| Wawel Royal Castle | |
|---|---|
.jpg) The Wawel complex, with thecathedral on the right and the castle on the left. | |
| Type | Castle residency |
| Location | Old Town,Kraków,Poland |
| Coordinates | 50°03′14″N19°56′05″E / 50.05389°N 19.93472°E /50.05389; 19.93472 |
| Area | 7,040 m2 (0.704 ha) |
| Built | 13th and 14th centuries |
| Architectural style(s) | Romanesque,Gothic,Renaissance,Early Baroque |
| Visitors | 2,100,000 (in 2019)[1] |
| Website | Official Website |
| Official name | Historic Centre of Kraków |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | IV |
| Designated | 1978(2nd session) |
| Reference no. | [1] |
| Country | Poland |
| Region | Europe and North America |
  Wawel Castle (Poland) Show map of Poland | |
TheWawel Royal Castle (Polish pronunciation:[ˈvavɛl]ⓘ;Zamek Królewski na Wawelu) and the Wawel Hill on which it sits constitute the most historically and culturally significant site inPoland. A fortified residency on theVistula River inKraków, it was established on the orders ofKing Casimir III the Great[2] and enlarged over the centuries into a number of structures around aPolish Renaissance courtyard. It represents nearly all European architectural styles of theMedieval,Renaissance andBaroque periods.
The castle is part of a fortifiedarchitectural complex erected atop a limestoneoutcrop on the left bank of theVistula River, at an altitude of 228 metres (748 ft) above sea level.[3][4] The complex consists of numerous buildings of great historical and national importance, including theWawel Cathedral where Polish monarchs were crowned and buried. Some of Wawel's oldest stone buildings can be traced back to 970 CE, in addition to the earliest examples ofRomanesque andGothic architecture in Poland.[5][6] The current castle was built in the 14th century, and expanded over the next hundreds of years. In 1978, Wawel was declared the firstWorld Heritage Site as part of theHistoric Centre of Kraków.
For centuries the residence of thekings of Poland and the symbol of Polish statehood, Wawel Castle is now one of the country's premier art museums.[3] Established in 1930, the museum encompasses ten curatorial departments responsible for collections of paintings, including an important collection ofItalian Renaissance paintings,prints,sculpture,textiles, among them theSigismund II Augustustapestry collection, goldsmith's work,arms andarmor,ceramics,Meissen porcelain, and period furniture. The museum's holdings inoriental art include the largest collection of Ottoman tents in Europe. With seven specialized conservation studios, the museum is also an important center for the conservation of works of art. With over 2.56 million visitors in 2023, Wawel Castle is the most visited art museum in Poland and the20th most visited art museum in the world.[7]
The history of Wawel is deeply intertwined with the history of the Polish lands and Polish royal dynasties already in theMiddle Ages. The political and dynastic tensions that led to the ascendance of Kraków as the royal seat are sophisticated, but for most of the Middle Ages and theRenaissance Wawel was the seat of the national government and theDiet (assembly). As thePolish–Lithuanian Commonwealth formed and grew, Wawel became the seat of one ofEurope's largest and most important states. This status was only lost when the capital was moved toWarsaw in 1596 (designated officially in 1793).[8]
From the late 18th century, when Poland lost its independence during the period offoreign partitions, Wawel became a symbol of endurance and was the setting for demonstrations and gatherings of Krakowians protesting against the continuing foreign occupation by theAustrian,Prussian, and theRussian Empires. Thus, the significance of the Wawel Hill comes in part from its combination of political and religious significance. The Cathedral holds the relics ofSt. Stanislaus and stands directly adjacent to the Royal Castle. The Hill has a long history of religious functions; some of the oldest extant architectural remains are those of the Rotunda of theVirgin Mary.
The hill which takes the form of ahorst originated in theMiocene epoch (23–25 million years ago) and consists ofJurassic limestone dating back to the Oxfordian age (155–161 million years ago). Thislimestone is stronglykarsted and abounds in caves (e.g. the Dragon's Den—Smocza Jama). This possibly explains why the hill was originally called "wąwel", meaningravine in Polish.[9] This ravine once divided the hill. An alternative theory is that the word means 'protrusion from the marshes' which surrounded the hill.[10] However, the most recent theory is that "Wawel" is a regular continuation of the nameBabel in theGreek language (the consonant [B] followed by [V]/[W]).[11]
The Wawel Hill has archaeological remains indicating settlement from the 4th century. Archaeological studies suggest that the earliest settlement dates back to the MiddlePaleolithic era, c. 100,000 years BC and owed its rapid development to its location being the crossing of a number of key trading routes. Wawel is believed to be one of the strongholds of theVistulan tribe which formed a nation at the turn of the 8th and 9th century AD. Its legendary rulersKrakus andPrincess Wanda, who are said to have lived in the 7th and 8th centuries, are mentioned by the 13th-century chroniclerWincenty Kadłubek. In the 10th century, the Vistulans' lands and Kraków became part of the emerging state of Poland.
In the year 1000, the Kraków diocese was established followed by the construction of aCathedral – the seat of the bishop. However, as a result of an ongoing conflict with theHoly Roman Empire, construction did not begin until the signing of thePeace of Bautzen, in 1018. Only minor fragments remain of the original cathedral (which is sometimes called 'Chrobrowska' afterBolesław I the Brave) and despite extensive archaeological research, it has proved impossible to reconstruct its exterior. Until the 1980s, relicts of St Gereon's Church were identified with the first cathedral but this theory, advanced by Adolf Szyszko-Bohusz, has been disproved by more recent research. There are also inconsistencies in the dating of the destruction of the original cathedral. Some sources place this at the time of the invasion ofBretislaus I of Bohemia in the 1040s, while others date the destruction to a fire in the 1080s.
In addition to the cathedral, the hill was also the site of other building work. The earliest evidence is of wooden structures dating from the 9th century, with the earliest stone buildings dating to the 10th and 11th centuries; the remains of the following buildings date from this era: the Rotunda of the Blessed Virgin Mary – probably from the turn of the 10th and 11th century; Church B (the earliest parts originate from the 10th century); Church of St Gereon (probably the palace chapel); the Church of St. George; the Church of St Michael; the Twenty-Four Pillar Room (possibly part of the Ducal Mansion); theKeep and the Residential Tower.
From this early period of the Wawel's history originates the popular and enduring Polish myth of the Wawel Dragon. Today, it is commemorated on the lower slopes of the Wawel Hill where by the river, isa modern fire-breathing metal statue of the dragon. The statue is sited in front ofSmocza Jama (Dragon's Den), one of the limestone caves scattered over the hill. The dragon,Smok Wawelski, was a mystical beast which supposedly terrorised the local community, eating their sheep and local virgins, before (according to one version) being heroically slain byKrakus, a legendary Polish prince, who supposedly founded the city of Kraków and built his palace above the slain dragon's lair. The oldest known literary reference to the Wawel dragon comes from the 12th century, in the work byWincenty Kadłubek.[12]
Between 1038 and 1039 DukeCasimir I the Restorer returned to Poland and it's believed that Kraków first became a royal residence and the capital of Poland at this time.
At the end of the 11th century, construction work began on a replacement cathedral, today called "Hermanowska" as it's likely thatWładysław I Herman was its patron. The new cathedral was consecrated in 1142. Quite a lot is known about the building because an image of it is engraved on a 13th-century chapterhouse seal, and some of its remains and foundations are well preserved; besides the lower 12 metres (39 feet) of the Silver Bell Tower, thetrinavelSt. Leonard's Crypt, the rotunda by the Bastion of Ladislaus IV of Hungary (once abaptistery and the rotunda by the Sandomierska Tower all date from this era, as does a church near the Dragon's Cave.
In 1118 Bishop Maurus was buried in the crypt. Thepaten and the chalice, buried with the bishop, were later exhumed from his tomb during its accidental discovery in 1938.
The Silver Bell Tower (originally known as the Wikaryjska or Priest Tower) dates from the early 12th century and is the oldest of the Wawel's many towers. However, the tower has many later additions and only the 12-metre-high rectangular base can be dated as belonging to the 11th-century Hermanowska Cathedral. Thebelfry was constructed in the final quarter of the 14th century and the spire in 1769.[13] The tower contains three bells; the largest was made in 1423, the next largest around 1271 and the smallest in 1669.[13] In the foundations of the tower is a burial vault containing the remains of notable Poles from all periods of history. Other notables are also buried at the nearbySkałka Church.
Around 1305 to 1306, the Hermanowska Cathedral was partially destroyed by a fire; however, the coronation of KingWładysław I the Elbow-high, in 1320, was still able to take place within its precincts. In the same year construction of a third cathedral, consecrated in 1364, began at the King's behest, the key elements of this cathedral are preserved today.
The cathedral istrinavel in construction and surrounded by side-chapels, added in later centuries. The earliest of these chapels were built off thechancel; St Margarita's chapel was consecrated (today it acts as asacristy) in 1322 and few years the chapel, later to be known as theBáthory Chapel, was completed. The cathedral's west entrance is flanked by two chapels; one dedicated toQueen Sophia (last wife ofWładysław II Jagiełło) and the second to the Holy Cross; these were built during the reign ofCasimir IV Jagiellon (1440–1492); the former is notable for itspolychrome vaulted ceiling.[14] From the close of the 15th century, a further nineteen side-chapels were built or rebuilt.
Władysław I the Elbow-high was the first king to be buried in the cathedral in 1333. Hissandstonesarcophagus was set up by his son and successor,Casimir III the Great, the lastKing of Poland from thePiast dynasty. The cathedral also contains the tombs of Casimir III the Great and Jogaila but the most precious is that ofCasimir IV Jagiellon, carved byVeit Stoss in 1492. The late Gothic tombstone ofJohn I Albert was carved at the beginning of the 16th century and is attributed to Jorg Huber. The cathedral also contains memorials toStephen Báthory and bishop Fillip Padniewski – both designed bySanti Gucci and also the tombstone of bishop Andrzej Zebrzydowski designed by Jan Michalowicz from Urzedow. During the 20th century, the cathedral became the site ofKarol Wojtyla'spriesthood ordination in 1946 andbishop ordination in 1958 as Kraków'sauxiliary bishop.
Little is known of the first royal residences at the Wawel until Casimir III the Great, who reigned from 1333 until 1370, had a Gothic castle erected next to the cathedral; this consisted of multiple structures situated around a central courtyard. In the 14th century, it was rebuilt by KingWładysław II Jagiełło (also known as Jogaila) and QueenJadwiga of Poland. The Hen's Foot Tower, built upon three projecting buttresses resembling a chicken foot, and theDanish Tower date from their reigns, as do the Jadwiga and Jogaila Chamber, in which thePolish coronation sword (Szczerbiec) is exhibited.
During this period, the Wawel began to take its present appearance and size as further buildings were developed on the hill to serve as quarters for the numerous clergy, royal clerks, troops, servants and craftsmen; this work included defensive walls, ramparts and the 'Jordanka,' 'Lubranka,' 'Sandomierska,' 'Tęczyńska,' 'Szlachecka,' 'Złodziejska' and 'Panieńska' towers.
The reign of the penultimate member of theJagiellonian dynasty,Sigismund I the Old, was a high point in Wawel fortunes. Following another fire in 1499, from 1507 to 1536, Sigismund rebuilt the royal residence.[15] King Sigismund had spent part of his youth at the court of his brother, King Vladislaus of Hungary and Bohemia inBuda; this court has a small band of Italian artisans pioneering the Renaissance movement, at that time little known outside of Florence.[15] Thus inspired Sigismund took the decision to rebuild in the Renaissance style within the walls of the old castle. A great influence on the king was his second wife, Italian-bornBona Sforza. She brought in the best native and foreign artists including Italian architects, sculptors, and Polish and German decorators, to refurbish the castle into a splendidRenaissance palace.[16][17]
Work on the newavant-garde palace was initially supervised by two artisans from Italy: Francisco from Florence andBartolommeo Berrecci, and after their deaths byBenedykt from Sandomierz. A feature of the rebuilding were the large, light rooms which open from tiered arcades lining a courtyard. The new rooms and halls included the ornate Deputy Hall with itscoffered ceiling, exemplifying the skills of both Italian and Polish craftsmen. To decorate the palace's rooms, Sigismund (and later his son) purchased over 350tapestries, collectively known as theJagiellonian tapestries; they were woven in the Netherlands and Flanders; many based on designs byMichiel Coxie.[18]
While the arcaded courtyard is considered a fine example of Renaissance art,[17] it has subtle eccentricities—hints of Polish Gothic within its form, a steeply hipped and projecting roof (necessary in a northern climate) counterbalancing the soaring effect created by the uppermost arcade being higher than those below (a feature unknown in Italy) to give the courtyard a uniquely Polish renaissance look. The extra height of the uppermost arcade is truly unusual as it indicates and places thepiano nobile on the third floor, whereas the rules of Italian Renaissance architecture place it on the second floor; again this indicates that while the design was inspired by Italians, the Polish artistic and cultural tradition was not extinguished in the execution.[19]
After a fire in 1595 when the north-east part of the castle burned down, KingSigismund III Vasa decided to have it rebuilt with the work carried out under the direction of the Italian architectGiovanni Trevano. The Senator Stairs and the fireplace in the Bird Room date from this period. However, the castle still retains many of the earlier interiors designed by Berrecci. While many have been altered through neglect, war damage and, after World War II, through overenthusiastic restoration, the spirit of Berrecci's Renaissance ideals mingled with the Gothic motifs of local craftsmen still remains.[19] The Ambassadors' Hall still retains much of its timber carving, most notable its coffered ceiling with thirty Gothic style carved heads by Sebastian Tauerbach.[19]
In the 17th century, Wawel became an important defensive point and was modernised and heavily fortified. Later, the transfer of power to Warsaw did not change the symbolic role and importance of the Wawel Cathedral, which was still the place of royalcoronations.[17]
During this period, many changes were introduced in the cathedral – the high altar was remodelled, thecloister was elevated and the Shrine of St Stanislaus (a marble altar and a silver coffin) and the Vasa Chapel were constructed. Baroque memorials were also erected, among others were tombs to bishops Marcin Szyszkowski,Piotr Gembicki, Jan Małachowski, Kazimierz Lubieński and kingsMichael I andJohn III Sobieski.
In 1517, the 16-year-long construction of another chapel adjoining the cathedral began.Sigismund's Chapel (Kaplica Zygmuntowska) was to serve as themausoleum of the last members of theJagiellonian dynasty. Later, at the turn of the 16th century, a memorial tablet toJohn I Albert was placed in a niche sculptured byFrancesco Fiorentino; this is considered to be the first Renaissance work of art in Poland. Other memorials from this period include those of Cardinal Frederic Jagiellon and of bishopsPiotr Gamrat, Piotr Tomicki, Jan Konarski, Jan Chojeński and Samuel Maciejowski.
The chapel is considered one of the most notable examples of architecture in Kraków, it has been hailed by many art historians as "the most beautiful example ofTuscanrenaissance north of theAlps".[20][21] Financed by King Sigismund, the chapel was designed byBartolomeo Berrecci. It is square-based with a golden dome and houses the tombs of its founder as well as KingSigismund II Augustus of Poland and QueenAnna. The design of the internal sculptures, stuccoes and paintings was carried out by some of the most renowned artists of the era, includingSanti Gucci,Hermann Vischer, and the architect himself,Georg Pencz.
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In 1520 theRoyal Sigismund Bell was cast, by Hans Behem, in bronze; it is the largest of the five bells hanging in the Sigismund Tower and was named to honour King Sigismund I the Old. It weighs almost 13tonnes (28 thousandpounds) and requires 12 bell-ringers to toll it.[22] It's rung only on special occasions (in modern times these were such events as the death ofJózef Pilsudski, the death ofBolesław Bierut, the election ofKarol Wojtyla asPope,Poland's accession to the EU),[23] mostly religious and national holidays, and is regarded as one of the country's national symbols. Today, the bishops of Kraków use it quite often, which reduces the importance of the Sigismund bell.[23] The hanging of the bell is the subject ofa painting byJan Matejko.[24]
The 18th and 19th centuries were to be a period of decline and misfortune for Wawel. The decline had begun as early as 1609, when King Sigismund III moved permanently toWarsaw. Despite the concerns of successive governors, both the castle and its precincts began to fall into ruin, which was in part due to occupyingSwedes between 1655 and 1657 and again in 1702.
The decline worsened drastically when the hill was occupied by the Prussian army in 1794; at this time, theroyal insignia were looted (apart from thePolish coronation sword) and taken to Berlin, where they were melted down for their gold, precious gemstones and pearls, which were handed to the Directorate of Maritime Trade in Berlin.[25]
The castle was besieged and then taken by the Russians on 26 April 1772, during the war of theBar Confederation. After theThird Partition of Poland (1795), Wawel fell under Austrian rule. Austrian soldiers converted the hill into barracks and as a consequence, much destruction and alteration took place: the Renaissance arcades of the courtyard were walled up, the interior of the castle was changed and parts of the buildings were demolished; amongst the buildings destroyed were the churches of St. Michael and St. George.[27]
Following the unsuccessfulKraków Uprising and the fall of theRepublic of Kraków, three large buildings housing a military hospital were built on the hill. During the latter half of the 19th century, the Austrians rebuilt the defence walls, making them a part of the expanded Kraków fortification system (two newcaponiers were made). At the same time, the Poles tried to retake the hill.
In 1815, the funeral of PrinceJózef Poniatowski took place at Wawel Cathedral. Since that event, national heroes have been entombed within the cathedral; prior to this date, only bodies of monarchs were interred there. In 1818, the body of national heroTadeusz Kościuszko was buried in St. Leonard's Crypt. During the reconstruction of Potocki Chapel in aclassical style, the statue of Prince Arthur Potocki by the Danish sculptorBertel Thorvaldsen was placed within the chapel. A second work by Thorvaldsen was placed in Queen Sophia's Chapel.
In 1869, due to the accidental opening of the coffin of King Casimir III, a second funeral was performed. Consequently, an initiative was taken to renovate other monarchs' tombs in the cathedral. The underground crypts were connected with tunnels, sarcophagi were cleaned and refurbished and new ones were funded. EmperorFranz Joseph I of Austria paid for asarcophagus for KingMichael, whose wife was from theHouse of Habsburg.
In 1905, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, in his capacity asKing of Galicia and Lodomeria, ordered his troops to leave Wawel. The Austrian withdrawal permitted the commencement of restoration work managed by Zygmunt Hendel andAdolf Szyszko-Bohusz. During the renovation, the Rotunda of Virgin Mary was discovered as well as other notable relics of the past. The renovation of the Wawel Hill was funded by public subscription. The names of the donors were inscribed on the bricks used to build the wall near the castle's northern gateway. The Coat of Arms Gate was built at this time and the statue ofTadeusz Kościuszko was placed nearby.
Between 1902 and 1904,Włodzimierz Tetmajer decorated the walls of Queen Sophia's Chapel with paintings depicting Polish saints and national heroes.
Józef Mehoffer painted murals in the vault of the cathedral and created stained-glass windows in the St. Cross Chapel as well as paintings in the Szafrańcy Chapel. Mehoffer is also responsible for the stained-glass windows in thetransept which depict the Sufferings of Christ and the Virgin Mary.
DuringPoland's twenty years of independence afterWorld War I, Polish authorities decided that the Wawel Castle was to be a representative building of the Polish Republic and would be used an official residence by the State Governor; this position was further re-enforced when, in 1921, the Polish Parliament passed a resolution which gave Wawel official status as the residence of the President of Poland. No legal acts have been issued by the independent Polish authorities redacting this resolution (apart from the decision of the StalinistState National Council (KRN) to change the Wawel Castle into a museum).
In 1921 astatue of Tadeusz Kościuszko sculpted byLeandro Marconi andAntoni Popiel was placed on the ramparts of kingWładysław IV Vasa on the northside.[28]
In 1925, a column fragment of Wawel Castle was incorporated intoChicago'slandmarkTribune Tower. Located in its own niche over the upper-left corner of the main entrance; it is a visual tribute toChicago's large Polish populace, the largest such presence outside of theRepublic of Poland.[29]
The tradition of burying notable Polish national in the cathedral has continued into the 21st century: in 1927, the ashes of the romantic poetJuliusz Słowacki were brought to the cathedral, ten years later the statesman and former Leader ofSecond Polish Republic,MarshalJózef Piłsudski, was interred in a vault beneath the Silver Tower[30] and in 1993 the remains of the World War II military leaderWładysław Sikorski were finally returned to Poland for burial in the crypt. More recently, the bodies ofPresident Lech Kaczyński and his wife were entombed in asarcophagus, in the antechamber of the vault beneath the Silver Bell Tower.[31][32][33]
DuringWorld War II, when Poland was occupied by Nazi Germany, the Wawel Castle was the residence of governor generalHans Frank, later to be executed as a war criminal. During his despotic regime, Raphael'sPortrait of a Young Man (1513–14), part of the Czartoryski collection, was removed from Wawel and to this day has yet to be returned to Poland.[34] Many of the tapestries have disappeared too, their whereabouts unknown; however, 150 of the tapestries which along with many of the Wawel's other treasures had spent the war years, for safety, in Canada have been returned to the castle and are, today, part of theWawel Royal Castle National Art Collection on public display along with countless art treasures and items of historical Polish significance.[18]
The 14th-century former Cathedral house, in the shadow of the Silver Bell Tower, between the Vasa Gate and the former Clerical Seminary, now houses theJohn Paul II Wawel Cathedral Museum. It was opened in 1978 byCardinal Karol Wojtyła,Archbishop of Kraków (laterPope John Paul II), and displays many historic Polish artefacts both spiritual and temporal which were formerly kept in the cathedral's treasury.[35]
The Crown Treasury situated in the historicGothic rooms which were used from the 15th century on for storing thePolish coronation insignia andCrown Jewels, feature on display priceless objects from the former Treasury that survived plunder, among them the memorabilia ofPolish monarchs including members of their families and eminent personages, like the hat and sword given toJohn III Sobieski by the pope after theBattle of Vienna, as well as the coronation swordSzczerbiec.[36]
In February 2021, a unique 16th-century child armour belonging to Polish kingSigismund Augustus was officially returned to Poland by Hungary and it is now kept in the collections of the Wawel Castle. SinceWorld War I it had been held in theMuseum of Fine Arts inBudapest where it was transported by mistake.[37][38]
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| Wawel Castle | | |
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| Wawel Cathedral | ||
| Other sights | ||
| Legend and history | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
