I just spent a couple of days down in Krakow as friends of mine were over from Scotland. Hadn't been there for about two years and have to say that I was horrified! I always thought the stuff on the forums about the behaviour of Brits there was exaggerated but now I have 100% sympathy for the Polish guys who write 'very bad things' about these 'visitors'. In Warsaw if you avoid 2-3 places you don't really see that behaviour but in Krakow from early evening it was a f***ing disgrace! Hundreds of really pissed up fat, pink idiots in football shirts scaring the cultured little old ladies of Krakow! and this is on a Tues, Wed evening, I shudder to think what weekends are like?
Mind you, I have to say the cafes and pubs appearing round the 'Rynek' seem to encourage this as it must be a good money spinner, so really Poles are equally to blame for encouraging this form of tourism. Most places now offering the heart-attack special of a full English breakfast, UK sports channels beamed in and I even saw a place selling pies! Add to this all the sl*tty looking staff they employ, usually in mini skirts and heels and BINGO! Heaven for the repressed Brit cretin!
10 years ago Krakow was one of my fave places on earth, now it is turning into some sort of Spanish seaside resort, minus the sea of course. It really made me sad and angry.
That's a shame. It's been a while since I was in Krakow, and I thought that all that stuff was more or less confined to a couple of pubs, like The Bull.
Are the authorities doing anything to prevent Krakow from going the same way as Prague? Fair enough, money is being made, however it's pretty much a short term strategy, and it will eventually put people off wanting to visit.
10 years ago Krakow was one of my fave places on earth,
Me too. 15 years ago Prague was one of my favourite places too and look at it now. When my eldest son visited there for the first time a few years back he came back ashamed to be British after witnessing the behaviour. Like FinT says though, some locals have pandered to the stag parties et al and have made a great deal of money out of them.
Its easy to stop it though I dont think the bar owners will. The p1ssheads get what they want and the bar owners get their money. The losers are the rest of us.
...but that's a very short-term attitude - even the stag party lads are fickle, and they'll move on. Prague, Tallin... they've all been "done". If Krakow if the place for stag parties this year, it'll be somewhere else next year.
In the meantime, all that will happen is that people who are looking for a short break to take in the history and culture will be put off, and will go elsewhere.
Me too. 15 years ago Prague was one of my favourite places too and look at it now. When my eldest son visited there for the first time a few years back he came back ashamed to be British after witnessing the behaviour. Like FinT says though, some locals have pandered to the stag parties et al and have made a great deal of money out of them.
Ive been visiting Prague for a very long time and have seen the steady decline, but if you know where to go you can stay away from the fools, its still my fav city and still has quite a few hidden gems that the stags havent found...
I must admit, but Krakow is slowly going down the pan, ive been living here for 2 years and although i hate the cold, i pray for winter. Though i wouldn't say its all down to the poles taking advantage of the tourists, as the 3 most popular places for stags to go are owned by brits.
True ... but us in the know are keeping quiet about them....
Oh yes and it shall remain that way, its quite funny I spent a few days in Karlovy Vary on my last visit to the Czech and didnt meet one English / Scot or other English speaking person...it was like Heaven..
The only timew ive ever fealt threatened in my two years of living in Poland was in Krakow around March 2006 and by my own coutrymen. I went into one of the bars around the Rynek and came accross a bunch of around 25 tatooed british scum bags, loud, drunk and abusive. I dont think these guys could afford a proper holiday so they opted for a cheep beer weekend in Poland.
I was in Krakow in 2002 and loved it. I was in Krakow again in 2006 and thought it too crowded. Then after I picked up one of Siekenwitz's books ( I know I spelled it wrong, sorry) that begins with visitors going to Krakow in the 1300s and they too are complaining that Krakow is getting too crowded and out of control!
Im genuinly really upset by this. I first visited in 2002,then again in 2003,both times as a "mature" student in a group mostly made up of younger kids in their late teens early 20s,ie the typical age range of most young brit binge drinkers,but,glad to say they were not like this at all.All treated the place with respect at the same time as having a real fun time in the bars and clubs at night.
One of the cool things I found was that the group was greated as pretty exotic by the locals even then,many keen to practice english with us etc. I have a horrible feeling this would not be the case now. Back then even the stereotype fight starter of one of "our lot" spilling the beer of qite a hooli looking Polish lad went by with no more than a flash of anoyance then smiles and drinks all round.
The last time I went I discovered the bar szara ,just off the rynnek(within the sound of the bugle,OK I admit,everytime I heard the hejnal I was like a little kid) and took in a group of students,one or two obviously under 18 ,Id gone with them doing my surrogate big bro routine too look out for them,at the time Krakow felt sooo far from Britain, and even they were welcomed by the staff once they realised what a nice bunch our students were , again,quite drink in the bar szara(secretly gazing at the gorgeous bar maid,god,I thought of her for months/years after:)on a tuesday night sounds like a non starter if I go back.
Really disapointed.Greg,if I come over I'll volounteer to p iss on a few drunk brits with you.
quite sad, but on starowislna where i live, whenever i hear a loud group of stags singing whatever there singing and just annoying locals, i used to line up a row of eggs on my balcony.....geeez, i think ive got worse than the locals in my hared:P:D:D:D
About the hooligans, I wish the city fathers would do something about it. For a start, getting the police to clamp down on drunken behaviour, and closing some brothels/strip bars would help (not that I'm a prude, I just don't think it helps the city).
I think that they're worried about damaging the tourist industry, but the yobs' behaviour does far more damage. It'd be great to see some of them cooling off in prison for a few weeks.
I got a couple of them arrested a couple of days ago, for assault. It took a lot of effort to get the police motivated. I don't know if it was because they couldn't be bothered or that they had instructions not to interfere with 'tourists', probably both, but in the end they did arrest them. I left them at the station sobering up rapidly. That was a satisfying moment, but unfortunately just a drop in the ocean.
I think the Krakow police really need to get tough on them - special patrols etc.
A good thing is that "Poles go home (from UK)" is becoming a mainstream knowledge here, so there's hope that these clowns will start getting what they deserve.
People love bashing the Brit's and Britain, lol, were used to it by now, i mean the Roman's came and left, Jerry didn't make it over the beaches, were made of stern stuff you know :)
If people misbehave abroad then they should be dealt with according to the law of that country, thats about all i have to say on it. I can't believe your picking on one particular nationality but hay this is PF :)
