Our trip to the Wawel Hill
On 6th of November class 2c went on a trip to see the Wawel Hill. We were
supposed to see the Cathedral, 1st and 3rd floor of the Castle and the Royal Tombs.
We were all taking notes during the tour because our knowledge of the Wawel Hill
was to be checked with a test.
I would like to write a few words about our last trip. First something about our tour
guides. Our language teachers Mrs. I Czyszczonik Gaj (an English teacher) and Mrs.
Wilamowska ( a German teacher) were also our guides. Both teachers are the fully
qualified English/German speaking tour guides. Inside the Royal Chambers of the
Wawel Castle there were two other guides who showed us the royal rooms and
described the architecture of the courtyard. We were told about the 3 architects of
the Castle Bartolomeo Berecci, Francesco Florentino and Benedykt of Sandomierz.
The Castle is divided into 2 different styles: Renaissance and Baroque. It is because
of the great fire that destroyed a big part of the castle. Each room of the Castle has
its own name that derives from the freeze painted under the ceiling. There were
beautiful chambers such as Zodiak Room, the Military Review Room, the Throne
Room. In many chambers we saw the amazingly beautiful tapestries, known all over
the world. It is a unique collection of tapestries ordered by King Sigismund the Old
and his son Sigismund II Augustus. We also admired the wonderful floors, furniture,
ceilings and paintings.
The next point of our walking tour was the Cathedral (named after Saint Stanislaw
and Saint Wenclavus). The Cathedral we saw was the third Cathedral built on this
site. The previous two cathedrals were destroyed by the fire. Only the lower part of
the Bell Fower has survived. We were all amazed how beautiful the cathedral was
from inside. We climbed up to the Sigismund Bell Tower to touch the heart of the
bell, then according to the tradition, all our dreams would come true. We also
learned about the ceremonies that took place in the
cathedral, about the famous people visiting it, about the
altars. The oldest part of the cathedral was the crypt of
St. Leonard with T. Kościuszko and John III Sobieski
buried there. Also Karol Wojtyła had there his first mess,
as a newly - ordained priest.
Our school trip was very interesting. We learned a lot
about Polish history, our kings and queens and much
about the architecture of the hill. Instead of having
lessons, we had a great lesson outside. We enjoyed it
very much.
Map of catacombs
My class and our tour guides.
The cathedral