Statue of Józef Piłsudski, a Polish hero from the first half of the twentieth century. He organized some Polish legions in 1914-1916 to fight alongside the Austrian army against the Russians. The Germans and Austrians pushed the Russian forces east and occupied the territory that had formerly been Poland, establishing a Polish kingdom. This was seen as a halfway step by Poles: they hadn't regained full independence, but at least they were back on the map (Poland didn't exist from 1795 when it had been partitioned by Prussia, Austria, and Russia, until 1918). When revolution happened in Russia, Piłsudski decided that Russia was finished and began to fight against Germany. He began a political figure in the new Polish government when the country gained independence in 1918.





A sunny(!) view of the Wisła River from the foot of Wawel Hill. The castle is behind me and stretches to the right.











Walking up the entrance road to the Wawel castle complex. The guy on the horse is Tadeusz Kościuszko, a Polish and American hero. He was an officer in the Continental Army during our revolution and a friend of Washington. He's a Polish national hero for resisting Russian control and led an important uprising in 1794.







Prison security guards at Wawel. There was some ceremony going on in the cathedral and thousands of prison guards from every city in Poland were in attendance. I wanted to know who was guarding the prisons.










Parading past the ticket office and into the Cathedral (to the right of the picture).











The side of the Cathedral showing a beautiful gold-covered Renaissance chapel. This chapel is pretty famous and is called "the pearl of the Renaissance."










A view of Krakow from Wawel hill. I stand on tiptoe to get my camera pointed over the top of the wall, which is a remnant of the old medieval fortifications.










Brad, one of the other Swatties in my program, with Ola, our guide. Ola is a student the same age as us who is studying psychology at Jagiellonian University. She's our primary go-to person while we're in Krakow.















Rachel, the third Swattie in the program, and Ola. Ola is the Polish nickname for her full name, Aleksandra.



















The Cathedral.













A view across the complex. The Cathedral and castle are to the right of the picture. The foundations in the middle are the remains of the medieval town that used to be here. It was destroyed by one of the armies that has occupied the area, and I think it was the Austrians?






A view of the palace courtyard which is completely enclosed by castle behind me and to the left of the picture. They call this a castle even though it doesn't really look one. This is the third castle to exist on the sight. First there was a Romanesque castle followed by a Gothic one built in the 1100s or 1200s, I think. That one burned down and this one was built in the early 1500s in the Renaissance style. It's one of the largest Renaissance buildings in Europe and is beautiful. Unfortunately, they don't let you take any pictures inside.


Another view across the complex. The castle is behind me.












A huge bell commissioned by a Polish king after a big Russian defeat in...I want to say the 1400s or 1500s? It weighs 13 tons and is made out of Russian cannons captured after the war and melted down. The bell tower housing this was incredible. They had to build a massive wooden tower inside the brick one using larch beams that are about 2 feet wide. The wood is necessary to absorb the vibrations of the bell, because the brick tower would collapse if it were rung without the wooden structure. Our tour guide said that you can hear this bell for several miles when it is rung on special holidays. It takes 12 men total, 6 on each of two ropes, to ring the bell. There's a myth that if you touch the clapper with your left hand and make a wish, it will come true! So of course we all did that on our way out. :)






A view of Rynek Głowny, the main market square, on a sunny Saturday. The large church is St. Mary's basilica.