Sandomierska Tower

One of the Wawel Castle’s three artillery towers. It was built in about 1460, during the reign of Casimir IV Jagiellon, to strengthen the defenses of the royal residence against attack from the most vulnerable, southern side.

In peacetime, towers such as this one were often used as prisons. Indeed, confinement in the higher stories was regarded as “honorable punishment” and was reserved for the nobility. Common criminals were held in dungeons.

The third floor may have served either as guards’ quarters or as a prison for persons of high social standing. Certain architectural elements, such as an ornamental entrance portal, glazed windows, and a large chimney shaft that would have been connected to a tile stove point to its onetime function as lodgings.

The top of the tower offers views of Cracow and the surrounding countryside.