In the 19th century, railways brought prosperity and modernity; during Poland’s partitions, Kraków’s iron roads were seen as important links by Polish social and economic activists in the Galicia region. They hoped that by connecting cities and rural areas with important centres in Poland and Europe they would be able to bring them out of “Galician poverty”.

The Kraków-Upper Silesia Railway opened in 1847, while the trans-Galician mainline between Vienna and Lwów ran via Kraków and Podgórze from 1861. Monumental buildings of the Kraków railway station and directorate were erected at the same time, and stylish viaducts led over Lubicz and today’s Grzegórzecka streets. Railway workers were held in high status. In the wake of Poland’s regained independence, the “Luxtorpeda” trains were the pride of the region during the 1930s, taking tourists between Kraków and Zakopane or Krynica at breakneck speeds of over 100 km/h. The exhibition of the Museum of Krakow Kraków’s Iron Roads at the Podgórze Museum presents the history of the railways from their first arrival in the region to the present day, with unique documents, memorabilia, archival photos, designs of rolling stock and railway buildings as well as tools and machinery. (Dorota Dziunikowska, “Karnet” montlhy)