Zwierzyniec is one of 18 districts of Kraków, located in the western part of the city. The name Zwierzyniec comes from a village of same name that is now a part of the district.
According to the Central Statistical Office data, the district's area is 28.73 square kilometres (11.09 square miles) and 20 454 people inhabit Zwierzyniec.[1]
History
The oldest preserved buildings in Zwierzyniec are the Church of the Holy Salvatore consecrated in 1148 and the Norbertine convent, probably consecrated in 1181. The history of Zwierzyniec is closely connected with the convent. In the 13th century, three Tartar invasions are documented, in 1241, 1259 and 1287, which plundered Zwierzyniec and burnt down the monastery. The monastery and Zwierzyniec were burnt down again in 1527 and in 1587, during the siege of Krakow by the army of Archduke Maximilian Habsburg, who wanted to occupy Krakow against his rival, Sigismund III Vasa. The latter's supporter, Jan Zamoyski, in order to prevent the Austrians from gaining a foothold in the suburbs, ordered the entire Zwierzyniec and Półwsie, among others, to be burnt down. The present appearance of the monastery dates from the time of its great reconstruction carried out in 1596-1626, when the convent was ruled by the princess Dorota Kątska. Zwierzyniec was incorporated into Krakow in 1910 and has since been transformed into a villa district.
Subdivisions of Zwierzyniec
Zwierzyniec is divided into smaller subdivisions (osiedles). Here's a list of them.
Salwator residential estate - a ‘garden city’ type villa estate along Świętej Bronisławy Street built between 1911 and 1955
Przegorzały Castle - initially built 1928-1929 as a villa of Adolf Szyszko-Bohusz and later enlarged in the years 1941–1943 by the occupying Nazis as a "Schloss Wartenberg" - a residence for Otto Wächter and Luftwaffe officers; currently, the buildings house the Institute of European Studies of the Jagiellonian University and a restaurant
Biprocemwap - Le Corbusier-style office building designed by Wojciech Buliński and Natalia Stańko built between 1959 and 1966
Hotel ‘Cracovia’ - modernist hotel built between 1960-1965 according to a design by Witold Ceckiewicz; since 2016 owned by the National Museum in Krakow
Kijów Cinema - designed by Witold Ceckiewicz, built 1961-1967 in modernist style
Błonia - vast meadow, historically belonging to the Norbertine Nuns, now a recreation area, frequently hosting large events like concerts and exhibitions
,_1_Marshal_Ferdinand_Foch_Av,_Krak%C3%B3w,_Poland.jpg)
,_Krakow,_Poland.jpg)
