The oldest Wawel archaeological monuments will be presented again after over 60 years. The exhibits found on the Wawel hill, dating back to the prehistoric period, can be seen at the new exhibition “Wawel Prehistory”, which complements the exhibition “Lost Wawel” at the Wawel Royal Castle in Krakow.

Prof. Andrzej Betlej, director of the Wawel Royal Castle emphasizes that the prehistoric Wawel monuments are priceless exhibits for Polish culture. Their importance is evidenced primarily by the location of their discovery, enclosed within the Wawel Hill, thanks to which they are inextricably linked with the past of this place.

The exhibition “Wawel Prehistory” is a selection of prehistoric monuments found during the archaeological research conducted in the area of Wawel Hill continuously for over 70 years. The oldest exhibits including stone knives, blades, scrapers and stone chips are dated from the Middle Palaeolithic period, i.e. around 100,000. Years BC and are products of the Neanderthal man.

The exhibition also gathered relics from subsequent periods of prehistory. There are flint exhibits dated to the Upper Palaeolithic period (40–13 thousand years ago), such as scratchers, pliers and shavings, and the Neolithic (5500–3000 years BC), with the oldest clay products in Wawel.

The richest collection of prehistoric monuments dates from the turn of the Bronze Age and Iron Age (approx. 800–400 BC) and is a testimony to the functioning of the Lusatian culture in Wawel. It includes a triangular bronze pendant, horn arrow heads, bone tools, ornaments, and ceramic dishes.

The prehistoric exposition includes a showcase with individual relics dated to the Celtic period and Roman influences presenting among others, coins from the Roman Empire and fragments of Celtic clay vessels.

Adrian Andrzejewski