Wandering around Kraków (again) - Dębniki district. Vistula, Villas, and run-down yards.

I continue my series of walks around the less popular parts of my city. I have already written a lot about Kazimierz (the Jewish district), Podgórze, and Nowa Huta (the section where I live), and of course, I upload photos from the old town from time to time. Today I will take you for a walk around Dębniki. It is a vast district - it starts in the Vistula bend opposite Wawel. It continues along the river to Tyniec, where there is a beautiful Benedictine abbey founded in the 11th century. But let's focus on a small area located on the river's bend, near the center of the old town. This part of the district was incorporated into Krakow in 1909 and is essentially a villa development. I discovered this corner by accident a few years ago, and I fell in love with it because I adore the architecture of the interwar period.

To make the trip more attractive, we can start it near Wawel, then walk along the boulevard to the Jubilat department store and cross the Dębnicki Bridge.

There is a beautiful view of the royal castle from the bridge.

On the other side of the river, it takes just a few steps to reach the Dębnicki Market Square. It's a small area with a triangular shape.

While walking here, it's impossible not to notice a small chapel from 1883, squeezed between tenement houses. It is open all day long; anyone can enter for a moment of reflection and prayer.

This chapel is probably the only construction in the area that may interest a typical tourist. The rest of the buildings do not make a big impression, especially in comparison with the attractions of the historic old town. But in my opinion, you can find something exciting or beautiful everywhere. I love various details - they can be beautiful or hideous, fascinating, contrasting with the surroundings or giving it character. That's why I never get bored anywhere :)

There are many such details in Dębniki, like neglected nooks, atmospheric tenement houses, and overgrown backyards. I can wander for hours in search of them.

And let's not forget the villas and houses, mansions built at the beginning of the 20th century. Somehow, they remained untouched in their quiet sanctuary, hidden between the Vistula River and two busy, multi-lane streets. You can't hear the noise here, and you can't see the rush of a big city. The first time I got here, it was like traveling back in time.

The modernist shape of the church, built in the 1930s, fits into the area's climate. You can find beautiful stained glass windows inside, so I have to return here someday.

If someone is bored with admiring interwar buildings, they can return to the Vistula boulevard.

Here, we can either return to the center of the old town or go left towards Tyniec. There is a path along the Vistula River, which can be reached by bike to the abbey - it's a very popular route in the summer season. You can also get there on foot, although it is pretty far (about 11 km one way).

I went towards Tyniec because, on my list, I had two more villas and the Lasocki Palace, located right by the river.

Number one on my list was an atmospheric 18th-century residence overlooking the Vistula River.

And number two - I like this house very much, but I don't know when it was built. Probably in the 20-to 30s of the twentieth century.

There was still a long way to the palace, which was an opportunity to admire the other side of the river.

The vast Convent of the Norbertine Sisters and the Kościuszko Mound towering over it was especially noteworthy.

Our flag got a sister (in Polish, the flag is feminine) 💙💛

Finally, I reached the Lasocki Palace, which stood on the edge of a large park.

It is worth visiting the park in the summer when the gardens bloom and everything turns green.

At this point, I ended my walk around Dębniki. So, will we meet here in the summer?

^{--- Thanks for stopping by! --- @astinminI'm the only author of the text and photos}