Krakow is a beautiful, but also a very old city, with many beautiful monuments. One of the most popular is undoubtedly the Royal Castle on the Wawel Hill near Vistula river. Do you want to know more about the Wawel Castle?
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What is Wawel Castle?
The history of Poland is quite convoluted and complicated. During the archeological excavations in the castle area, a large number of brick buildings, also from the 11th century, also of a residential nature, were found. It is known that it is a very old place, extended, damaged and rebuilt over the centuries. Not everyone knows that until the 16th century Krakow was the capital of Poland, not Warsaw.
When the capital was moved to Warsaw in 1596, the Royal Castle in Krakow was abandoned and looted by the Prussian army. The edifice was then occupied by the Austrians, who built city walls around the castle and transformed its interior, fortifying it. During the Second World War, the Palace was resided in by the Governor-General Hans Frank. The Wawel Castle is one of Poland’s greatest architectural treasure and a priceless national heritage monument. The Polish kings were crowned and buried here.
The Castle walls contain remains of pre-Romanesque, Romanesque and Gothic buildings. Currently, the castle is a two-story building with three wings (with rooms) and one screen (from the south). Its exterior and interior are renaissance, baroque and partly classical in character. It has a courtyard with arcaded cloisters, an entrance gate and five residential towers.
Why is it worth visiting?
The name Wawel Castle does not only mean one building where the kings of Poland used to live, and were later buried there. The entire complex consists of many elements, rebuilt and extended over the centuries. On the premises of the castle there are permanent exhibitions / objects as well as temporary exhibitions, which are reported in the media.
The most popular of them is one of the permanent exhibitions – Royal Private Apartments. Additionally, Crown Treasury and Armory and located near Dragon’s Den (one of the most popular legends is associated with the dragon, which is associated only with Krakow). The places that are included in the permanent elements that can be seen is also the Cathedral. The Wawel Cathedral is the place of eternal rest for most Polish kings and their families (17 rulers including Queen Jadwiga and Queen Anna Jagiellon), national heroes and bishops. Before visiting, remember to read the schedule for the opening of a given exhibition.
Wawel Castle tickets and opening time
As mentioned above, the entire building is quite a lot to see. The entrance to the Wawel Hill (where the castle is located) is free. From there, you can admire a beautiful view of the city of Krakow and the Vistula River. However, if you are going there with the intention of visiting a given exhibition, it is worth finding out in advance (by entering the name of the castle in google or going to the tourist information) on which days you can visit and at what times.
The duration of the visit depends mainly on the season. It should be remembered that Krakow is a very popular city among tourists, and the Wawel Castle enjoys a huge number of tourists visiting it. As soon as you climb the hill, you can see huge queues to the ticket offices. However, there is a way to avoid this. If we want to plan a city tour in peace (because Krakow is not only Wawel Castle!), It is worth buying tickets online for the exhibition we are interested in. Prices range from 10 to 50 PLN.
The Wawel Royal Castle is undoubtedly a must-see place. Thanks to this, you can learn about the history of Poland and admire the beauty of creative architecture over the years in various architectural styles.
