The Wawel Royal Castle and the Wawel Hill constitute the most historically and culturally important site in Poland. For centuries the residence of kings 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; works on paper; sculpture; textiles, among them the Sigismund II Augustus tapestry collection; goldsmith’s work; arms and armor; ceramics, with significant holdings of Meissen porcelain; and period furniture. The museum’s holdings in Asian and Middle-Eastern art include the largest collection of Ottoman tents in Europe. For conservation reasons the tents are not on permanent display. The collections of the Wawel Royal Castle are presented in several permanent exhibitions that evoke the historic appearance of the royal residence in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries.
Instead of paying a flat admission fee, visitors can pick and choose the exhibitions they would like to see. From spring to mid-autumn, visitors can also descend into the Dragon’s Den, climb to the top of the Sandomierska Tower, and take a guided outdoor tour to learn about Wawel’s architecture and gardens. The museum mounts special temporary exhibitions and displays.
The Wawel Royal Castle also hosts a lively program of events including symphonic and chamber music concerts and performances of opera and courtly dance.
24 May 2019
The Crown Treasury is reopening after a year and a half long closure with a new installation in the Casimir the Great Room, the largest in the exhibition. <br />This room was once part of the formal residential apartment of King Casimir III the Great, the last of the Piast Dynasty.
25 Apr. 2019
19 Mar. 2019
The Castle will be closed Easter Saturday and Easter Sunday, April 20-21, 2019
26 Feb. 2019
The exhibitions will be temporarily closed on 2019, due to conservation reviews.
Wawel Royal Castle-State Art Collection is a national cultural institution
Wawel Hill is a Jurassic limestone outcropping that formed about 150 million years ago and which, at nearly 228 meters above sea level, is a dominant feature in the Cracow landscape.
The beginnings of the residence of Poland’s rulers on Wawel hill hark back to an early Romanesque stone building from mid-11th century, called the palatium, whose remains are located in the northern wing of the present-day castle.
The Wawel Royal Castle’s research library houses a specialized collection of books and Polish and international periodicals relating to art history and history.
Gifts have played a significant role in building the Wawel collections.