Krakow Day 3 – Walk 5 Wawel Hill

Wawel Hill was inhabited by the Vistulan people in ancient times. The settlement came to prominence during the reigns of Boleslaw the brave and Kazimierz the Restorer. The latter made Wawel the seat of his political power. In the late medieval period, from the 14^th century onwards, the royal residence and new Cathedral were built.  The Cathedral houses the relics of St Stanislaw, patron saint of Poland. Although the capital of Poland was moved from Cracow to Warsaw at the end of the 16^th Century, royal coronations and funerals continues to take place here.  Thankfully Wawel was saved from destruction in both world wars.

Fortifications and Towers – the compact and varied defence system on Wawel Hill was constructed from the 15^th to the 19^th centuries.

Entrance to the castle – via the coat of arms gate

Statue of Tadeusz Kosciusko – stands at the entrance to Wawel castle, he was the general who led the Insurrection of 1794 against the Russian army. His ashes rest in the Cathedral crypt.

Cracow Cathedral – The Wawel Cathedral was the coronation site of Polish monarchs and remains Poland's most important national sanctuary. Thanks to its 1000-year-old history and numerous treasures the Krakow cathedral is arguably the most interesting place in the whole country, with the adjacent Wawel Royal Castle being the close second. Its present 14th-century walls shelter a great variety of top-class objects of art, from Gothic to Renaissance to Baroque to Classicist to Modern. It is also the burial ground of most Polish royalty as well as the greatest national heroes, two poets, four saints and countless Krakow bishops.

Wawel royal castle – The Gothic Wawel Castle in Cracow in Poland was built at the behest of Casimir III the Great and consists of a number of structures situated around the central courtyard. In the 14th century it was rebuilt by Jogaila and Jadwiga of Poland. Their reign saw the addition of the tower called the Hen’s Foot (Kurza Stopka) and the Danish Tower.

Castle overview – views across the cathedral and castle