Liszt Franciszek was a Hungarian musician, composer and pianist. He created many musical masterpieces, wrote symphonic poems, oratorios, songs and piano pieces. He was also the author of treatises on music, he wrote the first book about Fryderyk Chopin.
In 1843 he came to Krakow and stayed at the Hotel de Russie at 14 Florianska Street. Today this hotel is called the Hotel Pod Różą. In Krakow, he gave three concerts at the “Pod Węgierskim Królem” hotel, today called the Saski Hotel.
“Gazeta Krakowska” wrote then:
“At all three concerts, the crowd was unusual, inexperienced, not seen in Krakow. How eagerly he was listened to, it is as difficult to define as the virtuoso itself. After each play, he was thrown with wreaths and not called, but applauded!” .
Another, additional concert was held in Krakow, played for the poor. The next day he left to Warsaw, and in Krakow he was solemnly said goodbye. The then press wrote:
“… a dozen carriages and a lot of citizens accompanied Liszt to the city limits in Prądnik and on the very border he was received by bands and paid tribute to him with the melody of national dances, all the more significant as he was not the work of an order, but of good will and fame”.