Wawel Royal Castle

The Wawel Hill, located in Kraków, Poland, holds a significant place in the history of the Polish lands and royal dynasties. Throughout the Middle Ages and Renaissance, it was the seat of the national government and the Diet, or assembly. As the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth formed and grew in power, Wawel became the seat of one of Europe's most important states. This status was lost when the capital was moved to Warsaw in 1596, but even after this, Wawel remained a symbol of endurance and was the site of demonstrations and gatherings of Cracovians protesting against the foreign occupation by the Austrian, Prussian, and Russian Empires.

The significance of the Wawel Hill comes from both its political and religious significance. The Cathedral on the Hill holds the relics of St. Stanislaus and stands directly adjacent to the Royal Castle. The Hill also has a long history of religious functions, with some of the oldest architectural remains being those of the Rotunda of the Virgin Mary.

Geologically, the hill is a horst, which originated in the Miocene epoch, and consists of Jurassic limestone dating back to the Oxfordian age. This limestone is strongly karsted and contains many caves, such as the Dragon's Den. This may be the reason why the hill was originally called "wąwel," meaning ravine in Polish. However, there is also the theory that the name means 'protrusion from the marshes' which surrounded the hill, and the most recent theory is that "Wawel" is a regular continuation of the name Babel in the Greek language.

In the 11th century, Duke Casimir I the Restorer returned to Poland and it is believed that Kraków first became the royal residence and capital of Poland at this time. Construction on a new cathedral, known as the Hermanowska, began around this time and was likely financed by Władysław I Herman. The cathedral was consecrated in 1142 and images of it are preserved on a 13th-century chapterhouse seal. Remnants of the cathedral, such as the Silver Bell Tower, St. Leonard's Crypt, and the rotunda by the Sandomierska Tower, date back to this era. In 1118, Bishop Maurus was buried in the cathedral's crypt.

The Silver Bell Tower, which dates back to the early 12th century, is the oldest tower at Wawel and includes later additions like the 14th century belfry and a 1769 spire. The tower holds three bells, with the largest dating back to 1423. The tower also contains a burial vault with remains of notable Poles throughout history, while other notable figures are buried at the nearby Skałka Church.

In the early 14th century, the Hermanowska Cathedral in Krakow, Poland was partially destroyed by fire. However, in 1320, the coronation of King Władysław I the Elbow-high still took place within its precincts. In the same year, construction of a new cathedral began at the King's behest, with key elements of this cathedral still preserved today. The cathedral is trinavel in construction and surrounded by side-chapels, added in later centuries. The earliest of these chapels were built off the chancel, and the cathedral's west entrance is flanked by two chapels; one dedicated to Queen Sophia and the second to the Holy Cross. From the close of the 15th century, a further nineteen side-chapels were built or rebuilt.

The cathedral also contains the tombs of several kings and bishops, including Władysław I the Elbow-high, Casimir III the Great, and Casimir IV Jagiellon. In the 20th century, the cathedral became the site of Karol Wojtyla's ordination as a priest and bishop. The Wawel also contains several secular buildings, including a Gothic castle erected by Casimir III the Great and further buildings developed during the reigns of King Władysław II Jagiełło and Queen Jadwiga of Poland. These buildings served as quarters for the numerous clergy, royal clerks, troops, servants and craftsmen.

The reign of Sigismund I the Old, the last member of the Jagiellonian dynasty, marked a peak in the fortunes of Wawel Castle. After a devastating fire in 1499, the king made the decision to rebuild the royal residence in the Renaissance style, drawing inspiration from his time spent at the court of his brother in Buda, Hungary and Bohemia, where Italian artisans were pioneering the Renaissance movement. With the help of his second wife, Bona Sforza, an Italian-born noblewoman, and a team of foreign and native artists, Sigismund transformed the castle into a magnificent Renaissance palace.

The rebuilding of the palace was initially supervised by two Italian artisans, Francisco and Bartolommeo Berrecci. After their deaths, the work was continued by Benedykt from Sandomierz. The palace featured large, light rooms with tiered arcades, ornate ceilings, and over 350 tapestries known as the Jagiellonian tapestries. These tapestries were woven in the Netherlands and Flanders, and many were based on designs by Michiel Coxie. The palace's courtyard, while showcasing Renaissance art, also incorporated Polish Gothic elements for a unique look. This was achieved by using a steeply hipped and projecting roof, which was necessary in a northern climate, and by making the uppermost arcade taller than the others, which was an unusual feature unknown in Italy. This gave the courtyard a uniquely Polish Renaissance look.

One of the most notable features of the palace is the ornate Deputy Hall with its coffered ceiling, which exemplifies the skills of both Italian and Polish craftsmen. The palace's rooms were decorated with a combination of Italian and Polish artistic and cultural traditions, which can be seen in the unique design of the palace.

However, in 1595, a fire broke out and the north-east part of the castle was destroyed. King Sigismund III Vasa decided to have it rebuilt and the work was carried out under the direction of the Italian architect Giovanni Trevano. The Senator Stairs and the fireplace in the Bird Room date from this period. However, the castle still retains many of the earlier interiors designed by Berrecci. While many have been altered through neglect, war damage and, after World War II, through overenthusiastic restoration, the spirit of Berrecci's Renaissance ideals mingled with the Gothic motifs of local craftsmen still remains. The Ambassadors' Hall still retains much of its timber carving, most notable its coffered ceiling with thirty Gothic style carved heads by Sebastian Tauerbach.

In the 17th century, Wawel became an important defensive point and was modernised and heavily fortified. Later, the transfer of power to Warsaw did not change the symbolic role and importance of the Wawel Cathedral, which was still the place of royal coronations. During this period, many changes were introduced in the cathedral – the high altar was remodeled, the cloister was elevated and the Shrine of St Stanislaus (a marble altar and a silver coffin) and the Vasa Chapel were constructed. Baroque memorials were also erected, among others were tombs to bishops Marcin Szyszkowski, Piotr Gembicki, Jan Małachowski, Kazimierz Lubieński and kings Michael I and John III Sobieski.

Wawel experienced a significant period of decline and ruin during the 18th and 19th centuries. The decline began as early as 1609 when King Sigismund III made the decision to move permanently to Warsaw. Despite the concerns of successive governors, the castle and its surrounding area began to fall into disrepair. This was in part due to the occupying Swedish forces between 1655 and 1657, and again in 1702, who caused significant damage to the castle and its structures.

The decline of Wawel accelerated drastically when the hill was occupied by the Prussian army in 1794. During this time, the royal insignia, including precious gemstones, pearls, and gold, were looted and taken to Berlin, where they were melted down and handed over to the Directorate of Maritime Trade.

After the Third Partition of Poland in 1795, Wawel fell under Austrian rule. The Austrian soldiers converted the hill into barracks, leading to further destruction and alteration of the castle. The Renaissance arcades of the courtyard were walled up, the interior of the castle was changed, and parts of the buildings were demolished. Among the buildings destroyed were the churches of St. Michael and St. George.

Following the unsuccessful Kraków Uprising and the fall of the Republic of Kraków, three large buildings housing a military hospital were built on the hill. During the latter half of the 19th century, the Austrians rebuilt the defense walls, making them a part of the expanded Kraków fortification system, adding two new caponiers. At the same time, the Poles attempted to retake the hill.

In 1815, the funeral of Prince Józef Poniatowski took place at Wawel Cathedral. Since that event, national heroes have been entombed within the cathedral; prior to this date, only bodies of monarchs were interred there. In 1818, the body of national hero Tadeusz Kościuszko was buried in St. Leonard's Crypt. During the reconstruction of Potocki Chapel in a classical style, the statue of Prince Arthur Potocki by the Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen was placed within the chapel. A second work by Thorvaldsen was placed in Queen Sophia's Chapel.

In 1869, due to the accidental opening of the coffin of King Casimir III, a second funeral was performed. Consequently, an initiative was taken to renovate other monarchs' tombs in the cathedral. The underground crypts were connected with tunnels, sarcophagi were cleaned and refurbished and new ones were funded. Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria paid for a sarcophagus for King Michael, whose wife was from the House of Habsburg.

In 1905, Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria, as the King of Galicia and Lodomeria, ordered his troops to vacate Wawel Castle, allowing for restoration work to commence under the direction of Zygmunt Hendel and Adolf Szyszko-Bohusz. During the renovation, significant historical relics were discovered, including the Rotunda of Virgin Mary. The restoration was funded by public subscription, with the names of donors inscribed on bricks used to build the wall near the castle's northern gateway. A Coat of Arms Gate was also constructed and a statue of Tadeusz Kościuszko was placed nearby.

Between 1902 and 1904, Włodzimierz Tetmajer decorated the walls of Queen Sophia's Chapel with paintings of Polish saints and national heroes. Józef Mehoffer painted murals in the vault of the cathedral, created stained-glass windows in the St. Cross Chapel and Szafrańcy Chapel, and also painted in the transept, depicting the Sufferings of Christ and the Virgin Mary.

During the twenty years of Poland's independence following World War I, the Wawel Castle was designated as the official residence of the President of Poland and representative building of the Polish Republic. In 1921, a statue of Tadeusz Kościuszko sculpted by Leandro Marconi and Antoni Popiel was placed on the ramparts of king Władysław IV Vasa.

In 1925, a fragment of the Wawel Castle was incorporated into Chicago's Tribune Tower as a tribute to the city's large Polish population. The tradition of burying notable Polish figures in the cathedral continued into the 21st century, with the interment of the ashes of poet Juliusz Słowacki in 1927, statesman Józef Piłsudski in 1937, and World War II military leader Władysław Sikorski in 1993. More recently, the bodies of President Lech Kaczyński and his wife were entombed in a sarcophagus in the antechamber of the vault beneath the Silver Bell Tower.

During World War II, when Poland was occupied by Nazi Germany, Wawel Castle served as the residence of Governor General Hans Frank. Many art treasures were stolen or lost, including Raphael's Portrait of a Young Man and many tapestries. However, 150 of the tapestries were safely kept in Canada during the war and have since been returned to the castle and are now part of the Wawel Royal Castle National Art Collection.