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Krakow's Greatest Window
Krakow is well worth visiting just for its masterpiece
stained-glass windows if nothing else. Splendid medieval
examples of that ancient art, monumental and delicate at the
same time, grace the chancel of
the basilica of Virgin Mary’s
that towers over the city’s central
Grand Square.
Yet the world’s arguably greatest modern stained-glass
window can be admired barely a block away, where the
powerful depiction of the Creation has shone above the
entrance to
the basilica of St. Francis’
opposite the Archbishops’ Palace at the Franciszkanska
street since the turn of the last century. The design of
Krakow’s artistic and literary genius Stanislaw Wyspianski
(1869-1907), entitled ‘Become!’
but known also as ‘Our Father’,
radiates creative energy. It topped his other outstanding
works in the same imposing Romanesque temple dating back to
the 13th century. In the years 1897-1902 he also designed
six stained-glass widows in the chancel–the four elements
plus saints Francis of Assisi and Salomea of Krakow–as well
as the nave’s impressive fresco decor of giant wild
flowers.
Wyspianski’s last stained-glass masterpiece is the 1904
representation of ‘Apollo: the Copernican solar system’
in the Medical Society House at 4 Radziwillowska street. Yet
his most stunning set of designs, commissioned for Krakow’s
Wawel Cathedral
in 1900 and left unrealized for over a century, graces the
windows of the Wsypianski 2000 building, completed in 2007
at the corner of Plac Wszystkich Swietych square and Grodzka
street, almost next door to the basilica of St. Francis.
Stanislaw Wyspianski's original life-size pastel designs for
stain-glass windows are exhibited in the Wyspianski Museum,
11 Plac Szczepanski square at Szczepanska street, alongside
the rest of the artist’s momentous and diverse output.
Many
Krakow churches
as well as some secular buildings can boast stained-glass
widows of excellent design. Although the art reached its
pinnacle a century ago, contemporary Krakow artists,
together with collaborating artisans, strive to breathe new
life into it.
Other Krakow Curios:
Prettiest Leonardo
da Vinci
World's greatest
medieval sculpture
Subterranean
wonder world
Renaissance pearl
Giant bell
Miraculous images
8-foot golden
crown
Signal trump
Deity of prehistoric Slavs
Nativity beauties
Krakow mummies
Kmita's chasuble
Ice-age rhino
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Historic Krakow
Poland's prime tourist attraction and a must in Central
Europe boasts numerous world-class monuments, charming vistas,
delightful atmosphere, and the best restaurants.
Krakow Museums
Fine Arts in
Krakow
Krakow Galleries
Good hotels in Krakow
Best restaurants in Krakow
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