Lublin Things to Do

The castle origins go back to the establishment in Lublin in the 12th c. of a seat of a castellan. In the first half of the 13th c., in the upper part of the castle, a stone-and-brickwork residential and defensive tower (or donjon) was built, preserved until today. This is the origin of the brickwork structures in the castle area. In the 14th c., in the reign of Casimir the Great, the castle itself was built, surrounded by a protective wall. This was probably also when a Gothic castle church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, was built, which functioned as the castle chapel.
Around 1520 Sigismund the Old started conversion of the castle into an impressive royal residence. It was the first Renaissance building in Lublin.
In the 17th c. wars the castle was destroyed. Only the donjon and the chapel were preserved.
In 1824-1826 a new structure in English Neo-Gothic style was built on the hill, to serve as a prison. The castle fulfilled this function until 1954.
When the prison was closed down that year, the castle - reconstructed and refurbished - was given over to cultural purposes. Since 1957 it has been the main seat of the Lublin Museum, established in 1906.

This used to be a Jesuites' church and now is the Lublin cathedral under the invocation of John the Baptist & John the Evangelist. Excellent example of 17th. c. baroque architecture and art with beautiful polychromes on the walls!

I couldn't take more pictures because of the scaffoldings inside, some serious restoration was going on... Similarly outside in the Cathedral Sq. - it was overtaken by a crane and buldoser-type vehicles.

So here's the Grodzka Gate that was another entry to the town in the old days.
This is where the Grodzka street ends and the gangway towards the castle begins. My intro page picture shows the Gate (and the gangway) from the opposite side.

So far in my must-see tips, I've guided you from the centre of Lublin, through the Cracow Gate, and the martket square towards the castle... But if you arrive to Lublin by bus, you actually start from the opposite direction 'cause the bus station is below the castle on the other side of the street.

I missed the well as I was cruising straight towards the tower, and I noticed it only on my way to the Trinity chapel.

I think the well is cute, and isn't the wheel impressive? I wonder how many men it takes to turn the wheel... ;-)
The well is in the corner to your right immediately as you enter the courtyard so it's easy to miss it 'cause you're with your back to it the minute you enter the yard.

By the way, the well somewhow reminded me of the old well in Kazimierz Dolny market square, only that one was much smaller.

I discovered this church during my second visit to Lublin. After I'd seen the Holy Trinity Chapel with the wonderful polychrome paintigs, I thought that was all that king Wladyslaw Jagiello had founded in Lublin...

Well, I was wrong. He also founded the church of Our Lady of Victory to commemorate his victory over the Teutonic knights in 1410. The chuch does not look anything special on the outside (wonder why they put plaster on it...), but the inside is excellent old gothic. I was also quite surprised to see the descending stairs inside the church! Made me think the ground was actually much lower in those days and the steps were added much later.

It gave me a completely new perspective on Lublin... I thought it used to be "just" a town in mediaeval Poland, and now I could see it was important to kings!

This square is called "After the Church" (Po Farze)... because the old mediaeval church is no longer there. That's where the narrowest little street called "To the Church" takes you to.

You can see only the church's stone foundations, but it's quite impressive to look at and try to tell where the pillars were, the presbyterium, the side chapels, etc.

It seems to be a popular place to meet up and go out somewhere in the old or the new Lublin.

Ku Farze St. (To the Church St.) is probably the narrowest street in Lublin's Old Town. It looks like the sun has never seen the pavement there ;-)

The street is still called "To the Church", although the mediaeval church is no longer there...

The Holy Trinity Chapel at the castle is one of the most valuable monuments of Middle Ages art in Poland and in Europe. It is adorned all over with priceless Byzantine-Ruthenian paintings that were completed in 1418 at the order of king Wladyslaw Jagiello, one of the greatest Polish rulers. One of the paintings actually depicts the king himself! The chapel is a significant reminder that Western (Rome) and Eastern (Byzantium) Christian influences co-existed happily in Poland :-)

It is just stunning! I've seen churches painted all over by artists but this little chapel left me speechless! Check a few samples for yourself and imagine this art spreading all around you... It somehow made me think of Giotto's frescos in Assisi and the paintings in St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. The chapel itself is actually much older than the paintings, with the earliest documented mention of it in 1326.

The story of the chapel's rennovation is just unbelievable! In the 19th c., when Poland was partitioned, the Russian tsar had the walls covered with plaster so as to put an end to the chapel's spendor. The paintings were discovered accidentally in 1899, and that's how the unbelievable task started to remove all the plaster and then to rennovate the priceless paintings. The whole thing took almost 100 years! (interrupted by the two world wars and lack of funds). Finally completed in 1997 for us to admire its unique beauty:-) It is simply a MUST in Lublin!

This picture is actually a postcard - photo taking inside the chapel is prohibited.