Gniezno was the first capital of Poland. Its name is derived from the Polish word for "nest". According to a legend, three brothers, Lech, Czech and Rus were travelling through woods when they saw a hill with an old oak and an eagle on top. Lech decided to choose this place as the main settlement for his tribe. The white eagle became then the emblem of the Polish people until current days.
The market square in Gniezno is surrounded by residential buildings.
A large paved street leads to the most important building in the city. The cathedral.
It is a gothic cathedral built of bricks. It has seen coronations of Polish kings and was the seat for bishops and archbishops for over a thousand years.
Inside you will immediately recognise the gothic style by the high vaults.
In the middle you will surely notice the figure of Christ.
In the back of the cathedral comes of course a large organ.
The Gniezno cathedral is devoted to Saint Mary and Saint Adalbert. Behind the altar you will find the relics of Saint Adalbert.
The silver sarcophagus used to contain the body of Saint Adalbert but since it was stolen by Czechs now you can see it in the cathedral of Saint Vitus in Prague.
The sarcophagus is supported by four man that are symbols of four social groups - the peasants, the clergy, the knights and the bourgeoisie.
The most important artefact in the cathedral are the doors made of bronze in 1175. Each of them includes nine panels showing the story of Saint Adalbert. The left one is a bit larger and were made out of single large piece of bronze.
The right one was made of several smaller pieced put together.
After almost nine hundred years, the panels are still telling their story.
Our tour of the cathedral would not be complete if I would not mention the fourteen chapels that surround the main nave. In some of them you could pray in silence.
Others are closed to the public.
As we leave the cathedral you will surely see the statue of the first king of Poland - Bolesław Chrobry, who was crowned in the Gniezno cathedral in 1025.
Before we move to new adventures, I propose that we go to one of the many cafes surrounding the cathedral to taste the Saint Martin's croissants. They are a speciality of the region, usually made on 11 November, with a filling made of nuts and white poppy seeds inside.
The market square in Gniezno is surrounded by residential buildings.
A large paved street leads to the most important building in the city. The cathedral.
It is a gothic cathedral built of bricks. It has seen coronations of Polish kings and was the seat for bishops and archbishops for over a thousand years.
Inside you will immediately recognise the gothic style by the high vaults.
In the middle you will surely notice the figure of Christ.
In the back of the cathedral comes of course a large organ.
The Gniezno cathedral is devoted to Saint Mary and Saint Adalbert. Behind the altar you will find the relics of Saint Adalbert.
The silver sarcophagus used to contain the body of Saint Adalbert but since it was stolen by Czechs now you can see it in the cathedral of Saint Vitus in Prague.
The sarcophagus is supported by four man that are symbols of four social groups - the peasants, the clergy, the knights and the bourgeoisie.
The most important artefact in the cathedral are the doors made of bronze in 1175. Each of them includes nine panels showing the story of Saint Adalbert. The left one is a bit larger and were made out of single large piece of bronze.
The right one was made of several smaller pieced put together.
After almost nine hundred years, the panels are still telling their story.
Our tour of the cathedral would not be complete if I would not mention the fourteen chapels that surround the main nave. In some of them you could pray in silence.
Others are closed to the public.
As we leave the cathedral you will surely see the statue of the first king of Poland - Bolesław Chrobry, who was crowned in the Gniezno cathedral in 1025.
Before we move to new adventures, I propose that we go to one of the many cafes surrounding the cathedral to taste the Saint Martin's croissants. They are a speciality of the region, usually made on 11 November, with a filling made of nuts and white poppy seeds inside.
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