Virtual world quite often becomes a second reality in which people function very well, but would still like to see some elements of their non-virtual life. Inventors of the very popular game “Second Life” try to meet those wishes. The game has become something more than pure entertainment. Nowadays, it attracts many serious national, international and social institutions from all over the world.
The moment “Second Poland” became available, Polish towns started to join it. Krakow was the first city to create its virtual image in July last year. Today, players can see its Market Square and some streets of the Old Town. The image is just the beginning of a larger project which is going to expand considerably soon. There are plenty of attractions planned. First of all, the creators of “Second Krakow” will include virtual sightseeing tours around Cracovian old buildings, museums and theatres, as well as visits to pubs or shops. Secondly, real Cracovian events, such as concerts in the Market Square, will be broadcasted on “Second Krakow”. However, the biggest attraction of all will be the underground museum below the surface of the Market Square, which in reality will not be opened for the next few years.
Zbigniew Wo�nowski is the originator of the entire project, but the City Council of Krakow is also interested and plans to establish a virtual information point in “Second Krakow.” As “Second Life” is a commercial project, there is a question whether national institutions should become involved in it. These doubts caused a lot of discussion in some circles – in February there were attempts of taking “Second Krakow” under the City Council’s wing, but unfortunately those plans ended up in huge quarrel between the members of the Council. The only serious institutions involved in “Second Kraków” include so far: the paper “Tygodnik Powszechny”, Institute of Journalism of the Jagiellonian University and Ko�ciuszko Institute
