Młynówka Królewska Park
Explorer of Kraków's Parks · no. 28
Park type: water. In this park you can collect a stamp in the "Explorer of Kraków's Parks" campaign run by Kraków's Municipal Greenery Authority (ZZM). Where to find the stamp: the box is by the footbridge over the Młynówka Królewska, near Balicka Street and Zygmunta Starego Street.
History
Młynówka Królewska Park runs along the former artificial channel of the Rudawa river, whose construction began at the end of the 13th century. In 1286 the Dominicans received permission from Prince Leszek Czarny (the Black) to bring water from the Rudawa from Mydlniki through Łobzów to their friary in Kraków. The canal was also meant to fill the moats of the city fortifications. The work was completed in 1330, and many mills were built along the channel, which gave it its name (młyn means mill). In the 20th century most of the Młynówka was piped underground or filled in, including, in 1964-1966, the stretch from Bronowice Małe to Aleje Trzech Wieszczów. The councils of districts V and VI took up the revitalisation of the area in the early 1990s, and work on laying out the park began in 1997. Today it is about 8 km long, and the Municipal Greenery Authority (Zarząd Zieleni Miejskiej) calls it the longest park in Poland.
Did you know?
Along the walking route, a strip of dark paving stones traces the old course of the Młynówka. On one of the playgrounds stands a ship, a reminder of the role this earthen aqueduct once played.