Arka Pana

Kraków


The retro-modern Arka Pana was the first church in Nowa Huta, built from 1967 to 1977 after much controversy. Authorities had intended the workers' suburb to be a church-free zone, and it required protests and politicking by the local bishop (one Karol Wojtyła, who would later become Pope John Paul II) to get the job done.

Transportation

  • tram: 1, 5

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Kraków attractions

1. Teatr Ludowy

0.38 MILES

Nowa Huta's socialist-realistic architectural aesthetic extends to the area's main theatre, which was built in 1955. Early shows may have been dedicated…

2. Nowa Huta Museum

0.7 MILES

Two blocks north of Plac Centralny, the Nowa Huta Museum is more like a glorified tourist office, but there is a small, well-curated exhibit space…

3. Aleja Róż

0.84 MILES

This graceful, park-like avenue runs through the centre of the Nowa Huta workers' housing estate.

4. Plac Centralny

0.95 MILES

This sprawling square and tram stop serves as the centrepoint of the Nowa Huta workers' housing estate. The square dates from 1949, and the buildings here…

5. Nowa Huta Underground

1.13 MILES

Nowa Huta's newest attraction opened in 2019 and focuses on the quarter's extensive network of atomic fallout shelters, built up in the 1950s and '60s…

7. Church of St Bartholomew

1.67 MILES

The small, shingled Church of St Bartholomew dates from the mid-15th century, which makes it Poland’s oldest surviving three-nave timber church. It was…

8. Cistercian Abbey

1.72 MILES

The Cistercian Abbey consists of a church and monastery, with a large garden-park behind it. The Cistercians came to Poland in 1140 and founded abbeys…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting:
    {
      "url": "poland/malopolska/krakow/attractions/arka-pana/a/poi-sig/1165966/360295",
      "destination": "Kraków",
      "continent": "Europe",
      "country": "Poland",
      "city": "Kraków",
      "position": "superzone"
    }