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The History of Krakow Trivia Quiz

Krakow may not be as well known as Poland's capital Warsaw, but the truth is Krakow was an instrumental city in Poland for centuries.

A multiple-choice quiz by Joepetz. Estimated time: 4 mins.

Author
Joepetz

Time
4 mins

Type
Multiple Choice

Quiz #
375,655

Updated
Dec 03 21

# Qns
10

Difficulty
Average

Avg Score
8 / 10

Plays
335

Awards
Top 35% Quiz

Last 3 plays: Guest 86 (10/10), Guest 199 (6/10), Guest 93 (8/10).

One at a Time - Single Page - Timed Game

Question 1 of 10

1. Krakow was believed to have been founded by Krakus, a mythological hero, who was said to have killed Smok Wawelski. Who or what is Smok Wawelski? Hint

A tyrannical king

Some kind of alien lifeform

A poisonous tree

A dragon

NEXT>

Question 2 of 10

2. Who is the patron saint of Krakow, who as Bishop of Krakow in 1079, was murdered by King Boleslaw II? Hint

Saint Otto of Bamberg

Saint Francis of Assisi

Saint Stanislaus the Martyr

Saint Christopher

NEXT>

Question 3 of 10

3. Krakow was nearly destroyed and abandoned in 1241 after Poland lost the Battle of Chmielnik to which large empire? Hint

Persian

British

Mongol

Roman

NEXT>

Question 4 of 10

4. What is the name of the traditional Jewish quarter of Krakow that was founded in 1495 after a large fire destroyed most of the Jewish buildings and synagogues in the city? Hint

Wawel

Bronowice

Kleparz

Kazimierz

5. The Renaissance brought about a period of time when Krakow became one of Europe's leading cities for intellectuals. Which Polish astronomer, who placed the sun in the middle of the solar system, spent most of his life in Krakow, studied at the its university and is immortalized in a number of statues in the city? Hint

Galielo Galilei

Nicolaus Copernicus

Pierre Curie

Nikola Tesla

NEXT>

Question 6 of 10

6. Which Polish king, who was crowned in Krakow, died heirless in 1572, which eventually caused Poland to be invaded by Sweden in the 17th century? Hint

Casimir II the Just

Augustus II the Strong

Frederick Augustus I

Sigismund II Augustus

NEXT>

Question 7 of 10

7. Krakow into the hands of Austrian Galicia in the late 1700s. But which man, who has a mountain named after him in Australia, announced a 1794 revolt against Russian influence of Krakow in the market square? Hint

Tadeusz Kosciuszko

Jan III Sobieski

Kazimierz Pulaski

Stanislaw August Poniatowski

NEXT>

Question 8 of 10

8. The Congress of Vienna established Krakow as a free city in 1815. It became a centre for Polish nationalism and in February 1846 there was an uprising with the goal gaining Polish independence. It was led by a number of people, including Jan Tyssowski and Michal Wiszniewski. Against which power that controlled large portions of what was once Poland was it directed? Hint

Austria

France

United Kingdom

Germany

NEXT>

Question 9 of 10

9. What is the name of the infamous extermination camp that was located on the outskirts of Krakow and where an estimated 1.15 million Jews and others were killed during World War II, including Maximilian Kolbe? Hint

Auschwitz-Birkenau

Treblinka

Bergen-Belsen

Sobibor

NEXT>

Question 10 of 10

10. Karol Wojtyla became Archbishop of Krakow in 1964, but he is best remembered under what name? Hint

Deep Throat

Pope Benedict XVI

Pope John Paul II

Jack the Ripper

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Most Recent Scores

Oct 06 2024 : Guest 86: 10/10
Oct 03 2024 : Guest 199: 6/10
Sep 15 2024 : Guest 93: 8/10

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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. Krakow was believed to have been founded by Krakus, a mythological hero, who was said to have killed Smok Wawelski. Who or what is Smok Wawelski?

Answer: A dragon

The legend goes that Smok Wawelski was a dragon who lived on what is now Wawel Hill in Krakow. The dragon would destroy homes and eat villagers, especially young virgins. Krakus fed the dragon a poisoned lamb, which killed him, and the city was saved. Wawel Cathedral currently displays, what are claimed to be, the bones of Smok Wawelski, but it is unknown where exactly the bones came from.

2. Who is the patron saint of Krakow, who as Bishop of Krakow in 1079, was murdered by King Boleslaw II?

Answer: Saint Stanislaus the Martyr

Stanislaus and King Boleslaw II had a number of disputes, mostly with the men accusing each other immoral acts. King Boleslaw believed, which historians now believe is correct, that Stanislaus was conspiring to oust him and take more power for himself. King Boleslaw ordered Stanislaus to be executed but none of his soldiers were willing to kill the bishop. King Boleslaw killed Stanislaus himself while the bishop was celebrating mass.

3. Krakow was nearly destroyed and abandoned in 1241 after Poland lost the Battle of Chmielnik to which large empire?

Answer: Mongol

This was the first Mongol invasion of Krakow. Two more followed in 1258 and 1287. By the time of the 1258 invasion, Krakow was destroyed again just after having been rebuilt two years earlier. The Mongols failed to take the city in 1287 and Krakow started becoming a stable city from then on.

4. What is the name of the traditional Jewish quarter of Krakow that was founded in 1495 after a large fire destroyed most of the Jewish buildings and synagogues in the city?

Answer: Kazimierz

King Jan I Olbracht gave permission for the Jewish community to leave what is now called, the Old Town, which had been completely burned and demolished, and move to Kazimierz, which was later put aside specifically for the Jews. The Jewish people built walls around their quarter and it became known as Oppidum Judaeorum, the Jewish City.

Answer: Nicolaus Copernicus

Copernicus was actually born in Torun, Poland but his time spent in Krakow was critical to his scientific findings. He studied at the University of Krakow, which is now called the Jagiellonian University. Prior to his book "On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres" many, but not all, people considered the earth to be the center of the universe.

In addition to his scientific contributions, Copernicus was also a noted statesman and economist.

6. Which Polish king, who was crowned in Krakow, died heirless in 1572, which eventually caused Poland to be invaded by Sweden in the 17th century?

Answer: Sigismund II Augustus

Since he had no heir, Sigismund II Augustus' throne was passed to Sigismund III of Sweden. Sigismund III attempted to create a union of Poland, Sweden and Lithuania. It worked for a short time, but the different cultures caused tensions to escalate and the Treaty of Stuhmsdorf in 1635 gave Poland back most of its territory that Sweden had. The tensions continued until the '(Swedish) Deluge' of 1655-1660 when Poland received significant damage, more than in World War II, according to some sources.

(In the period c. 1648-1660 Poland found itself at war with most of its main neighbours - Sweden, Russia and Brandenburg-Prussia, though not with all of these countries at the same time: the overall cumulative damage to Poland was immense).

Answer: Tadeusz Kosciuszko

Although Krakow was under Galician rule, it was largely being influenced by Russia who had contributed in dividing up Poland in 1772. Kosciuszko had mostly an army of peasants nicknamed scythemen because they carried scythes. Kosciuszko was severely outnumbered by Catherine the Great's Russian Army.

However, he was able to defeat some smaller, though bigger than Polish, armies, but ultimately his uprising against the Russians failed.

Answer: Austria

Since 1795 Poland had been divided between Russia, Prussia and Austria (except for a brief period (1807-14/15). An uprising in Russian Poland in 1830-31 had been brutally suppressed.

The status of Krakow after 1815 made it a key center of Polish nationalism, which led to an uprising in neighbouring Austrian Poland. This 1846 uprising was supported by the wealthy noblemen, middle class merchants and intellectuals, who all wanted a united Poland like before it had been partitioned away. Austria was able to defeat the rebels by gaining the support of the peasants who believed an independent Poland would be ruled by the elite. Krakow, even as a free city, had always been seen as the center for the fight for Polish independence and its status as a free city was revoked because of this failure and Krakow became the Grand Duchy of Krakow, part of the Austrian Empire.

Answer: Auschwitz-Birkenau

Auschwitz-Birkenau was one of the most infamous camps from World War II. Krakow had a large Jewish population who was forced into ghettos when the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939. Stanislaw Klimecki was mayor of Krakow when the Nazis invaded and he sacrificed himself to save the city, which was destroyed anyway. Krakow lost a lot of historical buildings and objects during the war, mostly academic and intellectual in nature.

10. Karol Wojtyla became Archbishop of Krakow in 1964, but he is best remembered under what name?

Answer: Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II was born in Wadowice, a city near Krakow. He was elected pope in 1978 and served until his death in 2005. He was the first Polish pope and the first non-Italian pope in four centuries. Pope John Paul II was a popular pontiff for many reasons, one of which was working to free Poland and Eastern Europe from Communist rule.

Source: Author Joepetz

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor bloomsby before going online.
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