Krakow''s Cellars
One notable recent development is the opening up of Krakow's extensive network of medieval cellars . The first stone buildings to go up were usually simple constructions consisting of a ground floor, first floor and attic: basements were not added on account of the shallow foundations used. As often, over time these buildings were gradually absorbed into newer houses, and as newer layers of road were progressively added to the streets of the city centre they were transformed into basements, largely ignored or forgotten by their owners. A further twist to the picture was provided by communist-era property laws, which in the Stare Miasto as elsewhere circumscribed ownership and thus control of a building's use. As a result, up until the late 1980s only two buildings on and around the Rynek Glowny - the Krzysztofory and Pod Baranami palaces - had cellars that were actually accessible to the public. All that has, however, changed rapidly in the post-communist era. Radical changes in property laws have resulted in a large number of Stare Miasto cellars being opened up, renovated and put to an assortment of uses, notably as bars, restaurants and galleries. At a stroke, Krakow has thus (re)acquired a large slice of its architectural heritage. And as anyone who visits the city today can testify, it's been well worth the wait: many of the cellars are notable, solid brick constructions, more often than not with their medieval stone ceiling decoration still virtually intact
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