Wawel Castle: Home to the Kings of Poland

The Wawel Castle Complex. Image from Wikimedia Commons

Wawel Castle is a castle residency located in the historic district of Old Town in Kraków, Poland. People have lived on the site of the castle, the Wawel Hill, since the Paleolithic Age (some 50,000 years ago).  The settlement was then a flourishing venue for trade and local farming. The Wawel Hill was being utilized as a fortified castle before Mieszko I, the first ruler of Poland, made it as one of his official residences.

The first cathedral on the site, believed to be made of wood, was built in 1000 AD following the establishment of the Bishopric of Kraków. The structure is believed to have started Wawel’s renown as a center of political power. The structure was later destroyed by fire. It was replaced by another cathedral, which also suffered the same fiery fate as its predecessor.  The third and current cathedral (consecrated in 1364) was built on the orders of Władysław the Short, the first king of Poland. On January 20, 1319, he became the first Polish king to be crowned in Wawel Cathedral, starting a tradition that saw the crowning of 35 rulers.

The castle's tower and defense walls named after King Sigismund III Vasa. Image from Wikimedia Commons

The castle's Renaissance courtyard. Image from Wikimedia Commons

The present-day Wawel Cathedral-- Królewska Bazylika Archikatedralna śś. Stanisława i Wacława na Wawelu or The Royal Archcathedral Basilica of Saints Stanislaus and Wenceslaus on the Wawel Hill—is now considered as the single most important building in the whole of Poland. It has 18 ostentatious chapels, and at its center lays the tomb and the grand monument dedicated to the cleric to whom the cathedral is dedicated, Bishop of Kraków, St. Stanisław.

Zygmunt I and his wife had the castle refurbished into a Renaissance palace in the early 16th century, bringing in the best local and foreign artists including German decorators and Italian architects. However, in 1595, the northeast part of the castle was ruined during the fire. King Sigismund III Vasa rebuilt what was destroyed, however only the fireplace in the Bird Room and the Senator Stairs remain today.

Archeological Museum Garden. Image from Wikimedia Commons

Bona Sforza's garden. Image from Wikimedia Commons

The royal gardens. Image from Wikimedia Commons

Wawel Castle was neglected when King Sigismund moved the capital to Warsaw in 1609. The Swedish invasions from1655 to 1657 and in 1702 would cause further deterioration to the structure.  Wawel Hill was occupied by Prussian forces in 1794, stealing the Royal Insignia.

Wawel became a significant defensive point following the Third Partition of Poland. The Austrians modernized the site with defensive walls, and turned the castle into a military hospital. They also went on to demolish a number of buildings including several churches. For over a century, the castle was neglected and fell in disrepair. Upon the order of Franz Joseph I of Austria, the Austrian troops vacated Wawel in 1905. It was only then that restoration works started. Renovation costs were funded by way of public subscriptions.

After the First World War, authorities from the Polish Second Republic decided that Wawel Castle would become a representative building of the state. In 1921, the Polish Parliament passed a resolution that officially declared Wawel as the official residence of the President of Poland. Following the Second World War, Wawel Castle became a national museum through the decree of the State National Council.

The Bird Room at Wawel Castle. Image from Wikimedia Commons

The Vasa Bedroom at Wawel Castle. Image from Wikimedia Commons

Wawel Castle represents almost all European architectural styles inlcuding Romanesque, Renaissance, Medieval, Gothic, and Baroque. Considered as a museum since 1930, Wawel Castle covers 10 curatorial departments responsible for art collections including important Renaissance artworks such as the  Sigismund II Augustus tapestry collection. The Crown Treasury, which can be found in the Gothic rooms, is currently home to priceless objects that survived plunder including Szczerbiec, a sword used in crowning ceremonies of a majority of Polish monarchs from 1320 to 1764, as well as a sword given to  John II Sobieski by the pope following the Battle of Vienna.

Wawel Castle’s oriental art holdings have the largest collection of Ottoman tents in all of Europe. In 1978, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today, Wawel Castle is one of the most visited castles in Europe. Together with Wawel Hill, the castle is hailed as the most significant cultural and historical site in Poland. It is home to seven specialized conservation studios, giving it a pivotal role in the conservation of art.