Vienna and Kraków: honours as a sign of friendship

The close partnership between Vienna and Kraków has been honoured with mutual awards.

The cities of Vienna and Kraków have been working closely together on a range of topics for many years. The first cooperation agreement between the two cities was signed back in 2000. Most recently, Kraków's Mayor Jacek Majchrowski and Vienna's Mayor Michael Ludwig renewed the agreement in 2021. There's also an International Office of the City of Vienna in Kraków.

Decoration of Honour in Gold for the Mayor of Kraków

In January 2024, the Mayor of Kraków received the Decoration of Honour in Gold for Services to the Province of Vienna at Vienna City Hall. Mayor Ludwig presented the award in the presence of numerous guests of honour, including former Mayor Michael Häupl. As the long-standing Mayor of Kraków, Majchrowski had made a significant contribution to strengthening cooperation between the two cities for example, within the framework of the cooperation agreement, which has been extended and intensified several times, said Ludwig. As an example of the exchange of experience and knowledge that is important for both sides, he cited the "Vienna Science Days", which took place in Kraków at the end of 2023.

Kraków's award for cooperation with Wiener Stadtwerke

In December 2023, the President of the Management Board of the Kraków Municipal Holding (KHK), Tadeusz Trzmiel, honoured the former Chief Executive Officer of Wiener Stadtwerke (Vienna Public Utilities), Martin Krajcsir, and presented him with a Medal of Honour from the city of Kraków. Trzmiel thanked Krajcsir for the many years of cooperation, which had reached a new level of quality and depth.

In addition to the award for Krajcsir, a professional exchange on the topic of Vienna's hydrogen on 6 December. Alongside decarbonisation, the use of new technologies and cooperation at the EU level, hydrogen is to be the topic of joint work for 2024.

In October 2020, Wiener Stadtwerke and Kraków's municipal holding company signed a cooperation agreement on important cross-city issues in order to further deepen the cooperation and friendship between the two cities, which has existed for two decades. The new Chief Executive Officer of Wiener Stadtwerke, Peter Weinelt, assured Trzmiel of his commitment to continuing the cooperation for the mutual benefit of both cities.

Further cooperation with Polish cities

Vienna also maintains close contacts with many other cities in Poland. For example, President of the Vienna Provincial Parliament, Ernst Woller, recently travelled to Wroclaw for a Viennese Ball. He used the opportunity to build political connections. He also met with the Chairman of the City Council, Sergiusz Kmiecik, and the Mayor of Wroclaw, Jacek Sutryk.

In addition to these bilateral meetings, Vienna also exchanges ideas and information through expert delegations or events such as the "Innovation in Politics Convention" in Warsaw. Cooperation also takes place through various international networks. Examples of this are the Organisation for World Heritage Cities (OWHC), in which Kraków in particular is involved, or the European Metropolitan Authorities (EMA), whose annual forum is regularly held in Katowice.