On February 28, 2024, the third Kraków Heritage Forum took place – a meeting of Kraków non-governmental heritage organisations. Nineteen people from sixteen organisations and representatives of the Kraków Municipality took part in the meeting. The topic of Kraków’s intangible heritage, initiated during the second Forum, was continued in the workshop formula.
In the context of the tasks faced by the Team for the Intangible Heritage of Kraków, established in 2023 by the Mayor of Kraków, in the work of which the head of the Europa Nostra Heritage Hub, Dr. Katarzyna Jagodzińska, participates, we decided to discuss the issue of Kraków’s intangible heritage practices during monthly meetings with representatives of civic organisations. We ask residents of various districts who deal with various aspects of heritage on a daily basis and have contact with communities and people interested in heritage about their understanding of the concept of intangible heritage and about the practices that they associate with Kraków and consider worth promoting or even protecting.
In the first part of the meeting, dr Joanna Dziadowiec-Greganić presented the definition of intangible cultural heritage and the forms and principles of its preservation according to the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of 2003. She also presented selected examples of practices from various fields that have been included in the Polish National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage and examples from other countries included in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity..
In the second part of the meeting, participants in two workshop groups discussed potential intangible heritage practices from Kraków that are worth protecting and promoting among residents and tourists. The category of protection and potential entry on the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage was strongly present in the discussions, but the meeting was primarily aimed at identifying Kraków’s intangible heritage practices and considering whether they have the potential to be promoted to a wider audience or, in the case of the most renown, to be formally protected.
The practices discussed included: “Kraków dialect”, Kraków Fortress trail, cuisine: obwarzanki (traditional bagels), zapiekanki (traditional toasted baguettes) on Plac Nowy, sausages from Nyska near Hala Targowa, Kraków maczanka (traditional pulled pork dish) and Kraków sausage, swoszowicki skok przez skórkę (Swoszowice skin jump), trupie miodki (“dead honey” sweets), setting the Chochoł at Rydlówka, Bronowicki Pageant, Kraków legends including the bugle call, pigeons, the Wawel dragon, Kraków costume, traditional Kraków festivals and young traditions, such as the Dragon Parade, Emmaus traditions, meetings under the piggy bank and “under Adam” (Adam Mickiewicz monument at the Manin Market Square). The effect of our work will be transferred to the Team for the Intangible Heritage of Kraków, and we will also take it up during one of the next meetings.
The third meeting of the Kraków Heritage Forum was attended by representatives of the following organisations:
Federacja Polsko-Węgierska im. Bálinta Balassiego, Stowarzyszenie FestivALT, Fundacja Muzeum HERstorii Sztuki, Polskie Towarzystwo Ludoznawcze – Oddział w Krakowie, Stowarzyszenie Instytut Badań Organizacji Kultury, JCC Krakow – Centrum Społeczności Żydowskiej w Krakowie, Fundacja Fort Kosocice, Imago Centrum Sztuki Ludowej, Fundacja Pełna Życia – Fort Sztuki i Życia, Fundacja Galicia Jewish Heritage Institute, Teatr Złoty Róg przy Towarzystwie Przyjaciół Bronowic, Dom Tańca Kraków przy Stowarzyszeniu Rozstaje: u Zbiegu Kultur i Tradycji, Fundacja Sztukarnia, Fundacja Muzeum Komiksu oraz Łagiewnickie Towarzystwo Kulturalne.
The Krakow Municipality was represented by Karolina Rehorowska from the Department of Culture and National Heritage and Mateusz Drożdż from the Department of Tourism.
We invite all interested organisations working for the heritage of our city to join the Kraków Heritage Forum. If you would like to participate in the next meeting, please contact Dr. Joanna Dziadowiec-Greganić, who coordinates the forum’s work: joanna.dziadowiec@heritagehubkrakow.org.