Wieża Zygmunta III Wazy
iJakub Hałun (CC BY-SA 3.0)
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Wieża Zygmunta III Wazy, Kraków

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This is Wieża Zygmunta III Wazy, a residential tower belonging to Wawel Royal Castle. It forms one of four residential towers and occupies the castle’s north-eastern corner. Giovanni Trevano designed this Baroque structure, raised from 1601 to 1603.

A view published in 1617 shows it crowned by a tall, elaborate roof structure, unlike the more restrained silhouette visible today. The tower underwent restoration from 1912 to 1914 and again from 1917 to 1920. Its rooms now connect the building with several royal collections: the ground-floor chamber presents the regalia of Jan III Sobieski within the Crown Treasury, while the room above belongs to the Royal Private Apartments.

The Dutch Study occupies the next level as part of the Royal State Rooms. Its compact form brings architecture and museum history together in a single castle tower.

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