Scene of the Crime
Jaromir Król SCENE OF THE CRIME How Roman Polanski nearly died at the hands of a serial killer -- 20 years before Charles Manson. It is not by coincidence that the thousand-year-old city of Kraków in southern Poland has been described as Vienna’s little cousin. During its tumultuous existence, Kraków – once the country’s capital – was annexed by Austria, as Poland was attacked by three countries at once, and split into three parts as a result. But compared to the German and Russian partitions, Austria’s takeover proved so gentle, and its Emperor Franz Joseph so friendly and benevolent, that to this day Kraków considers him nothing short of a patron, and there are more memorabilia bearing his portrait to be found throughout the city than in any other place outside Vienna. Today, Kraków is a UNESCO World Heritage site, a place where history and culture come alive, and where scores of Poland’s foremost creators and thinkers have spent their days. Among them is Roman Po...