Address: Poland, Krakow
Start of construction: 1290 year
Coordinates: 50 ° 03'14.1 "N 19 ° 56'05.8" E
Content:
Short description
The center of old Krakow is located on the Wawel Hill, surrounded by castle fortifications and royal buildings.
Bird's-eye view of Wawel
The main attractions of the hill are the royal castle and the Cathedral of Saints Stanislav and Wenceslas... Wawel, the former seat of kings and bishops, has the same meaning for Poland as the Moscow Kremlin does for Russia. It was here, on Wawel, that the state and spiritual power of the country was concentrated until the 16th century.
The history of the settlement of the hill began tens of thousands of years ago, when primitive people sought refuge in the caves of limestone rocks. Already in the 11th century, Wawel was transformed into a fortified town ruled by the ruler of the Vislyan tribe. In 1290-1300, during the reign of King Wenceslas II, the Wawel fortifications were rebuilt in stone.
General view of the Wawel
The real glory of the capital came to Krakow in 1319, when the coronation of Prince Vladislav Loketek took place in the Wawel Cathedral. Under Casimir III the Great (1333 - 1370), Wawel finally established itself as the political center of Poland and turned into a massive Gothic castle. Wawel's "golden age" began in the 16th century under the kings of the Jagiellonian dynasty. The best Italian architects - Francesco Florentina, Bartolomeo Berecci and Hans Durer - rebuilt the palace in the Renaissance style, and German painters, in particular Hans Durer, created beautiful interiors. The castle survived the fires and the Swedish invasion, but after the collapse of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth it fell into decay. The Austrians who came to power converted the Wawel into a barracks.
View of Wawel from the river. Vistula
Attractions of the Wawel Hill
Today, the restored Wawel Castle stands proudly above the bend of the Vistula River. The castle was bought from the Austrian government in 1905 and rebuilt with money from Polish citizens... Climbing the hill from the side of the Royal Road, from Kanonicha Street, a tourist will see a two-hundred-meter fortress wall, dotted with small tablets. The names of 6329 citizens are engraved on them, who donated funds for the ransom and restoration of the stronghold.
Before entering the territory of the castle, visitors are greeted by an equestrian monument to Tadeusz Kosciuszko, the leader of the popular uprising of 1794. This monument is a duplicate, and its original was demolished during the Second World War by order of the German Governor-General. After the end of the war, the Germans cast a copy of the monument, but art connoisseurs claim that the horse for Kosciuszko was "replaced". Previously, the national hero sat on a slender Polish stallion, and now under him is a fat German horse.
View of the Cathedral of Saints Stanislav and Wenceslas
Just outside the Royal Gate, on the Wawel Hill, stands the Cathedral of Saints Stanislaus and Wenceslas. From the first church, founded in the 11th century, only fragments of the Silver Bells tower and the underground chapel of St. Leonard have survived, within the walls of which the ashes of Polish monarchs rest. According to legend, every year on the night before Christmas, the kings buried in Wawel gather for a council in this gloomy crypt. The core of the current Wawel Cathedral is the Gothic basilica, built in the 14th century. Its facade is decorated with narrow lancet windows, and an openwork rose window hangs over the main entrance. On all sides, the main building of the temple was covered with about 20 chapels of different eras and styles, but together they form a single harmonious ensemble. In addition to the Silver Bells Tower, so named for the bells of amazing purity of sound, there are two more towers adjacent to the cathedral - the Clock Tower and the Zygmuntovskaya Tower.
View of the Senatorial Tower
The clock got its name from the huge tower clock, and the Zygmunt Belfry was named after the 11-ton bell "Sigismund", which has no equal in the whole of Poland. It was cast in 1520 by the Krakow caster Jan Beham, commissioned by Sigismund I the Old. A romantic belief is associated with the bell, which says that if a girl manages to touch the huge language of Sigismund, then in the near future she will have a successful marriage.
Museums at Wawel Castle
Today, four expositions are open in the premises of the castle: the Royal Chambers, the Armory, the Treasury and the Lost Wawel exhibition... The Royal Halls are furnished with Renaissance furniture and murals depicting historical events. In the parliamentary hall, the ceilings are decorated with "Wawel heads" - wood carvings made in the form of human heads.
View of the Royal Castle on the Wawel from the courtyard
According to art historians, these heads depict crowned persons and arrogant dignitaries, medieval knights, respected burghers, court ladies and pages. The treasury exhibits coronation regalia, a sword "Shcherbets", a ceremonial saber with a scabbard, a helmet of the Vilna voivode Radziwill Black and other valuable historical exhibits. The Armory displays armor and weapons of the 15th - 18th centuries. The Lost Wawel exposition contains fragments of old churches and other archaeological finds. At the foot of the castle is the Dragon Cave, which has been turned into a tourist attraction. A metal monster is installed near the entrance, which periodically spews out fire, delighting children and adults.
View of the Sandomierz and Senatorial Towers
According to legend, in the Middle Ages a terrible dragon lived in this cave, eating a lot of livestock and people. Prince Krakus defeated the monster, and in honor of the liberator the grateful inhabitants named their city - Krakow.
