Kraków and Weimar

Weimar and Krakow are different in terms of population numbers, but their symbolic value for their national cultures exceeds their actual size. While confronted with a complex historical context, today Weimar and Krakow are"back"again. They have not only reconsidered their role in their respective national urban landscapes, intellectuals, visitors, and inhabitants are sharing their preference with these marvellous cities. Walking through Krakow and Weimar shows what European cities are all about. Both cities contributed to the identity of Europe which they make visible with their cultural richness. Urban life is full of contradictions and contrasts. Nevertheless being part of the city has always allowed to search for new opportunities and to seek a better life. Freedom and conflict, pursue of happiness and struggle withthe arbitrary - all that is part of the urban legend of Weimar and Krakow. Who is encountering the countless stories and fragments of their people and places mightglimpse at what history is and how our present is shaped by these long lasting constraints of time. We can come closer to it to look at the tales and narratives these cities are holding for us. Trying to"read"the city enables us to have a deeper look into the city of the other. This book is therefore most of all about tales, in one or another form. It is showing the specific and the common, the extraordinary and the very simple. It aims to tell the magic of two places with a lot of magic, the magic of people and their places.