Kraków (pronounced:['krakuf]; in fullRoyal Capital City of Krakow,Polish:Królewskie Stołeczne Miasto Kraków) is one of the oldest and largest cities in Poland. In 2014, 759,800 people lived in Kraków. It is on theVistula river. Krakow is the capital ofLesser Poland Voivodeship (województwo małopolskie); before that it was the capital ofKraków Voivodship (since14th century).
During the mid-early 19th century, Krakow became anindependent city-state, under the name of "The Free, Independent and Strictly Neutral City of Krakow". However, it was annexed byAustria-Hungary in 1846.
Pope John Paul II was raised in Krakow and was itsarchbishop from 1964 until he was elected asPope in 1978. When it was later announced that the city will hostWorld Youth Day in 2016, it will be a tribute to the latePope who became a saint in 2014.
DuringWorld War II, there was once aghetto in the city which held mostly the Jews of Kraków. The ghetto was liquidated for the final time in March 1943, with most of its inhabitants sent to theTreblinka extermination camp.
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