Walk in Kraków

Logo Chodźże po KrakowieWalk in Kraków for health, pleasure and to save time. This is the motto of the “Walk in Kraków” campaign prepared by the Road Authority of the City of Kraków and the Public Transport Authority in Kraków. Due to its high tourist traffic and urban layout, Kraków is a place where many people travel around the city on foot. Attractions are relatively close to each other and in most inner city neighbourhoods it still pays to simply walk to the shop, hairdresser or even to work.

We want to encourage more and more people to walk. It can often seem that the distances between certain points in the city are long and we therefore opt for the car or public transport. For example, it takes only about 5 minutes to walk from the Inwalidów Sq. area to the Bagatela Theatre. If you take the tram, you may arrive a little faster, but by car you certainly won’t, because you have to add the time it takes to find a parking space. It’s a waste of time, with more emissions and extra cost. What’s more, movement is health – a popular slogan says that to feel fit, you need to take 10,000 steps every day (that’s a distance of 5-6 kilometres). So if you are going to the centre, it is worth doing so on foot. You will help yourself and others. You will increase your well-being and often save time. In turn, you will help others who need to get to the centre by car to do so more efficiently and find parking more easily. All of us can benefit from this at some point.

Schematic maps of Śródmieście and Nowa Huta have been prepared to show how certain distances can be deceptively large. The most popular routes are plotted on them, and the time it takes to walk each section is given. It’s a timed count at a leisurely pace, so it will come as a surprise to many how close certain points in the city are to each other. 

Downloads

pdf-icon Śródmieście (1.76 MB)
pdf-icon Nowa Huta (2.63 MB)

Walking for health

We all know very well that physical activity has a positive impact on health. However, we are not all aware that walking can have such a positive impact on our well-being. Just two 10-minute walks a day can significantly improve one’s health in terms of: better sleep, feelings of relaxation, reduced risk of health problems such as diabetes, heart disease, some types of cancer, depression, Alzheimer’s. Even a daily walk to the bus stop can reduce your chances of contracting one of these diseases. Also, walking:

  • improves memory,
  • lowers blood pressure,
  • reduces the effects of genes responsible for weight gain, but also burns fat on its own,
  • reduces the desire to snack on something sweet,
  • lowers the risk of breast cancer by 14%, even among women at increased risk of the disease,
  • reduces joint pain and does our joints good, lessening the chances of developing arthritis,
  • improves immunity, reduces the chance of catching a cold or flu, and if you do get sick, increases the chances of a shorter period of illness with fewer symptoms,
  • strengthens bones, improves balance and motor skills,
  • strengthens muscle power and endurance.

A 2007 study on a group of physically inactive women found that even 75 minutes per week significantly improved fitness compared to a group that did no exercise. Walking requires no special preparation or equipment. You can walk in your own time, at your own pace and the vast majority of people are predisposed to walk. It would seem that walking is not exercise, although in fact when we walk we are doing the work of carrying the entire weight of our body. Walking is a great way to start any form of activity in your life. For most people, the amount of energy needed to walk one kilometre is the same as the amount of energy needed to run one kilometre – it just takes longer. Therefore, if you are not predisposed to running, you can simply walk. The best warm-up before walking is… to walk at a slow pace. Walking slowly will give your muscles a chance to warm up.

Another positive aspect of walking is a completely different perspective on the city. Walking allows us to slow down, breathe and observe city life. Walking gives us time to think things through, calm our nerves, and can even become a kind of daily meditation. After all – if you are concerned about the state of the environment – there is no greener way to get around than walking.

Source: „Walking benefits”

Bibliography