Gniezno Things to Do

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To the south of the Cathedral, in the square in ul. Laskiego, we find the monument of Boleslaw Chrobry, founder of both the Cathedral and the archbishopric. The statue was unveiled in 1929, but after having been destroyed by the Germans during World War II, it was reconstructed in 1985.

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St. Adalbert, also known as St. Adalbert of Prague (or in Polish as St. Wojtech), was born in 956 and killed in April 997. He is now Patron Saint of Poland. The silver coffin was made in 1662. In 1997 it was moved from its original location at the entrance to the presbytery, where we now can see it.

When visiting Gniezno and the Cathedral one should absoloutely not miss the chance to see the 12th century Bronze Doors. They are to be found in the south crypt. The doors consists of two halfs illustrating episodes from the life of St Adalbert. The doors were made circa 1170 - 1180 but the artist is not known.
Due to renovation works when I visited, the crypt was closed. Great disappointment of course.

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Gniezno has a beautiful cathedral sitting on Lech Hill. In this cathedral which dates back to to 1324 till 1370 the first five Polish kings were crownd. The cathedral has many amazing things to see. Unfortunately, on Easter Sunday the museum and crypt were closed as well as the tower which you can otherwise climb.

If you have the change make sure you see the original Gniezno doors made of bronze in the 12th century. They tell you the story of Adalbert’s life. The artists are unknown but probably from Germany.

Of course there were other churches on that site at least as early as the 10th century.

Outside behind the cathedral you may see the remains ie the layout of such a church. Also in front of the cathedral you may see the big monument of Boleslaw I. and the broken original bell.

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The reliquary of St. Wojciech is placed in the centre of the chancel of the cathedral. I was very impressed by the silver casket with its saint dressed in a bishop’s gown on top. Piotr van der Rennen of Gdansk made this reliquary in 1662. The figures around the casket were made by the famous Poznan sculptor Wladyslaw Marcinkowski.

In 1986 the reliquary was stolen and damaged. It was consequently restored and placed into the cathedral again.

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Not far from the cathedral is the lake which is popular with the locals for outdoor activities. There are benches along the shore. On the other side of the lake, hidden in the trees, is the museum about the beginning of Poland. From the other side of the lake you can take lovely pictures of the cathedral in the background. Best to do this in the afternoon because of the sun.

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I only had a quick peek inside the church because it was full of wedding guests and the bride and groom were already waiting outside.

The church features a bell play outside which rings twice a day and has a moving St. Adalbert. The church has a gothic tower and a baroque interior. Inside the wall that surrounds the church there is a memorial for the people murdered at Katyn forest. Also you can see the last bit of the city wall that is left in Gniezno.

If you follow the footpath by the Franciscan church then you will see the church also known as the church of “The lord’s Tomb Monks”. This name is taken from the order that was established to protect the Lord’s Tomb during the Crusades in the Holy Land. The church is from the middle of the 14th century and is of Gothic style. Amazingly, it has hardly changed over the centuries. The interior shows ornaments of human faces and frescoes.