Krakow was designated a UNESCO City of Literature in 2013, and the literary tradition runs deep. Nobel laureates Czeslaw Milosz and Wislawa Szymborska both called this city home, and the Jagiellonian University has shaped Polish intellectual life since 1364.
Start at Massolit Books on Ulica Felicjanek — an English-language bookshop and cafe that feels transplanted from Brooklyn, with floor-to-ceiling shelves, creaking floors, and excellent cheesecake. Nowa Prowincja on Bracka Street is the quintessential literary cafe where poets, students, and philosophers argue over hot chocolate.
The Szymborska Foundation hosts readings and exhibitions honoring the beloved poet, while the Milosz Festival each June brings international poets to the city. For used books, hunt through the stalls along the Planty park — you might find a first-edition Lem or a vintage Szymborska collection.
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