The Jagiellonian University (Polish: Uniwersytet Jagielloński [uniˈvɛrsɨtɛt jaɡiɛ(l)lˈɔɲski], often shortened to UJ; historical names include Studium Generale, University of Kraków, Kraków Academy, The Main Crown School, and Main School of Kraków) is a research university founded in 1364 by Casimir III the Great in Kraków. It is the oldest university in Poland, the second oldest university in Central Europe and one of the oldest universities in the world. It was positioned by QS World University Rankings as the best Polish university among the world's top 500 and the ARWU as the best Polish higher-level institution.
The university fell upon hard times when the occupation of Kraków by Austria-Hungary during the Partitions of Poland threatened its existence. In 1817, soon after the creation of the Duchy of Warsaw the university has been renamed to Jagiellonian University in order to commemorate Poland's Jagiellonian dynasty, which first revived the Kraków University in the past. In 2006, The Times Higher Education Supplement ranked Jagiellonian University as Poland's top university.
Kraków (Polish pronunciation: [ˈkrakuf] listen ), also Cracow or Krakow (US English /ˈkrɑːkaʊ/, UK English /ˈkrækɒv/), is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River (Polish: Wisła) in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life and is one of Poland's most important economic hubs. It was the capital of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland from 1038 to 1569; the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1569 to 1596; the Free City of Kraków from 1815 to 1846; the Grand Duchy of Cracow from 1846 to 1918; and Kraków Voivodeship from the 14th century to 1998. It has been the capital of Lesser Poland Voivodeship since 1999.
The city has grown from a Stone Age settlement to Poland's second most important city. It began as a hamlet on Wawel Hill and was already being reported as a busy trading centre of Slavonic Europe in 965. With the establishment of new universities and cultural venues at the emergence of the Second Polish Republic in 1918 and throughout the 20th century, Kraków reaffirmed its role as a major national academic and artistic centre. The city has a population of approximately 760,000, with approximately 8 million additional people living within a 100 km (62 mi) radius of its main square.
Kraków is a Polish parliamentary constituency that is coterminous with the Lesser Poland Voivodeship. It elects thirteen members of the Sejm and four members of the Senate. It is the only constituency that covers different areas for elections to the Sejm to elections to the Senate, as it includes the Sejm constituency of Chrzanów for elections to the Senate.
The district has the number '13' for elections to the Sejm and '12' for elections to the Senate, and is named after the city of Kraków. For elections to the Sejm, it includes the counties of Brzeg, Kraków, Miechów, and Olkusz and the city county of Kraków. For elections to the Senate, it also includes the counties of Chrzanów, Myślenice, Oświęcim, Sucha, and Wadowice.
Coordinates: 50°03′41″N 19°56′18″E / 50.061389°N 19.938333°E / 50.061389; 19.938333
Kraków is a city in southern Poland.
Krakow may also refer to: