Set on the banks of the Vistula, Craców is the brilliant crown jewel of medieval Poland and one of the great undiscovered cities of Europe--and a UNESCO World Heritage city--with a perfectly preserved town square dating back to the 14th century. It is a university town, home to Jagiellonian (our AREUEA Conference venue), where Copenicus studied and began a cosmological revolution.

Legend has it that where Wawel Castle--the former royal seat of Poland--now stands, Lord Shiva cast one of his seven sacred stones. In any event, Craców--saved from bombing in World War II by Allied historians--remains a spiritual haven, where the Black Madonna resides, and where Pope John Paul II--Karol Josef Wojtyla--grew up and studied as a young acolyte.

Our conference seminars will be at Jagiellonian University. Set in a complex of buildings next to the town's square, it is in the heart of the old city--a lovely walker's delight, where vehicular traffic is strictly limited and the cobblestoned streets teem with life.