Ok so going into new territory, just a few years ago I had the opportunity to travel to the old Eastern Europe countries, and finally got to Poland. It was a nice experience that took me in two trips and possible another by next May’19. So let me tell you about something different.
The Wawel castle in Krakow is a must to see, but after going around so excited seeing the different venues and night spots, I ran out of time!! Walked right by it and no time to go inside. This will definitively have to change next May’19. Promise. For the time being will put a post to remind myself of the visit to be.
The historic city is located at the foot of the Wawel Hill. Krakow was, before Warsaw, the capital of the Poland and is often considered the true center of the country with its traditions and over 1 000 years old history. It is the cultural and scientific center of the country Karol Wojtyła was Bishop and then Archbishop of Krakow, before becoming Pope John Paul II in 1978, the first non-Italian pope for 455 years.
The main thing is not to missed the Wawel castle, which I did not go in as the tour would have taken too long for my time and on a first visit wanted to touch as many places as possible to better understand the city and hopefully be back for in depth look later on with the family. The castle is wonderful bordering the Vistula river or wisla. Again, plan to see it, the major place to see here.
Wawel Castle, located in Krakow, was built at the behest of Casimiro III the great, who reigned between 1333 and 1370, and consists of several structures located around a central courtyard. In the 14C it was rebuilt by Jogaila and Eduviges I. During his reign the tower called Hen’s Paw (Kurza Stopka) and the Danish tower were added. The Chamber of Eduviges and Jogaila, in which is the Szczerbiec sword, which was used in coronation ceremonies, is exhibited today and is another remainder of this period. On the hill were built other structures that served as barracks for the numerous clerics, royal employees and craftsmen. In this period, defensive walls and towers were erected such as Jordanka, Lubranka, Sandomierska, Tęczyńska, Szlachecka, Złodziejska and Panieńska.
Wawel Castle and Wawel Hill are the most important historical and cultural place in Poland. For centuries it was the residence of the kings of Poland and a symbol of the Polish state. It is currently one of the best art museum in the country. Founded in 1930, the museum comprises ten departments responsible for collections of paintings (including an important collection of Italian Renaissance paintings), engravings, sculptures, textiles (including the collection of tapestries by Sigismund II Augustus), Goldsmiths, weapons, armor, ceramics, Meissen porcelain and furniture. The museum’s Oriental Art collections include the largest collection of Ottoman tents in Europe. With seven specialized conservation studies, the museum is also an important center for the preservation of works of art.
The current building comprises Romanesque fragments and important gothic elements. Its current aspect mainly dates from the period (1504-1535), from the reign of Alexander Jagiellon (1501-1506) and from Sigismund I the Elder (1506-1548). The Treasure of the Crown, located in the historical Gothic rooms that were used since the 15C for the storage of the insignia of the crown and the jewels of the crown, exhibits objects of incalculable value of the ancient treasure that survived the looting, among them the memories of the kings of Poland, like the hat and the sword that the Pope gave to John III Sobieski after the Battle of Vienna or the crowning sword Szczerbiec.
Some webpages to help us enjoy the visit here are
Official Wawel Castle of Krakow
Official Wawel Castle and the tapestries to see
A fragment of a column of Wawel Castle has been incorporated into the skyscraper Tribune Tower of Chicago , IL USA. Located in a niche on the upper left corner of the main entrance, it is a visual tribute to the large Polish population in Chicago, the largest outside of Poland. And I used to live in a major second concentration in NJ with the ZBA or Polish Congress of America!
Something that must and is in my to do list once get there again. In the meantime you can search for Krakow in my blog and see my previous posts.
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!