The year 1815 saw the emergence of a new State on the map of Europe -the Free City of Kraków, which, because of its affiliation to the small group of European Republics, was also referred to as the Republic of Kraków. The Free City of Kraków stretched along the left bank of the River Vistula, bordering to the west with the Kingdom of Prussia, to the north and east with the Kingdom of Poland and to the south with the Austrian Empire. Its total surface area was 1150 km², which - apart from Kraków which became the capital - also contained three small private towns, Chrzanów, Nowa Góra and Trzebinia, as well as 244 villages