Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

190 CENTRAL EASTERN EUROPE

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

. Tomb of Kazimierz
the Jagiełłonian
Completed in 1492, this royal
tomb in the Chapel of the Holy
Cross is one of the last commis-
sions that the German sculptor
Veit Stoss fulfilled in Poland. Shrine of St Stanisław
The silver coffin
containing the relics of St
Stanisław, the bishop of
Cracow to whom the cathe-
dral is dedicated, was built
between 1669 and 1671
by Pieter van der Rennen,
a goldsmith from Gdańsk.

Zygmunt Bell

Constructed in

1520, this is the

largest bell in

Poland. Weighing

almost 11 tonnes

(24,251 lbs), it has

a diameter of over

2 m (6 ft).

Main

entrance

The top of the

clock tower is

decorated with

statues of saints.

Cracow Cathedral q

Królewska Katedra na Wawelu

The Cracow Cathedral, which stands on

the Wawel (see pp188–9), is one of the
most important churches in Poland.
Before the present cathedral was erected
(1320–64), two churches stood on the
site. The cathedral has many features,
including a series of chapels founded by
bishops of which the most beau tiful is
the Renaissance Zygmunt Chapel. There
are royal tombs in the cathedral and the
Crypt of St Leonard, a remnant of the
Romanesque Cathedral of St Wacław.

STAR FEATURES

. Tomb of Kazimierz
the Jagiellonian
. Zygmunt Chapel