History woven with thread

They present the history of the first forefathers, the biblical deluge and the Tower of Babel, commanding the admiration of all the guests and later visitors at the Wawel. After all, Kraków’s castle holds Poland’s largest and one of the world’s most magnificent collections of tapestries.

The first works were brought here by King Sigismund the Old (Zygmunt Stary) and Queen Bona. Yet, the man behind the huge collection was their son, Sigismund Augustus, who ordered more than 250 tapestries from Flemish manufacturers. The tradition tells us that the King himself selected the subject matters for the series and the sizes of individual works so that they fit specific chambers of Wawel Castle.

When the King died, the collection consisted of over 350 pieces. Today – after all the wars and their turmoil – only 136 tapestries have survived to remind us of the mastery of the Brussels craftsmen. Nevertheless, they have pride of place in the Wawel collection.