Jonny Pearcey Photography

13/08/2026

Krakow 25 series: IX/IX
Winter in the city
Warmth of the rain

Final piece

Steeped in nearly 800 years of history, Kraków’s Main Market Square (Rynek Główny) looks just as timeless glistening under dark rain clouds as it does in brilliant sunshine. Originally laid out in 1257, this iconic medieval plaza has survived Mongol raids, royal processions, and centuries of bustling trade, evolving into the vibrant heart of Polish culture. As rain falls over the cobblestones today, the historic Cloth Hall and soaring towers continue to watch over a new generation of travelers making their own footprints across Europe’s largest medieval square.

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12/08/2026

Krakow 25 series: VIII/IX
Winter in the city
People of the mist

Taking the camera from freezing Polish snow straight down into the underground salt mines created the ultimate happy accident. Condensation worked its way inside the lens, leaving every shot shrouded in heavy mist. Instead of scrapping the roll, I leaned into the texture—editing with the haze to heighten the eerie, ethereal atmosphere of the salt carvings and chandeliers. Sometimes the gear failing gives the photo its soul.

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10/08/2026

10/08/2026

Krakow 25 series: VII/IX
Winter in the city
The mist

Taking the camera from freezing Polish snow straight down into the underground salt mines created the ultimate happy accident. Condensation worked its way inside the lens, leaving every shot shrouded in heavy mist. Instead of scrapping the roll, I leaned into the texture—editing with the haze to heighten the eerie, ethereal atmosphere of the salt carvings and chandeliers. Sometimes the gear failing gives the photo its soul.

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07/08/2026

Krakow 25 series: VI/IX
Winter in the city
The Salt Path

eastern entrance section of Park św. Kingi (St. Kinga’s Park).
The park is named after Princess Kinga (Saint Kinga of Poland), the patron saint of salt miners.
The Ring Legend: According to a 13th-century legend, Princess Kinga received a engagement ring from Prince Bolesław the Chaste. She threw the ring into a salt mine shaft back home in Hungary as a wish for salt in Poland. Upon traveling to Wieliczka, she instructed local miners to dig, and they miraculously struck a massive block of rock salt with her ring embedded inside it.

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06/08/2026

Krakow 25 series: V/IX
Winter in the city
The path

Tucked into the green Planty Park walkways encircling the Old Town, just steps away from the base of Wawel Royal Castle.

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05/08/2026

Krakow 25 series: IV/IX
Winter in the city
Conversation in the snow

famous Polish mathematicians Stefan Banach and Otto Nikodym. Sculpted by Stefan Dousa, the bronze memorial sits in Planty Park at the foot of Wawel Hill and commemorates a historic 1916 mathematical discussion.

Tucked into the green Planty Park walkways encircling the Old Town, just steps away from the base of Wawel Royal Castle.

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31/07/2026

Krakow 25 series: III/IX
Winter in the city
Two Legends

Founded in the early 13th century, St. Mary’s Basilica in Kraków is iconic for its unequal towers, the monumental Veit Stoss wood altarpiece, and the traditional hourly bugle call.

The Legend of the Two Towers (The Rival Brothers)
The church features two towers of completely different heights and architectural styles.
* The Plot: Two brothers, both master architects, were hired to build a tower each.
* The Conflict: The older brother completed his tower (the taller one) first. Realising his younger brother’s tower was growing faster and more beautiful, he was consumed by jealousy.
* The Crime: The older brother murdered his sibling with a knife to stop his work.
* The Guilt: Stricken by remorse, the murderer confessed to the town, climbed to the top of his own tower, and jumped to his death.
* The Artifact: The iron knife allegedly used in the murder still hangs today in the gateway of the nearby Cloth Hall (Sukiennice).

The Trumpeter of Kraków (Hejnał Mariacki)
Every hour, a trumpeter plays a traditional four-directional melody from the taller tower. The tune always stops abruptly mid-note.
* The History: In the 13th century, a watchtower sentry spotted an invading Tatar army approaching Kraków.
* The Warning: He blew his trumpet to alert the city gates to close, saving Kraków from a surprise assault.
* The Arrow: As he played, a Tatar archer shot an arrow straight through the trumpeter’s throat.
* The Legacy: The melody cuts off at the exact moment the brave watchman died. This broken note is played every hour to honour his sacrifice.

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29/07/2026

Krakow 25 series: II/IX
Winter in the city
King Casimir III the Great

A famous historical chronicle noted that he “found Poland a place of clay and wood and left it a place of stone and brick.” Using the massive wealth generated by the Wieliczka Salt Mine, he turned a vulnerable, war-torn outpost into a fortified European cultural capital

King Casimir III the Great transformed Poland’s royal saltworks—most notably the Wieliczka Salt Mine and the Bochnia Salt Mine—into a structured economic powerhouse by centralizing royal control, issuing the Saltworks Statute in 1368, and funding worker welfare.

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27/07/2026

Krakow 25 series: I/IX
Winter in the city
Henryk Soldiers

The swarms of pigeons in Kraków’s Main Market Square are tied to a famous 13th-century curse. According to folklore, they are not actually birds, but rather enchanted knights waiting to be freed

During the 13th century, Prince Henryk IV Probus desperately wanted to unite Poland’s fragmented lands and travel to Rome to be crowned King by the Pope. Lacking the immense fortune required for the journey, he sought the help of a local witch.
* The Pact: The witch agreed to provide the wealth, but only if the Prince left his army of loyal knights in her custody.
* The Magic Gold: She cast a spell, transforming the entire army into a massive flock of pigeons. The birds flew to the roof of St. Mary’s Basilica and began pecking at the stone walls. Every pebble they dislodged turned into a pure gold coin as it hit the ground.
* The Broken Promise: Henryk gathered the gold and set off for Italy. However, on his journey, he indulged in lavish feasts, drinking, and celebrations, entirely squandering the fortune before reaching the Pope. Ashamed and broke, the Prince never returned to Kraków.
* The Curse Lingers: Because the Prince failed his mission, the spell was never broken. Locals say the pigeons roaming the square today are those same medieval knights, eternally waiting for their righteous king to return and restore them to human form.

The glass pyramid on Krakow’s Main Market Square serves as an architectural skylight and water fountain feature that illuminates the subterranean Rynek Underground Museum located four meters below.

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