Built on a hill overlooking Kraków and the Wisla River; this castle has a history as the political centre which dates back to 1000AD when the first cathedral was built here.

Polish kings have been crowned here and have used the castle as a residence. When Warsaw became the capital of Poland, the castle fell into disrepair. It was used as a hospital in the time of Austrian rule (1848-1908), and during this time parts of it were demolished.

The castle was used by the Nazis in WWII as a headquarters.

The Wawel Cathedral inside the castle area is the cathedral where Pope John Paul II was Archbishop of Kraków. This statue of Pope John Paul II is located outside the Wawel Cathedral, and this display in the adjacent park was showing a timeline in his life and leadership of the Catholic Church, as he was canonised on 27/4/2014. Poland is very proud of their saint who spent almost 58 years of his life in and around Kraków.