Kraków is a unique place to learn about history, literature and art. It is a city where the topics studied in class do not remain confined to textbooks-they can be seen, experienced and explored in the urban landscape itself. Walking the same streets that Stanisław Wyspiański walked more than a hundred years ago makes it easier to understand both his work and the era in which he lived.

Our Grade 10 students followed in the footsteps of Stanisław Wyspiański, discovering Kraków as the artist saw it over a century ago.

Our journey began at the Academy of Fine Arts, where the young and exceptionally talented Wyspiański studied under Jan Matejko. We then visited the Juliusz Słowacki Theatre, where The Wedding (Wesele) was first staged. At Jama Michalika, we explored the atmosphere of fin-de-siècle Kraków and the artistic bohemia that gathered there to discuss art, politics and new ideas.

Our next stop was Plac Mariacki, where we compared the view from Wyspiański’s former studio with present-day Kraków and reflected on how the city may have influenced his work. We concluded our tour at the Franciscan Basilica. Thanks to the kindness of one of the Franciscan brothers, we were able to learn more about the history of this remarkable place and admire Stanisław Wyspiański’s opus magnum-the magnificent stained-glass windows and decorative designs that remain among the most important achievements of Polish Art Nouveau.

Experiences like these remind us that learning does not end in the classroom. Sometimes the best classroom is the city itself, where history, literature and art come alive beyond the school walls.