The role and impact of murals in the urban space of Kraków’s Kazimierz, a City of Cultural Heritage
 
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Department of Spatial Management and Landscape Architecture, University of Agriculture in Krakow
 
 
Submission date: 2026-03-06
 
 
Final revision date: 2026-04-16
 
 
Acceptance date: 2026-04-27
 
 
Publication date: 2026-07-30
 
 
Corresponding author
Luiza Górka   

Department of Spatial Management and Landscape Architecture, Uniwersytet Rolniczny im. Hugona Kołłątaja w Krakowie, Poland
 
 
Geomatics, Landmanagement and Landscape 2026;(2)
 
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ABSTRACT
This article investigates the role of murals in Kazimierz, a historic district of Kraków, and their impact on this unique urban space. The cultural heritage of Kazimierz has emerged from centuries of interactions between Christian and Jewish traditions. The backdrop for its bustling activity is old townhouses and as many as forty murals, which were analysed in the article. The primary objective of the study is to develop a new methodological tool called Mural Evaluation Sheet, for the systematic documentation and cataloguing of street art. This universal tool was applied to document the existing murals in Kazimierz. The analysis was complemented by a review of local policies and national legal regulations concerning murals, as well as an in-depth interview with a Kraków-based mural artist. As an additional result, a Mural Assessment Diagram was developed, highlighting key aspects of artistic design, spatial context, and cultural conditions essential for the evaluation of both existing and planned murals. Fieldwork conducted in April–May 2025 resulted in an inventory of forty murals, revealing the dominance of advertising works and the continuing presence of historic ghost signs. The findings indicate that while murals can strengthen local identity and protect façades from vandalism, those artworks that are disconnected from cultural heritage may contribute to visual oversaturation and gentrification, reinforcing the need for transparent, context-sensitive governance.
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ISSN:2300-1496
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