Art of the Orient: Turkish Tents

Wawel 5

Today:

9:30-17:00
open

The centuries of contacts, not necessarily peaceful, with the countries of the Middle East had a powerful impact on Polish customs, fashion, and artistic tastes.

Centuries of close contacts with the countries of the Middle East had a powerful impact on Polish customs, fashion, and artistic tastes, and they were specially intensive in the 16th and 17th centuries. Thanks to commercial relations but also military conflicts, artistic crafts from Turkey, Crimea, Caucasus, and Iran made their way to Poland. These included carpets, silks, and wall hangings, weapons and armaments, and horse saddles and caparisons: objects of both everyday and ceremonial use among the nobility and at the royal court. The phenomenon is best explained by the exhibition situated on the first floor of the western wing of the castle. Most important here are the trophies and mementoes connected with the siege of Vienna in 1683, when an allied army under the command of Poland’s King John (Jan) III Sobieski won the grand and final victory over the Turkish army threatening Europe, capturing among others the flags, banners, and even the bunchuk (private standard) and the legendary sabre of the Grand Vizir, Kara Mustafa.

Tickets: normal PLN 20, concessions PLN 15

Opening times:
02 January - 31 December
Mon closed, Tue-Sun 9:30-17:00
Wawel 5
12 422 51 55
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