Krakow’s nativity scenes are true works of handicraft art. They are indivisibly connected with Christmas. They are beautiful and one of a kind! Slender, multi-level, richly decorated… They are characterized by an accumulation of miniaturized, fancifully combined elements reflecting the historic architecture of Krakow. Artists are particularly inspired by St. Mary’s Church, but also by Wawel Castle, the Cloth Hall and the Barbican. Interestingly, in order for a nativity scene to be considered a Krakow one, it must not only be a multi-level, richly decorated, tower building. It should also be made of lightweight materials (e.g. cardboard or plywood). However, the Cracow nativity scene, like other nativity scenes, is primarily intended to be a worthy place to present the great mystery of the Birth of the Son of God, so its central figures are the Child, Mary and Saint Joseph.

As Cracow nativity scenes come from the tradition of static Christmas nativity scenes and nativity plays, they cannot lack figures of shepherds, sheep or oxen… (the oldest nativity play figurines, dating back to the fourteenth century, have been preserved in the monastery of the Poor Clares at St. Andrew’s Church in Kraków). The protagonists of nativity scenes usually belong to two intertwining worlds: the biblical one, depicting the birth of Jesus, and the secular one, constantly changed and updated. Today, you will find both historical and contemporary figures in nativity scenes. Their heroes also derive from folklore and legends of Krakow (with a particularly popular legend about the Wawel Dragon).

The first nativity scenes were created in the mid-nineteenth century. They were created by carpenters and bricklayers from Cracow and the surrounding area. It was an additional job for them during the dead construction season. During the holidays, they went from house to house with their nativity scenes to earn money. A team of nativity scene makers led by master Michał Ezenekier was particularly well known, and every year he visited the Counts Potocki in the Pod Baranami Palace and at the Estreicher family’s.

In 1927, Antoni Wasilewski initiated the organization of an annual competition for the most beautiful Krakow nativity scene. Since 1937, every year, on the first Thursday of December, on the steps of the Mickiewicz monument on the Krakow Market Square, there is a presentation of nativity scenes and a competition for the most beautiful of them. Whole families of modern carpenters specialize in building nativity scenes. Prizes are awarded in four categories: large nativity scenes, medium nativity scenes, small nativity scenes and miniature nativity scenes. The time it takes to make them depends on the format. The construction of a several-metre-high structure can take up to a year.

ENGLISH VERSION

^Origin:

^{https://pl.aleteia.org/2017/12/07/szopki-krakowskie-tradycja-ktora-wciaga/}

^{https://etnomuzeum.eu/zbiory/najstarsza-szopka-krakowska}

^{https://podroze.se.pl/polska/malopolskie/krakow/skad-wziely-sie-krakowskie-szopki/6188/}

^{Fig. kuriermlawski.pl, press materials, Historical Museum of the City of Krakow}