Wawel Royal Castle

Wawel Royal Castle
Night view of the castle
Type	Castle residency
Location	Old Town, Kraków, Poland
Coordinates	50°03′14″N 19°56′05″E / 50.05389°N 19.93472°E / 50.05389; 19.93472Coordinates: 50°03′14″N 19°56′05″E / 50.05389°N 19.93472°E / 50.05389; 19.93472
Area	7,040 m2 (0.704 ha)
Built	13th and 14th centuries
Architectural style(s)	Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Early Baroque
Visitors	1,500,000 (in 2015)
Owner	List of owners:  Casimir III the Great Louis I of Hungary Queen Jadwiga Jogaila Władysław III Casimir IV Jagiellon John I Albert Alexander I Jagiellon Sigismund I the Old Sigismund II Augustus Henry III Queen Anna Stefan Batory Sigismund III Vasa Władysław IV Vasa John II Casimir Vasa Michael Korybut Wiśniowiecki John III Sobieski Augustus II the Strong Stanisław I Leszczyński Augustus III Stanisław II Augustus (last owner)
Website	Official Website
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name: Historic Centre of Kraków
Type	Cultural
Criteria	IV
Designated	1978 (2nd session)
Reference no.	[1]
Country	Poland
Region	Europe and North America
Location of the castle in Poland

The Wawel Castle is a castle residency located in central Kraków, Poland. Built at the behest of King Casimir III the Great, it consists of a number of structures situated around the Italian-styled main courtyard. The castle, being one of the largest in Poland, represents nearly all European architectural styles of medieval, renaissance and baroque periods. The Wawel Royal Castle and the Wawel Hill constitute the most historically and culturally significant site in the country. In 1978 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the Historic Centre of Kraków.

For centuries the residence of the kings of Poland and the symbol of Polish statehood, the Castle is now one of the country’s premier art museums. Established in 1930, the museum encompasses ten curatorial departments responsible for collections of paintings, including an important collection of Italian Renaissance paintings, prints, sculpture, textiles, among them the Sigismund II Augustus tapestry collection, goldsmith’s work, arms and armor, ceramics, Meissen porcelain, and period furniture. The museum’s holdings in oriental art include the largest collection of Ottoman tents in Europe. With seven specialized conservation studios, the museum is also an important center for the conservation of works of art.

People have lived on Wawel Hill at the site of the Castle as early as fifty thousand years ago, in the Paleolithic Age. The settlement was apparently bustling with trade, assorted crafts and local farming. When more people began to settle down on the Wawel Hill and when trade became more efficient, the rulers of Poland took up their residence at the Hill as well.

During the early 16th century King Sigismund I the Old (Zygmunt I in Polish) and his wife brought in the best native and foreign artists including Italian architects, sculptors, and German decorators, to refurbish the castle into a splendid Renaissance palace. It soon became a paragon of stately residence in Central and Eastern Europe and served widely as a model throughout the region.