This newly renovated Royal Castle in Poznan has quite a long and rich history. Works on its construction started already in the 13th century. Today it houses the Museum of Applied Arts.
The origins of the Royal Castle in Poznan
The construction of the Royal Castle in Poznan began at the end of the 13th century. Poznan Castle was commissioned by Przemysl II, Duke of Piast, who hoped to unify the Polish lands. Unfortunately, already after a year as king of Poland Przemysł II was murdered and works on the castle were interrupted. Its construction was completed only in 1337 by King Kazimierz Wielki. In later centuries the castle was a home for Polish rulers and was rebuilt for their needs. It was also demolished several times by the wars taking place in Poznan. The last destruction was the result of World War II.
An interesting legend relates to the place where the Royal Castle was established. Poznan was home to the first Polish ruler Mieszko I. This prince and his men were baptised in 966 making Poland officially catholic country. This act was supposed to upset Satan, who ordered the devils to punish Poznan. The devils pulled the hill from Gniezno (town near by) and intended to move it to the Warta River to sink Poznan. However, the devils started to celebrate their success too quickly and alarmed the cocks that woke up the city. The escaping devils left the rock on the left side of the river. In this way, a hill was created, later called the Przemyśl Hill, on which the castle now reigns.
