A thousand years of history in a single walk. Kraków brings to a close a three-part series that began in August 2026 with a feature on Warsaw, and in September showcased the Tri-City. Each episode presents a different image of Poland: the first focuses on a modern city, the second on the Baltic coast, and the third on heritage and culture. Only when taken together do they form a picture of the country that no single film can capture. The series is being broadcast to audiences in Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and the United States.
A castle, a dragon and Leonardo da Vinci in a single walk
The third advert takes the viewer on a route through Kraków that can be covered on foot in just over ten minutes. It begins at Wawel, the castle of the kings of Poland. It then descends to Smocza Jama, a cave at the foot of the hill associated with the legend of the Wawel Dragon. A quarter of an hour’s walk further on, at the Czartoryski Museum on Pijarska Street, is Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Lady with an Ermine’, one of the artist’s few surviving paintings. On the way, the protagonist buys a Krakow obwarzanek, a baked good that has held the EU’s Protected Geographical Indication status since 2010.
All these sites are situated in the historic centre of Kraków, which was inscribed on the first-ever UNESCO World Heritage List in 1978.
Where and in what formats will audiences abroad see the advert?
The campaign is being run in five markets: Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and the United States. These are the countries from which Poland receives the most tourists from outside the European Union, as well as the largest European markets.
The film was produced in a 30-second version, accompanied by shortened 15- and 6-second versions, tailored for Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. The content is published in five languages: Polish, English, German, Italian and Spanish. Radzimir ‘Jimek’ Dębski is responsible for the music for the entire campaign.
Campaign ambassadors
The Kraków advert features three of the campaign’s ambassadors. Maryla Rodowicz represents Polish popular culture and is touring the United States this season. Jesse Eisenberg, a two-time Oscar-nominated actor and director with Polish roots, brings the perspective of someone discovering Poland from the outside. Robert Lewandowski is the most recognisable Polish sportsman in the world.
Lech Wałęsa, Anja Rubik and Nikodem Rozbicki are also taking part in the campaign.
Inbound tourism is growing faster than domestic tourism
The campaign comes at a time when inbound tourism to Poland is growing significantly faster than domestic tourism. According to preliminary data from the Central Statistical Office, 4.2 million foreign tourists stayed in accommodation establishments in Poland in the first half of 2026, which is 10.5 per cent more than in the previous year. The number of overnight stays recorded rose by 8.4 per cent, and increased by exactly the same amount in July and August. In the first half of 2026, Poland ranked eighth in the European Union in terms of the number of overnight stays in accommodation establishments.
Małopolska is also the region with the highest proportion of foreign visitors in the country. In July and August 2026, 23 per cent of all foreign tourists in Poland stayed there, and the proportion of foreign visitors amongst all tourists in the region stood at 35 per cent – the highest of all provinces.
