What is now a district of Krakow was built in the 1950s as a communist model city. Hardly any visitors make it out to Nowa Huta, yet it’s well worth hopping on the tram to see it. It’s one of the best-preserved examples of a socialist realist city in the world. I went with a guide, and in this blog I’ll tell you what you’ll see there and how to get there.
Building a communist model city
After the Second World War, much of Poland lay in ruins. The new communist regime wanted to show the world what the ideal society looked like, and from 1949 it built an entire city next to a gigantic new steelworks. Nowa Huta, literally ‘new steelworks’, became one of the largest planned cities in socialist realist style. Its historic core is now a listed monument, and Krakow is working to get the district onto the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The city was meant for the thousands of workers at the steelworks, and in communist thinking they deserved the very best. Many came from the countryside, where they’d lived without a bathroom or electricity. In Nowa Huta they got spacious, modern flats with all the mod cons.
The plan was based on five wide avenues fanning out from a central square. Ironically, that square is now named after Ronald Reagan, the American president who played a part in the fall of communism. Between the avenues are large housing blocks around courtyards with schools, shops and playgrounds. Each block was designed as a village of its own, where neighbours knew each other and everything was within walking distance.
After communism collapsed, things went downhill fast. The steelworks shrank, unemployment rose and Nowa Huta got a reputation as one of Krakow’s most dangerous districts. That picture is long out of date. Young families are discovering the roomy flats and green courtyards, and the district keeps getting more popular.
Things to see in Nowa Huta
Start your visit on the central square, Plac Centralny, and walk down the middle avenue, Aleja Róż, the Avenue of Roses. It was designed as a promenade for pedestrians, and until 1989 it was home to the largest Lenin statue in Poland. Along the avenues you’ll see typical 1950s architecture: monumental and symmetrical, with nods to classical antiquity. Just look at the arches on either side of the square, which are reminiscent of a Roman triumphal arch.
Nowa Huta also has the story of the cross. In a city without God there was no room for a church, but the residents demanded one anyway, backed by their archbishop Karol Wojtyła, the future Pope John Paul II. They were given a plot of land and put up a wooden cross there. When the authorities tried to remove that cross in 1960, the residents rose up. It was the first big protest against the regime in Nowa Huta.
The first church that was eventually built is the Ark of the Lord, Arka Pana. When construction stalled at empty promises, the residents largely built their church themselves. Its walls contain more than two million pebbles, collected by believers from all over the world. From the outside it looks like a ship, inside like a modern cathedral. Take the stairs up for the best view of the interior, with its stained glass, unusual ceiling and a figure of Christ without a cross. Next to the altar, a round artwork even holds a fragment of moon rock, a gift from Pope Paul VI. My jaw dropped.
These days Nowa Huta has more churches, such as the church of Our Lady of Częstochowa, another building with a striking design.
How to visit Nowa Huta
You can easily explore Nowa Huta on your own, but with a guide you really hear what life was like here under communism. I went with a local guide, and the stories made the visit. A fun alternative is a tour in an old Eastern Bloc car, which also takes you into the bomb shelters under the district.
→ Book a Nowa Huta tour in a vintage car
From Krakow’s Old Town, the tram gets you to Nowa Huta in about half an hour. An Uber or taxi works too, of course.
→ Discover the 17 best things to do in Krakow
More tips for your trip to Kraków
Our pickHotels in Kraków: stay in the Old Town or in our favourite neighbourhood, Kazimierz. Pick your spot on Booking.com
Ride through the communist model town in a Trabant: book a Nowa Huta tour in an Eastern Bloc car on GetYourGuide.
Prefer everything arranged? Browse Poland tours on TourRadar.
Kraków is a short flight away. Compare flights to Kraków.
Discover all our blogs about Poland
