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This is a neat little park where a lot of watching goes on. Take part, otherwise you might feel stared at. Take no offense, though—Poles seem naturally interested in the tourists who come through their parks. If you have that natural verve, sit on a bench that is already occupied by a few old-timers or grandma babushkas and strike up a conversation. You’ll find Poles talkative if you can find a common language.
Krasinskich Park has a busy section and a quiet section. The busy area is inside the main gate off General Andersa Street, where a large bird pond takes you away from the traffic out on the roadway. Lots of benches, shade, and sun grab you and make you sit, at least for a bit. Momma Duck with her chicks paddle around close to shore, Momma Human with her pram walk the perimeter path that takes off in different directions further inside the park.
Off to the side, behind bushes and a safety fence, a children’s park has monkey bars, a little fort with bridge, and sandbox. If your kids are tired of lugging you around to the next ice cream shop, take them here and watch them interact with Polish-speaking kids. Their eyes will pop when they hear the seeming slur of consonants come from the mouths of someone their own height.
The tentacle paths reach out from this sunny pond ring and lead you onto the other paths. Seniors and disabled persons will find Krasinkich Park easy to move about. The paths are asphalt, wide, and generally flat without cracks. This is sort of an Old-Timer’s park (cut me some slack…I’m only 20 years behind) and a pram-stroller’s get-away. You may see some teen couples necking, but generally they want to skate or dance hip-hop, which is best done & watched at Old Town Square.
Away from the movement around the pond, Krasinkich’s paths take you under trees, through a nicely dense part of wood, and out across a couple open fields. There are no cafés or museums in the park, which makes it quiet. A nice slow place to get into a rambling walk. If you like to mutter to yourself while you walk and think, as I do, you’ll find K-Park perfect for aimless circulation.
Along the way, don’t forget to look around. A huge stump from a centuries-old tree that had to finally be dropped sits in the sun, looking shiny, petrified, a place for the kids or grand-kids to sit for a picture. In front of the Palace of Justice is a colorful flower arrangement. You can get some sun here on one of the benches circling the flowerbed before heading into Old Town to see its Baroque architecture and eat a late lunch.
(read more about Krasinskich Park highlights here)
