Gniezno, like Rome, sits on seven hills. On the most prominent of them, Lech Hill, the famous Primatial Basilica has stood for a thousand years. After you have toured the church, the audio guide invites you on a walk around the hill, during which you learn about its early history and the buildings that still stand there today.
Visitors are watched closely from a tall pedestal by Bolesław the Brave, the first King of Poland, who was crowned right here in Gniezno in 1025. The monument dominates the square in front of the church.
In pagan times Lech Hill, as a defensive site, was the seat of the duke and an important place of worship. The stronghold with its two outer baileys was among the largest in the region. The outline of the former ramparts has been marked on the hill with special paving stones. The ring of paving stones encloses the entire cathedral, which looks just as impressive from the outside as it does inside.
The Museum of the Archdiocese of Gniezno, housed in buildings close to the Primatial Basilica, is the former cathedral treasury, one of the richest in Poland. You can see this for yourself by exploring its interiors with the audio guide.
We begin our walk through the museum in a room with a striking Gothic altarpiece – a polyptych. It makes a great impression, but in the following rooms it gets… even more interesting. Visitors have the opportunity to see, among other things, the oldest Romanesque chalices and rings in Poland, centuries-old liturgical vestments and other objects used in divine worship.
A separate room displays the very precious reliquaries of St Adalbert. The collection of Old Polish coffin portraits is exceptionally rich, and the audio guide's account of our ancestors' funeral traditions is sure to astonish many visitors.
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