Timeline of Kraków

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Kraków, Poland.

Prior to 16th century

 * 1000 - Catholic diocese of Kraków established.
 * 1038 - Capital of Poland relocated from Gniezno/Poznań to Kraków.
 * 1044 - Benedictine Abbey established in Tyniec near Kraków.
 * 1079 - Capital of Poland relocated from Kraków to Płock.
 * 1138
 * Capital of Poland relocated from Płock back to Kraków.
 * Kraków becomes the capital of the newly formed Seniorate Province.
 * 1142 - Cathedral built (approximate date).
 * 1241 - Kraków sacked by Mongol forces during the first Mongol invasion of Poland.
 * 1257 - The town granted Magdeburg rights, signing of .
 * 1290 - Town captured by Wenceslaus II of Bohemia.
 * 1306 - Kraków taken by Władysław Łokietek.
 * 1313 - Kraków Town Hall built (approximate date).
 * 1315 - 27 June: Polish-Danish-Norwegian-Swedish alliance concluded in Kraków.
 * 1320
 * 20 January: Coronation of Władysław I Łokietek as King of Poland in the Wawel Cathedral, as the first Polish king to be crowned in Kraków.
 * Kraków becomes the official coronation site for the kings of Poland.
 * 1333
 * Burial of Władysław I Łokietek in the Wawel Cathedral as the first Polish king to be buried there.
 * Wawel Cathedral becomes the official burial site for the kings of Poland.
 * 1364
 * 12 May: Cracow Academy founded.
 * 22–27 September: Congress of Kraków.
 * Wawel Cathedral and Collegium Maius built.
 * 1384 - 16 October: Royal coronation of Queen Jadwiga of Poland in the Wawel Cathedral.
 * 1386
 * 15 February: Baptism of Władysław II Jagiełło in the Wawel Cathedral.
 * 18 February: Royal wedding of Władysław II Jagiełło and Jadwiga of Poland.
 * 4 March: Royal coronation of Władysław II Jagiełło in the Wawel Cathedral.
 * 1390 - Public clock installed (approximate date).
 * 1395 - Kraków Cloth Hall built.
 * 1397 - St. Mary's Basilica built.
 * 1399 - Burial of Queen Jadwiga of Poland and Princess Elizabeth Bonifacia in the Wawel Cathedral.
 * 1407 - Synagogue built in Kazimierz.
 * 1417 - Royal coronation of Elizabeth Granowska as Queen consort of Poland in the Wawel Cathedral.
 * 1420 - Bellmakers guild established.
 * 1443 - Earthquake, which caused damage to the Saint Catherine Church.
 * 1491
 * Paper mill established in Prądnik Czerwony.
 * Printing press in operation.
 * Nicolaus Copernicus begins studies in Kraków.

16th to 18th centuries

 * 1521 - Sigismund Bell installed in tower of Wawel Cathedral.
 * 1525
 * 8 April: Treaty of Kraków signed.
 * 10 April: Prussian Homage.
 * 1558 - Establishment of a permanent postal connection between Kraków and Venice; foundation of Poczta Polska. The organizer was the Italian Prospero Provana, and from 1569 the royal privilege was transferred to Valerian Montelupi.
 * 1566 - built (near St. Florian's Gate).
 * 1587 - Kraków besieged by Maximilian III, Archduke of Austria.
 * 1596 - First acquisition of citizenship in the city by a Scot (see also Scots in Poland).
 * 1609 - Polish capital relocated from Kraków to Warsaw by Sigismund III Vasa (approximate date).
 * 1610 - Bagel first mentioned.
 * 1618 - Church of St. Adalbert rebuilt.
 * 1619 - Saints Peter and Paul Church built.
 * 1643 - Obergymnasium of St. Anna (school) built on.
 * 1655 - Siege of Kraków (1655) by Swedish forces.
 * 1661 - Merkuriusz Polski Ordynaryjny newspaper begins publication.
 * 1702 - Swedish invasion of Poland (1701–1706): City taken by forces of Charles XII of Sweden.
 * 1703 - Church of St. Anne rebuilt.
 * 1768
 * City taken by Russian forces.
 * St. Florian's Church rebuilt.
 * 1775 - 2nd Infantry Regiment of the Polish Crown Army stationed in Kraków.
 * 1781 - Theatre opens.
 * 1783 - Botanic Garden of the Jagiellonian University founded.
 * 1794
 * 24 March: Kościuszko's proclamation against Russian rule occurs in Main Square.
 * Polish 3rd Infantry Regiment stationed in Kraków.
 * June: Prussians in power.
 * 1795 - City annexed by Austria in the Third Partition of Poland.

19th century

 * 1809 - City becomes part of the Duchy of Warsaw.
 * 1810 - Population: 23,612.
 * 1815 - Republic of Krakow established per Congress of Vienna.
 * 1820 - Most of Kraków Town Hall demolished (except tower).
 * 1823 - Kościuszko Mound completed.
 * 1829 - Fryderyk Chopin visited Kraków.
 * 1831 - City occupied by Russian forces.
 * 1846
 * February: Kraków Uprising against Austrian forces; established.
 * November: City becomes part of Austria again; Grand Duchy of Cracow established.
 * 1847 - Kraków Główny railway station built.
 * 1848 -  newspaper begins publication.
 * 1850
 * 18 February: Archaeological Museum of Kraków established.
 * 18 July: Kraków fire of 1850.
 * 1851 - Population: 41,086.
 * 1869 - July: Imprisonment of nun discovered; unrest ensues.
 * 1873 - School of Fine Arts and Academy of Learning active.
 * 1879 - National Museum, Kraków established.
 * 1883:
 * The first ever liquefaction of oxygen and nitrogen performed by Zygmunt Wróblewski and Karol Olszewski in Kraków
 * Konstanty Schmidt-Ciążyński gifted his collection of engraved gems to National Museum in Kraków
 * 1885 - Park Krakowski established.
 * 1890 - Population: 76,025.
 * 1893 - Municipal Theatre opens.
 * 1898 - Mickiewicz monument installed in Main Square.
 * 1900
 * Nicolaus Copernicus Monument unveiled.
 * Population: 91,310.

1900–1939

 * 1904 - Emeryk Hutten-Czapski Museum opened.
 * 1905 - Zielony Balonik literary cabaret begins in Jama Michalika on Floriańska Street.
 * 1906 - Cracovia and Wisła Kraków football clubs founded.
 * 1909 - Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra founded.
 * 1910
 * 15 July: Grunwald Monument unveiled.
 * Population: 151,781.
 * 1916 - (cinema) opens.
 * 1917 - Formiści (art group) formed.
 * 1918 - City becomes part of reborn Poland.
 * 1919 - Wawel Kraków football club founded.
 * 1920 - Population: 176,463.
 * 1921
 * Garbarnia Kraków football club founded.
 * Cracovia wins its first Polish football championship.
 * 1923 - Cracovia ice hockey team founded.
 * 1927 - Wisła Kraków wins its first Polish football championship.
 * 1929
 * Kraków Zoo opens.
 * Cracovia wins its first Polish men's basketball championship.
 * Cracovia wins its first Polish women's basketball championship.
 * 1930 - Wawel Castle museum established.
 * 1931
 * Kraków Philharmonic hall opens.
 * Garbarnia Kraków wins its first Polish football championship.
 * Population: 219,300.
 * 1933
 * (art group) formed.
 * Cracovia wins its first Polish men's volleyball championship.
 * 1937 - Cracovia wins its first Polish ice hockey championship.

World War II (1939–1945)

 * 1939
 * 6 September: German forces enter city.
 * 12 September: The Einsatzgruppe zbV entered the city.
 * 12 September: Execution of 10 Jews by the Germans.
 * September: Dulag transit camp for Polish prisoners of war established by the Germans.
 * September: Organizacja Orła Białego underground Polish resistance organization founded.
 * 4 November: City becomes seat of Nazi German General Government of occupied Poland.
 * 6 November: 183 Polish professors and lecturers arrested by the Germans during Sonderaktion Krakau.
 * 9–10 November: Mass arrests of 120 Poles, incl. teachers, students and judges, during the Intelligenzaktion.
 * 1939–1940 - Massacres of over 1,700 Poles at Fort 49 of the Kraków Fortress and the adjacent forest.
 * 1940
 * 30 March: Mass arrests of Poles during the AB-Aktion.
 * July: Dulag camp dissolved.
 * 1941 - March: Kraków Ghetto of Jews established by occupying Germans.
 * 1942
 * 15 April: Baudienst forced labour camp established by the Germans.
 * 5 June: Stalag 369 prisoner-of-war camp for Dutch, Belgian and French POWs established by the Germans.
 * Local branch of the Żegota underground Polish resistance organization established to rescue Jews from the Holocaust.
 * October: Kraków-Płaszów concentration camp established by the Germans.
 * 1943 - March: Liquidation of the Kraków Ghetto.
 * 1944
 * 22 July: Baudienst forced labour camp dissolved.
 * 6 August: Stalag 369 camp dissolved.
 * Deportations of Poles by the occupiers from the Dulag 121 camp in Pruszków to Kraków during and following the Warsaw Uprising.
 * 1945
 * January: Kraków-Płaszów concentration camp evacuated by the occupiers and dissolved.
 * January: Russians take city; German occupation ends.

1945–2000

 * 1945 – Historical Museum of Kraków established.
 * 1946 - Krakow Polytechnic established.
 * 1949
 * Gazeta Krakowska newspaper begins publication.
 * Development of Nowa Huta area begins.
 * 1950
 * founded.
 * Population: 347,500.
 * 1951 - Polish Academy of Sciences' Division of Medicinal Plants established.
 * 1954
 * Lenin Steelworks begins operating.
 * Opera Krakowska founded.
 * Wisła Kraków wins its first Polish men's basketball championship.
 * 1955
 * Cricot 2 theatre group formed.
 * Population: 428,231.
 * 1956
 * 28 October: Start of mass blood donation for the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (see also Hungary–Poland relations).
 * Raising of funds, food and medical supplies for the Hungarians.
 * 30 October, 5 November: Protests against the Soviet suppression of the Hungarian Revolution.
 * 1959
 * Krzysztofory Gallery and Kino Mikro (cinema). open.
 * Wawel Kraków wins its first Polish women's basketball championship.
 * Wisła Kraków wins its first Polish women's volleyball championship.
 * 1961 - Kraków Film Festival begins.
 * 1963 - Wisła Kraków wins its first Polish women's basketball championship.
 * 1964
 * Balice Airport begins operating.
 * Polish Aviation Museum established.
 * Karol Wojtyła becomes Catholic archbishop.
 * 1965 – Population: 520,145.
 * 1967 - (cinema) opens.
 * 1973 - Tyniec becomes part of Kraków.
 * 1974 - Population: 662,900.
 * 1978
 * May: Kraków co-hosts the 1978 UEFA European Under-18 Championship.
 * Kraków Old Town designated an UNESCO World Heritage Site.
 * 1979 - Hutnik Kraków wins its first Polish handball championship.
 * 1988
 * Hutnik Kraków wins its first Polish men's volleyball championship.
 * Jewish Culture Festival in Kraków begins.
 * 1990 -  newspaper begins publication.
 * 1993 - Institute for Strategic Studies established.
 * 1997 - Cracow Klezmer Band formed.
 * 1998 - Andrzej Maria Gołaś becomes mayor.
 * 1999 - City becomes part of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship.
 * 2000 - City designated a European Capital of Culture.

21st century

 * 2001 - Honorary Consulate of Norway opened.
 * 2002 - Jacek Majchrowski becomes mayor.
 * 2004
 * 17 April: First khachkar in Poland unveiled.
 * 7 May: First Kraków Equality March.
 * 2006 - Galeria Krakowska shopping mall in business.
 * 2008
 * Kraków Fast Tram begins operating.
 * International Festival of Independent Cinema Off Plus Camera begins.
 * 2009
 * (cinema) opens.
 * Sister city relationship established with San Francisco, USA.
 * 2010
 * 1 February: Museum of Contemporary Art in Kraków opened.
 * 18 April: State funeral of Lech and Maria Kaczyński.
 * 10 June: Oskar Schindler's Enamel Factory museum opened.
 * 17 July: Ignacy Jan Paderewski monument erected in.
 * 30 September: opened.
 * 2012 - Population: 758,300.
 * 2013
 * 8–9 October: Arraiolos Group meeting held.
 * Air pollution in Krakow reaches annual mean of 37 PM2.5 and 51 PM10, more than recommended.
 * 2014
 * May: Tauron Arena opens.
 * May: Kraków referendum, 2014 held; Kraków bid for the 2022 Winter Olympics withdrawn.
 * 2016
 * January: Kraków co-hosts the 2016 European Men's Handball Championship.
 * 13–17 July: Kraków hosts the final round of the 2016 FIVB Volleyball World League.
 * 26–31 July: Kraków hosts the World Youth Day 2016.
 * 2017
 * June: Kraków co-hosts the 2017 UEFA European Under-21 Championship.
 * August–September: Kraków co-hosts the 2017 Men's European Volleyball Championship.
 * 2021
 * June: Honorary Consulate of Peru opened.
 * September: Kraków co-hosts the 2021 Men's European Volleyball Championship.
 * 2023
 * January: Kraków co-hosts the 2023 World Men's Handball Championship.
 * June–July: Kraków hosts the 2023 European Games.