Museums – Wawel Royal Castle
There are over thirty museums in Krakow. They are often small and you don't need to spend a lot of time visiting them. By walking, you can just stop by here and there, to watch something interesting. The collections of Krakow museums are very diverse. Lovers of art and archeology will be satisfied, Polish tapestries and Japanese weapons. But there are also e.g.. glider models, prehistoric rhinoceros skeleton and unique Judaica. Ticket prices: 2-10 PLN, discounts for schoolchildren and students.
Wawel Royal Castle
Tourist Service Department: tel.4221697.
The Royal Chambers
The exhibition includes some of the rooms on the ground floor and the representative royal chambers on the floors with their historic decor: furnishings, tapestries, paintings and the famous tapestries of Zygmunt August. In addition, the castle houses a collection of paintings by Italian artists, German, Dutch, Flemish, portraits of kings and royal families.
The chambers can be viewed from Tuesday to Sunday from. from 9.30 do 15.00 the 16.00., free admission on Sunday. Free admission on Wednesdays during the holidays.
Treasury and Armory
From the beginning of the Wawel treasury, regalia and royal insignia were stored there. Neatly stored, they were only taken out on special occasions (for the last time during the coronation of Stanisław August). After the Third Partition, the treasury was plundered by the Austrians. Regalia has been destroyed, and the crowns were melted down to gold. The royal treasures were made available again in the years 60. You can see Szczerbiec from the collection of the former historical treasury – Piast coronation sword, sword of Zygmunt the Old, which knights were fated, coronation sandals of Zygmunt August. The collection is complemented by exhibits found during archaeological works and numerous gifts.
There are Polish hussar armor in the adjacent armory, collections of saws and poles, Shields, helmets, collection of Radziwiłł firearms from Niasviž and cutting weapons from the collection of Jan III Sobieski.
The treasury and the armory can be visited together (the purchased ticket entitles you to do so) from Tuesday to Sunday (see chambers).
Free admission on Sundays, from VI to IX – on Wednesdays.
Cathedral, Royal Tombs,
Zygmunt bell
The Wawel Cathedral has always been a special place for Poles, because here Polish kings were crowned. It has retained its sacred character to this day. In the central place there is an altar with the relics of St.. Stanislaus the bishop, one of the patrons of Krakow and Poland. There are tombs of Polish kings and Queen Jadwiga around. There are tombstones of royal families in the side chapels, bishops and founders. The ashes of Mickiewicz and Słowacki rest in the lower crypt. The crypt with other royal tombs is accessed underground. In addition to the rulers, there are also buried here, among others. T. Kościuszko and J.. Pilsudski.
The Sigismund Tower is another permanent point of Wawel wandering. You can admire the famous bell bearing the name of its founder, Sigismund I the Old. This extraordinary work of bell-foundry weighs in, trifle, 11 your. The ringing of the bell sounds on the greatest national and church holidays. By tradition, girl, that touches the heart of the bell, she will get married soon.
Open Mon-Sat. 9.00-15.00, w nd. 12.15-15.00.
Holy Masses. in the Cathedral on Sat. 6.30, 7.00, 7.30, 8.00, w nd. 7.30, 8.00, 9.00, 10.00.11.30.
East in the Wawel collection
The exhibition is located in the halls of the west wing of the castle. The collection includes various types of Orientalia, mainly from the achievements of Jan III Sobieski, from the period of the Vienna relief. There is an impressive collection of eastern tents here, Turkish banners and weapons. There is also original Chinese and Japanese porcelain.
Wawel is lost
An exhibition presenting the remains from the earliest times of the Wawel Hill. Walking along the long corridor along the halls and dungeons, you can see fragments of the former royal kitchens and the pre-Romanesque rotunda of the Virgin Mary. It is worth getting acquainted with the impressive collection of architectural elements, fragments of columns and ceramics. An additional attraction of the exhibition is a virtual computer program, recreating the earliest appearance of Wawel Hill with its main buildings. So you can see the reconstructed lumps of the. church of B, Rotunda of the Blessed Virgin Mary. You can also enter” inside the church of St.. Gereon and the Romanesque Cathedral, the model of today's Wawel Cathedral. The exhibition is open Mon "Wed-Sat. 9.30-15.00, w nd. 10.00-15.00, we wt. exhibition closed.
Cathedral Museum
Wawel 3
The museum has exhibits related to the cult of St.. Stanislaus the bishop, as well as with the persons of Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha and Pope John Paul II. Open Tue-Sun. 10.00-15.00.
Dragon's Den
It is said that centuries ago a huge monster lived at the foot of Wawel, so-called. "Flesh-eater”. Fortunately, there was a daredevil, who beat him. Today, empty 'apartments can be visited” legendary monster, and in front of the cave, see his stone image breathing fire from time to time. Open 10.00-17.00 from spring to autumn.
