Chapter 8 - Akropolis/Necropolis

Summary

Historically, Wawel was the royal castle when Cracow was the Polish capital, but even after the capital was moved to Warsaw, Wawel remained a major royal residence. More importantly, Polish monarchs were buried in its crypts. In Polish culture, Wawel is considered a seed of national self-definition, the place where history mixes with artifacts and nostalgia for past greatness. In 1845, Jozef Mączyński called it a “national bible.” Kazimierz Kosiński called it a “holy place”:

Wawel is a Polish sacred hill […] The emotions one experiences while there are religious in nature. It is here where religious and patriotic feelings blend together, paralleling the track of Polish literature since the 16th century […] There is an overwhelming sense of death permeating the Cathedral. Entering it, we feel like pilgrims; going up the hill, we get tired and, once we get there, we feel relieved. Right away, we're struck by the view of St. Stanisław's coffin. To visit the royal graves, we have to go downstairs into the basement. It is here that we also encounter the graves of the great Polish Romantic poets. Once we're out, the shining sun conflicts with our mood. But then, we're directed to see the newly renovated part of the castle, and here, we experience brand new feelings of revival. It is here that Wawel becomes a symbol of national resurrection. Leaving the castle, one no longer enters the basement, but goes out on the other side with the view of the Vistula river.