Wawel Castle

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Wawel

Wawel Hill
Wawel Castle
Wawel Cathedral
Wawel Dragon
Dragon's Den
Zygmunt Bell
Royal Coronations

The Wawel Castle (Polish: Zamek wawelski) is in Kraków, Poland, and served as a royal residence and the site where the country's rulers governed Poland for five centuries from 1038 until 1596.

Contents

1 History
2 Royal Chambers
3 Private Royal Apartments
4 Crown Treasury and Armory
5 Orientalia
6 Wawel Lost
7 External links

History

The Wawel Castle

People have lived on the Wawel Hill as early as fifty thousand years ago, in the Paleolithic Age. During the 15th century, the settlement was apparently bustling with trade, and with assorted crafts and with farming as well. When more people were starting to settle down on the Wawel Hill and when the trade was more efficient, the rulers of Poland took up their residence at the Wawel Hill as well. During the early 16th century King Sigismund I (Krol Zygmunt I in Polish) and his wife, brought in the best native and foreign artists, that included Italian architects and sculptors, and German decorators to create the splendid Renaissance palace. It proved to be a paragon of stately residence in Central and Eastern Europe and served widely as a model throughout the region.

Royal Chambers

to be written

Private Royal Apartments

to be written

Crown Treasury and Armory

Hilt of Szczerbiec.

The Crown Treasury situated in the historic Gothic rooms which were used from the 15th century for storing the Polish coronation insignia and Crown Jewels, shows objects from the former Crown Treasury that have survived wars and plunder, among them the coronation sword Szczerbiec, memorabilia of Polish monarchs and members of their families as well as eminent personages.

to be written

Orientalia

"§Ø®®ØW"

Wawel Lost

to be written

Image:Wawel XVIw.jpg|Illustration of the Royal Castle (16th century). Image:Zamek Krolewski na Wawelu noca.jpg|The Royal Castle at night. Image:Wawel 2003.jpg

External links

http://www.wawel.krakow.pl/
[Comprehensive info about the Wawel Royal Castle]

Kraków
Districts: Stare Miasto \| Grzegórzki \| Prądnik Czerwony \| Prądnik Biały \| Łobzów \| Bronowice \| Bieńczyce \| Zwierzyniec \| Dębniki \| Łagiewniki \| Swoszowice \| Wola Duchacka \| Prokocim-Bieżanów \| Podgórze \| Czyżyny \| Mistrzejowice \| Grębałów \| Nowa Huta Tourist attractions: Kazimierz \| Jagiellonian University \| Sigismund Bell \| Smok Wawelski \| St. Mary's Basilica \| Wawel

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