The settlement of Kraków before the settlement charter

Abstract

The beginning of the twenty-first century was a period of special events for Kraków related primarily to the 750th anniversary of the town’s foundation location under Magdeburg law. This jubilee resulted in a variety of scientific and research projects. As with the 700th anniversary celebrated in 1957, a number of historical and archaeological studies were carried out, which provide a summary of current knowledge on the history of the city. They were presented in the form of scientific and cartographic publications, and popular ones. In the course of the jubilee (2005–2007) a few occasional exhibitions were prepared, among which worth mentioning are the exhibitions on Kraków legends and related historical figures, the life and culture of the Kraków stronghold complex from the eleventh to the thirteenth century, as well as the changes that took place in Kraków after foundation in 1257, during the period from the thirteenth to the eighteenth century. In the first decade of the twenty-first century a series of archaeological excavations were undertaken during the renovation of the main squares and streets of the city. These included the western (2002–2004) and eastern (2003, 2005–2010) part of the Main Market Square, the Small Market Square (2007), and the Szczepański Square (2008) and the main streets in the Old Town. The results of these studies have already been partially published in “Archaeological Materials” issued by the Archaeological Museum in Kraków (Vols 36 and 37), and most of all in the “Krzysztofory, the scientific journal of the Historical Museum of Kraków” (Vols 28 and 29