Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

188 CENTRAL EASTERN EUROPE

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp218–21 and pp222–5

Fortifications on the

Wawel have been

demolished and renewed

several times since the

Middle Ages – right up

to the 20th century 8

Street-by-Street:

The Wawel

In about 1038 Kazimierz the Restorer
made the citadel on Wawel Hill the seat
of Polish political power. In the 16th
cen tury the Jagiełłonian rulers trans-
formed the Gothic castle into a magni-
ficent Renaissance palace. Once the site
of coronations and royal burials, the
cathe dral is regarded as a shrine by
Poles. The Wawel Royal Castle beside
it is a symbol of national identity.

. Wawel Royal Castle
Once home to the Jagiellonian kings, the
Wawel Royal Castle has survived without
major damage. It incorporates the walls of
older Gothic buildings w
. Cracow Cathedral
The Gothic cathedral, lined
with royal burial chapels
from different ages, has
some extraordinarily
valuable furnishings q

Cathedral Museum
On display are religious and
royal regalia from the cathedral
treasury, including the magni-
ficent robe of Stanisław August

Poniatowski (see p176) (^9)
0 metres
0 yards
50
50
Monument
of Tadeusz
Kościuszko
STAR SIGHTS

. Cracow Cathedral
. Wawel Royal Castle