maple. Mała Promenada is an avenue of white and black poplars.

The gloriette, a garden pavilion, is the only building in the park that keeps its original appearance. On the right, after you enter from Parkowa Street, stands the neo-Baroque gardener's house (Domek Ogrodnika).

Above the steps from plac Niepodległości stands a new wooden pavilion with a balustrade of decoratively cut boards. It was placed on the presumed site of a viewing platform from the earliest phase of the park. Its dimensions follow a surviving field sketch, and its appearance follows a photograph from 1903.

The shady park, wild in places, is a refuge for many species of birds. Studies in the northern part of Krzemionki recorded 60 bird species, and 41 of them were nesting. From the park you can also walk up to the TVP Krakow television tower.

Bednarski Park playground and the Twardowski path

The playground lies between a hollow and a meadow. It has two parts, one for older children and one for younger children. For the youngest there is, among other things, a sandpit in the shape of the moon and the rooster of Pan Twardowski.

A wooden educational path connects the playgrounds, with elements on the legend of Pan Twardowski placed along it. The park also has an outdoor gym.

History of Bednarski Park and Wojciech Bednarski

In the final decade of the 19th century, a proposal was made for a public landscape park for this part of Krzemionki, where a disused limestone quarry had left a hollow. The plan was carried out thanks to the personal commitment and persistence of Wojciech Bednarski (1841-1914), then a councillor of the town of Podgórze. The parish of St Joseph records him as head of the elementary school in Podgórze and says that the park was later named after him.

The park opened on 19 July 1896. According to the Municipal Greenery Authority, Bednarski also paid for part of it himself. The park was extended in stages, and its last section opened only after the Second World War. In the middle of the 20th century, a large ice rink operated in the park, decorated with coloured lanterns hung above the ice.

The city authorities describe the park as one of the first examples in Europe of reclaiming post-industrial land. The park is protected by an entry in the register of monuments, and the heritage listing describes it as a park from the end of the 19th century.

The aim of the park's restoration was to bring back its former character, based on archive material and conservation guidelines. The planting was tidied and the old trees were kept. More than 50 new trees were planted, among them Norway maples, horse chestnuts, common beeches and limes, and features in keeping with the old layout of the park were added.

Entrances, stops and parking at Bednarski Park

You can enter the park by the steps from plac Niepodległości, with the new pavilion standing above them, or from Parkowa Street. Some paths are asphalt, but others are not. The gardener's house has a public toilet and a room for a parent with a child.

The nearest stops are Korona, Rondo Matecznego and Smolki. You can park on the Krzemionki Street side, at the car park by Telewizja Krakow, or on the Parkowa Street side. Current information about the park is on the website of the Municipal Greenery Authority.

Around the park: St Joseph's Church and the Starmach Gallery

St Joseph's Church in Podgórze is about 150 m from the park in a straight line. The Starmach Gallery in the former Zucker Prayer House is about 300 m away, and the Father Bernatek Footbridge is about 550 m away.

The park is on the Historyczna Trasa Podgórska (Historic Podgórze Route), a city tourist route. The streets around it have villas and gardens, in a part of Podgórze designed as a "garden city". Lasota Hill rises not far from the park, and the Podgórze Cemetery (cmentarz Podgórski) lies at the foot of the hill.

Bednarski Park: questions visitors ask

Where is Bednarski Park in Krakow?

In District XIII Podgórze, by Parkowa Street and Krzemionki Street.

How do I get to Bednarski Park?

Nearby stops are Korona, Rondo Matecznego and Smolki. Drivers can park near Telewizja Krakow on the Krzemionki Street side or on the Parkowa Street side.

Who was Wojciech Bednarski?

He was a councillor of the town of Podgórze who lived from 1841 to 1914. The parish of St Joseph also describes him as head of the elementary school in Podgórze, and the park carries his name.

Is there a playground in Bednarski Park?

Yes. Older and younger children each have their own part, and the area for the youngest includes a moon-shaped sandpit.

Photo: Andrzej Otrębski, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped.