The new exhibition “Wawel Underground: The Lapidarium”, housed in the cellars of the royal palace, presents a hitherto unexhibited collection of early modern architectural details and stone sculptures discovered during archeological excavations and preserved from the 19th century to the present day. For the first time, visitors will be able to see how the Renaissance residence was built, experience history hidden for centuries, and learn about the people to whom we owe the restoration of Wawel Royal Castle.

The Wawel Royal Castle lapidarium has a long and eventful history. Its origins are inextricably linked to the history of the recovery of the Castle from Austrian hands. Tomasz Prylinski (1847–1895), the author of the project to restore the royal castle, recognized the scientific and conservational role of architectural fragments. In 1880–1882, he excavated sites next to the northern and eastern elevations of the royal palace, which resulted in a sizeable collection of architectural details. Unfortunately, during the Nazi German occupation, most of the artefacts were destroyed. Only a small collection of barely 164 objects survived. Today, thanks to ongoing post-war conservation and restoration work, the collection has grown to more than three thousand objects. The exhibition of early modern architectural details is located in the east wing of the royal palace.

“Wawel Underground” is a continuation of and integral complement to “The Lost Wawel” and “Wawel Recovered” exhibitions. It is on view from January 4, 2024.
Read more: https://wawel.krakow.pl/en/exhibition-constant/wawel-underground-the-lapidarium