Church of Saints Peter & Paul

The Church of Sts. Peter and Paul (Kosciól swietego Piotra i Pawla) in Krakow is a Baroque Jesuit church known best for the statues of the 12 disciples lining the fence at the front - it's church's most striking feature, although the interior has been extensively renovated and the airy, austere grandeur of this late Renaissance building is now evident.

Kraków's premier Jesuit Church was built in the early 1600s, and its crypt serves as the new national pantheon for Poles distinguished in the arts.

It is said that the Jesuits spent so much money on the ornate white facade and the sculptures that they ran out of money to finish the rest of the building. Indeed, behind the impressive Baroque facade is a church made from ordinary brick. The interior is not as impressive as the exterior, but worth a look.

Right next door is an older and more austere church, the Romanesque Church of St. Andrew.

Foucault Pendulum

Every Thursday inside the Church, demonstrations are held of the longest Foucault pendulum in Poland (46,5 m), suspended for the popular display of the Earth's rotation. Named after the French physicist Léon Foucault, the experimental apparatus consists of a tall pendulum free to swing in any vertical plane. The actual path of the swing appears to rotate; while in fact the plane is fixed in space, but the Earth rotates under the pendulum once a sidereal day. It is a simple and easy-to-see proof of the Earth's movement. The pendulum weights 25 kg and is fitted with the red laser marking a clock face at the floor.

Demonstratings occur on Thursdays at 10:00, 11:00 and 12:00, but check website to be sure. Pick up a free audioguide to get the most out of visiting.