Environment
Choked by Air Pollution, Krakow Bans Coal From Homes
In a city where coal and wood are commonly used to heat homes, forcing change is a meaningful step to help clear the air—but more challenges remain.
Krakow, Poland, wants to clear the air.
While the city’s beautifully preserved historic core is unusually elegant and charming even by central Europe’s high standards, Krakow’s air has long been appallingly dirty. Across the 1.7 million-citizen metro area, Krakow’s pollution is so notorious among locals that an old joke continues to circulate: When you open a window in Krakow, you don’t freshen the air in your apartment, you freshen the air outside.