The Wawel Royal Castle is a Renaissance royal residence located on the Wawel Hill, near the bend of the Vistula River in Krakow. It is a renaissance, baroque building with elements of classicism. There is a courtyard with an entrance gate and five residential towers. Over the centuries, the castle has been extended and renovated many times. Due to numerous fires, looting and marches of foreign troops, the building was rebuilt many times in new architectural styles. In the 14th century, the castle was expanded by King Władysław Łokietek, and his son Casimir the Great created an impressive Gothic residence. In the times of Władysław Jagiełło, the castle was enlarged by a gothic pavilion, called tower of the Danish and in this condition the building survived until the fire in 1499. Around 1504 king Alexander Jagiellon started to rebuild the gothic residence, giving it a renaissance shape. From 1507, Zygmunt I, known as the Old, continued his brother's work. It was during his time that the famous cloisters were built. The halls and chambers of the castle gained splendor after Sigismund Augustus purchased magnificent Flemish tapestries.
