It was in 1850 when Austrian Emperor Franz Jozef decided to turn Cracow, the former Polish capital but then a provincial town, again under Austrian rule after the failed 1848 Cracow revolution, into a fortress city. Due to city’s strategic location in the context of Russian-Austrian geopolitical imperial rivalry in the 19th century, the Habsburg Empire decided to build this fortification in what became one of Austria-Hungary’s largest defence investments in its history.

Poland and vodka have been unseparable concepts for centuries even though this drink's popularity in the country has dropped over the last decades in favour of beer and wine. In any case, you should know that while in Cracow it is a must to experience Polish vodka beyond just drinking it or tasting its many available flavours. KrakOff the Map is giving you the opportunity to learn about the history of Polish vodka, its production process and its consumption, as well as the hi