For almost a millennium, the magnificent Wawel Castle has been rising above the Vistula. He witnessed many historical events, survived many wars, fires and destruction, perestroika. This castle is a symbol of Poland, a place of particular importance to the Poles.
Castle history
During archaeological excavations, it was found that already in the XI century there was a settlement on this place, and the walls of stone began to be erected in 1300 under Wenceslas II. In the XIV century, Casimir III the Great began the construction of the castle in the Gothic style. From the 11th to the beginning of the 17th century, the Wawel Castle was the residence of the Polish kings and was the center of the country's spiritual and political power.
The heyday of the castle began during the reign of Sigismund I the Old, however, a fire that broke out in 1595 destroyed the building. From this moment begins the period of its decline. In 1609, Sigismund III transferred the capital of the state from Krakow to Warsaw, although officially the status still remained with Krakow (until 1795).
The Wawel Castle in Krakow survived the Northern War, almost complete destruction by the Swedes. In 1724-1728, an attempt was made to restore it, but it was unsuccessful, and the barracks of the Austrian garrison were placed on the territory of the castle. It became officially the property of Poland in 1905. Until now, restoration work is underway here. In 1978, Krakow was added to the list of cities protected by UNESCO.
Since the Middle Ages, Polish monarchs, political and cultural figures were buried in the Cathedral Cathedral of the castle. In 1994, Lech Walesa declared Wawel a historical monument of national importance. In mid-April 2010, President Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria were buried here.
Wawel Castle (Krakow, Poland): description
On the hill of the same name is a whole complex of unique architectural monuments. The main ones are the Cathedral of Saints Wenceslas and Stanislav and the Royal Castle.
The restored Wawel Castle (photo you can see below) majestically rises above the bend of the Vistula. It was bought from the Austrian government in 1905 and was restored on the voluntary donations of Polish citizens. Climbing the hill from Kanonich Street from the side of the Royal Road, you can see the fortress wall with a length of more than two hundred meters. It is literally strewn with small tablets on which the names of 6329 Poles are carved, which donated funds for the ransom and further restoration of the castle.
Monument to Kosciuszko
At the entrance to the territory of Wawel, visitors are greeted by a monument to Tadeusz Kosciuszko - the leader of the popular uprising of 1794. This is an exact copy of the monument, the original of which was demolished during the war with fascist Germany on the orders of the German governor-general.
In the post-war years, the Germans made a copy of the monument, but art historians believe that they replaced the horse under the national hero. He used to sit on a slender stallion, and now underneath is a German fat horse.
Castle expositions
Entering the royal court, visitors can choose the direction of the excursion at their discretion. In the Armory with the chambers of the Polish rulers, whose luxury and decoration were preserved by the museum staff, you can admire the magnificent canvases of medieval painters, which impress with their gigantic dimensions.
Fans of historical artifacts will certainly be interested in the exhibition “The Lost Wawel”. The Cathedral and the mysterious and dark dungeons of the Dragon Cave deserve special attention.
The Wawel Castle in the Parliament Hall has unique ceilings that are decorated with “Wawel heads” - the finest wood carvings made in the form of human heads. Art historians believe that these heads depict royalty, arrogant dignitaries, knights, burghers, beautiful court ladies.
In the treasury you can see the regalia of kings, the ceremonial saber with scabbard, the sword of Shcherbets, the helmet of the governor Radziwill Black and other priceless historical exhibits. Tickets for all exhibitions are limited, so at the height of the tourist season, which usually occurs in summer and spring, they end at the box office by noon.
Cathedral of St. Wenceslas and Stanislav
Poland can rightfully be proud of many unique places of worship. Wawel Castle, more precisely, its cathedral is one of them. It is located outside the Royal Gate. From the first building, founded in the XI century, only small fragments of the tower of the Silver Dings and the underground chapel of St. Leonard, in whose walls the Polish monarchs are buried.
Like any ancient castle, Krakow is covered with numerous legends and secrets. One of them says that every year on Christmas Eve, kings buried in the castle gather for secret council in this gloomy dungeon and discuss how the Poles live.
The semantic core of the Wawel Cathedral is the basilica, made in the Gothic style. It was built in the 14th century. Its facade is decorated with narrow lancet windows, and above the main entrance there is an openwork rose window.
Architecture
The main building of the temple is surrounded by twenty chapels, created in different styles and at different times. Despite this, together they form a harmonious ensemble. In addition to the Silver Ringing Tower, which got its name for the bells, which have an amazing purity of sound, two more towers adjoin the cathedral - Zygmuntovskaya and Chasovaya, so named because of the huge tower clock. And the Zygmunt belfry owes its name to the eleven-ton bell “Sigismund”. It was cast by the Cracow caster Jan Beem in 1520.
A romantic belief is associated with this bell - if a girl touches the huge Sigismund language, then very soon she will marry successfully and will be happy with her husband all her life.
Legend of Wawel Castle
Another attraction of the castle is the Dragon Cave, which is located in a rock. At her entrance is a sculpture that makes fearsome sounds and even spews flame.
I must say that Slavic legends contain many references to huge dragons. And the legend of the dragon, which "captured" the Wawel Castle, is perhaps the most famous in Poland. It has several variations, but we will tell the most common of them.
Dragon's appearance
In ancient times, a terrible and bloodthirsty dragon lived in the cave, who constantly demanded that the locals sacrifice the youngest and most beautiful girls to him. For many years he kept people at bay. Only one of the sons of King Krak, who founded the city, managed to defeat him.
According to another version, this happened during the reign of Prince Krak - a wise and kind ruler. Under his leadership, the city grew, developed and became rich. But once, in the misfortune of the townspeople, a terrible fire-breathing dragon appeared in the Wawel Cave. He began to regularly abduct cattle from pastures, and did not refuse from the townspeople who appeared near the cave.
Krak was already middle-aged, and knew perfectly well that he had no chance of defeating the monster. And he decided to throw a cry: everyone who can defeat the dragon will receive his daughter and half the kingdom as a reward in addition. And the brave souls reached into the city, but not one of them managed to defeat the beast. And when the inhabitants of the city had already lost all hope of deliverance, the feeble little guy offered his services - a student of a shoemaker, whose name was Scuba.
His plans did not include a battle with a sword in his hands. Scuba decided to defeat the dragon by cunning. He killed a ram, filled it with tar and sulfur, and left it at the beast's den. The dragon swallowed the bait, and he became ill. To calm down the fire that was raging inside, he began to drink water from the Vistula until he burst.
And the cunning Scuba sewed many beautiful boots from the skin of a dragon and presented them to the townspeople. In memory of Krak, townspeople poured a large hill. And the dragon today is reminiscent of a statue, periodically breathing fire, which is installed at the entrance to the Cathedral Cathedral.