Krakow to Apply for the Title of UNESCO City of Literature

Krakow will be applying for the title of UNESCO City of Literature. The Krakow city council has already begun the eight-month preparations to apply to the branch of the UN that handles education, science and culture.

To date only three cities have earned the title of UNESCO City of Literature: Edinburgh, Melbourne and Iowa. This is an extraordinarily prestigious title which falls neatly in line with the recent organization and promotion of literary and theatrical festivals in Krakow.

In 2009 Krakow launched two literature festivals, named after Czesław Miłosz and Joseph Conrad. A large book fair has been held here for over a dozen years. Krakow was also for many years a city inhabited by two Nobel-prize winners for literature: Wisława Szymborska and Czesław Miłosz. It was in part owing to them that Krakow was the site of important ongoing literary events – meetings of Nobel-prize winners and poets from all around.

The title of UNESCO City of Literature is chiefly a mark of prestige. Yet its significance is so great that, should Krakow receive the honor, the city could well be considered the literary capital of this part of Europe.