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The Royal Route used to
be the path that Royal processions and funerals
took. Even after Warsaw became the capital in the
16th Century, kings were nearly always coronated in
Krakow.
The route starts at
the Barbican, passes through St.Florian's Gate (Florianska
Gate), down Florianska Street, through Rynek Glowny
and then down Grodzka Street to Wawel castle.
Centuries ago, Krakow
was circled by a series of moats and city walls but
sadly these have disappeared over time. The Planty
parkland now traces the line of the medieval walls.
The Barbican was a
defensive fortress and originally Krakow had two of
them incorporated into the city's walls. The one
that remains is superbly preserved and evokes the
spirit of Krakow's medieval heritage. Some of the
walls in the Barbican are 3 metres thick !
A covered passageway
used to link the this fortress to St Florian's Gate.
Forty seven towers originally punctuated the city
walls but only four of these survived with St
Florian's Gate being at the centre. This was the
original gateway to the ancient city and the
starting point of royal processions.
Today, you can still
see remnants of the original walls by the side of St
Florian's Gate (although artists tend to obstruct
your view by hanging their paintings on the wall).
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