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NORTH POLAND PHOTO TOUR Part 1 - Ancient capital cities - Gniezno, Plock. |
Bill Biega's Photo Collection |
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This is Part 1 of the North Poland Photo Tour
Gniezno, north-east of Poznan, was Poland's first capital when Mieszko I was baptised in 966. Later he moved his seat to Poznan. However, in the 11th century Plock became capital for close to 100 years, when the Mazovian princes, Wladyslaw I and his son Boleslaw III Krzywousty, became kings of Poland.. | ||
| Gniezno is only a small town but occupies a large place in Polish history. In 966 a Czech missionary Adalbert, Wojciech in Polish, baptized Mieszko of Poland. Here is a view of the Cathedral from the center of town. You pass the church of St.George on the way to the Cathedral. A silver casket, behind the main altar, holds the remains of the martyr, killed on a mission to the Prussians. |
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| A magnificent carved bronze door at the Cathedral, created in the 12thC., depicts the life of St. Adalbert. One of its panels shows the scene of his martyrdom. The Parish Church of St. John, close to the Old Market, has a very unusual pulpit. |
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| Plock stands on a high bluff above the Vistula. Only the tower remains of the 13thC. castle. It was later incorporated into a Benedictine monastery, now a museum. The cathedral was rebuilt upon the site of the earlier Romanesque structure. Completed in 1535, it was the first large Renaissance church in Poland. |
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| The original cathedral dates to 12thC., the bronze door is from this time. The beautiful painted arches and walls are much later. A marble sarcofagus contains the remains of kings Wladyslaw I and his son Boleslaw III, Krzywousty (Wry-mouthed), who reigned over Poland from 1043 to 1138. |
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Continue to Part 2 in this series of Photo pages: Torun.