The Royal Road or Royal Route (, ) in

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

, begins at the northern end of the medieval Old Town and continues south through the centre of town towards

Wawel Hill The Wawel Royal Castle (; ''Zamek Królewski na Wawelu'') and the Wawel Hill on which it sits constitute the most historically and culturally significant site in Poland. A fortified residency on the Vistula River in Kraków, it was established o ...

, where the old royal residence,

Wawel Castle The Wawel Royal Castle (; ''Zamek Królewski na Wawelu'') and the Wawel Hill on which it sits constitute the most historically and culturally significant site in Poland. A fortified residency on the Vistula River in Kraków, it was established o ...

, is located. The Royal Road passes some of the most prominent historic landmarks of Poland's

royal Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or Royalty (disambiguation), royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Ill ...

capital, providing a suitable background to coronation processions and parades, kings' and princes' receptions, foreign envoys and guests of distinction traveling from a far country to their destination at

Wawel The Wawel Royal Castle (; ''Zamek Królewski na Wawelu'') and the Wawel Hill on which it sits constitute the most historically and culturally significant site in Poland. A fortified residency on the Vistula River in Kraków, it was established o ...

. The Royal Road starts outside the northern flank of the old city walls in the medieval suburb of Kleparz, now a central district of Kraków.St. Florian's Church
a
www.krakow4u.pl
/ref> It begins at St. Florian's Church (''Kościół św. Floriana''), containing the relics of St. Florian – the Patron Saint of Poland – miraculously saved numerous times in the 12th, 16th and 17th centuries.Story of St. Florian's relics (Polish language only)
a
sgsp.edu.pl
/ref> St. Florian's Church was also the starting point for royal

funeral procession A funeral procession is a procession, usually in motor vehicles or by foot, from a funeral home or place of worship to the cemetery or crematorium. In earlier times the deceased was typically carried by male family members on a bier or in a cof ...

s, concluding at

Wawel Cathedral The Wawel Cathedral (), formally titled the Archcathedral Basilica of Stanislaus of Szczepanów, Saint Stanislaus and St. Wenceslas, Saint Wenceslaus, () is a Catholic cathedral situated on Wawel Hill in Kraków, Poland. Nearly 1000 years old, it ...

. The Royal Road crosses Matejko Square (''pl. Matejki''), passes the Academy of Fine Arts (''Akademia Sztuk Pięknych'') on the right-hand side and crosses Basztowa Street – to the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

barbican A barbican (from ) is a fortified outpost or fortified gateway, such as at an outer defense perimeter of a city or castle, or any tower situated over a gate or bridge which was used for defensive purposes. Europe Medieval Europeans typically b ...

(''Barbakan''). The Gothic-style

Barbakan A barbican (from ) is a fortified outpost or fortified gateway, such as at an outer defense perimeter of a city or castle, or any tower situated over a gate or bridge which was used for defensive purposes. Europe Medieval Europeans typically b ...

, built in 1499, is one of only three such fortified outposts still surviving in Europe and also, the best preserved. The Road passes the old fortifications through Floriańska Gate under a defensive tower. It is the original entrance to the city and the only gate, of the eight city gates built in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, not dismantled during the 19th century modernization of Kraków.Florian Gate and the City Walls at www.krakow4u.pl
/ref>
/ref> Inside the Old Town (''Stare Miasto''), the Road continues along

Floriańska Street Floriańska Street (, ) is one of the main streets in Kraków Old Town and one of the most famous promenades in the city. The street forms part of the regular grid plan of ''Stare Miasto'' (the Old Town), the merchants' town that extends the me ...

and enters the Main Square (''Rynek Główny''), the largest medieval market square in Europe. Rick Steves' Europe Through the Back Door
Avalon Publishing, 2005; 641 pages On the left-hand side, at the northeast corner of the square stands St. Mary's Basilica, home of the oldestIngrid Gustafson
Let's Go: Eastern Europe
Published by Macmillan, page 444. Let's Go Publications, 2008. and the largest Gothic altarpiece in the world. At the center of the plaza, surrounded by row houses ('' kamienice'') and

noble A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Gr ...

residences, stands the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

cloth hall Sukiennice flanked by the Town Hall Tower (''Wieża ratuszowa''). The Road passes the Romanesque Church of St. Wojciech in the south-eastern corner of the square, and leads down Grodzka Street along a number of historic landmarks and two smaller squares featured on both sides. Grodzka ends at the foot of the

; with the

architectural complex spread above, featuring

with an

armoury An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

, and the

Cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

Landmarks of the Royal Road

Some of the most revered as well as the lesser known points of interest and historic landmarks of the city stand on the path of the Royal Road. A more complete list of them would also include the following:

Battle of Grunwald The Battle of Grunwald was fought on 15 July 1410 during the Polish–Lithuanian–Teutonic War. The alliance of the Crown of the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, led respectively by King Władysław II Jagiełło (Jogaila), a ...

Monument at the centre of pl. Matejki, next to the Academy of Fine Arts, right across from

at Basztowa Street; Arsenal of the

Czartoryski Museum The Princes Czartoryski Museum ( ) – often abbreviated to Czartoryski Museum – is a historic museum in Kraków, Poland, and one of the country's oldest museums. The initial collection was formed in 1796 in Puławy by Princess Izabela Czartor ...

on Pijarska Street adjacent to Florian Gate at the foot of Floriańska Street; the Matejko Manor division of the

National Museum A national museum can be a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In the United States, most nati ...

as well as the

Jagiellonian University The Jagiellonian University (, UJ) is a public research university in Kraków, Poland. Founded in 1364 by Casimir III the Great, King Casimir III the Great, it is the oldest university in Poland and one of the List of oldest universities in con ...

Museum of Pharmacy on Floriańska; and the Hipolit House division of the

Historical Museum of Kraków The Historical Museum of the City of Kraków () in Kraków, Lesser Poland, was granted the status of an independent institution in 1945. Originally, it was a branch of the Old Records Office of Kraków, in operation from 1899. The museum holdings ...

across from St. Mary's Basilica (including a smaller Church of St Barbara), at the entrance to Main Market Square. On the east side of Sukiennice Cloth Hall with the free-standing Town Hall Tower protruding from behind, there is the Adam Mickiewicz Monument, one of the best known bronze monuments in Poland.About Adam Mickiewicz Monument at inyourpocket.com
/ref> At the beginning of Grodzka: the Church of St. Wojciech (''St Adalbert's'') and not far behind, the All Saints Square (''pl. Wszystkich Świętych'') with Wielopolski Palace (the seat of Kraków's mayor) and the Church of St. Francis of Assisi on its west side with

Shroud of Turin The Shroud of Turin (), also known as the Holy Shroud (), is a length of linen cloth that bears a faint image of the front and back of a naked man. Because details of the image are consistent with depiction of Jesus, traditional depictions o ...

exact replica. Just three small city blocks down Grodzka, there's the St. Mary Magdalene Square with the Church of Saints Peter and Paul (first Baroque church in Poland) and the Church of St. Andrew; and, at the end of Grodzka (one block further), the Church of St. Giles at Podzamcze Street. The Royal Road opens up to

towering from above, with the

and the

accessible by two ascending roads, the east and the west side entrances.

Photo tour

References

External links

Find your paths in the Royal City of Cracow
a
cracow-paths.eu

a
poland.gov.pl

in the

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20080608142246/http://www.wieninternational.at/en/node/4756 Krakow – City portraita
wieninternational.at

a

* Beata Moore
Cracow: City of Treasures
Published by Frances Lincoln Ltd __NOTOC__ {{DEFAULTSORT:Royal Road, Krakow Tourist attractions in Kraków Streets in Kraków