The Wawel Royal Castle is a castle residency located in central Kraków, Poland, and the first UNESCO World Heritage Site in the world.
In 1978 Wawel was declared the first World Heritage Site as part of the Historic Centre of Kraków.
In 1118 Bishop Maurus was buried in the crypt. The paten and the chalice, buried with the bishop, were later exhumed from his tomb during its accidental discovery in 1938.
The Crown Treasury situated in the historic Gothic rooms which were used from the 15th century on for storing the Polish coronation insignia and Crown Jewels.
In 1921 a statue of Tadeusz Kościuszko sculpted by Leandro Marconi and Antoni Popiel was placed on the ramparts of king Władysław IV Vasa on the northside.
Wawel Royal Castle was Built between the 13th and 14th centuries.
The Wawel Castle used to be a home and a fortress of Polish kings while Krakow was the capital of the country. It has been a pride of the nation and a symbol of the regnant.
A chunk from one of the castle’s columns was incorporated into the upper-left part of the Chicago Tribune Tower’s main entrance. It is a visual tribute to the Polish community in Chicago, which is the largest outside of Poland.
A monumental restoration project was undertaken in the early years of the 20th century and when Poland regained her independence, the castle was converted into a residential museum.
In 1520 the Royal Sigismund Bell was cast, by Hans Behem, in bronze; it is the largest of the five bells hanging in the Sigismund Tower and was named to honour King Sigismund I the Old.
