POLAND'S FIRST KINGS
The first Polish royal dynasty was that of the Piast kings. Its legendary founder was Piast Kołodziej (the Wheelwright). The first ruler to be recorded in historical sources is Prince Mieszko I, said to have been the great-great-grandson of Piast's son, Ziemowit. Kings from the Piast dynasty ruled Poland until the late 14th century.
The Trail of the Piasts starts on a picturesque island at the bifurcation of the Warta and Cybina rivers in Poznań. Ostrów Tumski, as the island is called, is the original site of a 10th-century cathedral which was the seat of the first bishops in Poland. A Gothic cathedral of saints Peter and Paul now stands on its site, but remains of the prior church-excavated by archaeologists-can be seen in the crypt. Of the tombs of the first two known rulers, Mieszko I and his son (Bolesław I the Brave, the first crowned king), only a pile of stones remains after a millennium has passed. A little to the side there are the traces of a baptismal font. The common assumption is that Ostrów Tumski (or Ostrów Lednicki, which is another fortified isle settlement in the area), was the place where Mieszko I permitted himself to be baptized, thus introducing Poland to the map of medieval Europe.
Archaeologists tend to disagree with this opinion. "It's not quite clear where the baptism of Poland actually took place", says Prof. Hanna Kocka-Krenz from the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań. In all probability, Mieszko I was baptized in Regensburg. "His court was baptized here, in Wielkopolska", says Kocka-Krenz. Moreover, the baptism of the common people was a drawn-out process-the last pagan in neighboring Lithuania reportedly died in 1910.
Next stop on the Trail is Ostrów Lednicki, halfway between Poznań and Gniezno, which is another important center in medieval Poland. Ostrów Lednicki was presumably the seat of the Piast family. Nowadays, it is an archaeological park and the location of the Museum of the First Piasts in Lednica.
Ostrów is an island located on Lednica lake, access is by ferry which runs from spring to late autumn. In the Middle Ages, there were two bridges connecting the island with the shores of the lake, one leading in the direction of Poznań, the other towards Gniezno. Their combined length was half a kilometer and were sufficiently wide for two carts to pass. The bridges were erected on oak piling driven into the bottom of the lake which is some 10 m deep in places. Thus, the construction was carried out in winter when the lake was frozen, and holes cut in the ice were excellent for sliding in the pales. A theory exists that the bridges were designed to be several centimeters underwater, making it difficult for potential foes to find.
Visitors to the Ostrów site can see a model of the settlement echoing the times of Mieszko I. The fort had a huge earth-and-wood rampart surrounding it; even today it rises up to 6 m in places. Entry was through a massive gate. Inside there were wooden buildings-none which have survived-and two large stone structures: a chapel and a church on the southern end of the isle. The ruins testify to the development which took place here. The chapel was designed in the northern Italian tradition of a Greek cross. The church was, in all probability, the first Christian temple on Polish land. Baptismal basins found by archaeologists have confirmed this theory-also fueling theories about Mieszko and his court being baptized here and not elsewhere.
The castle (a palatium as such buildings were called), was a rectangular structure with a roof of lead tiles. Like the church, it was built of rough stones brought in from the fields. Yet another small church of stone can be found north of this complex; here presumably lie the tombs of the sons of Bolesław the Brave.
From Ostrów Lednicki the Trail leads to Gniezno, the first Polish capital and seat of the first archbishops-making the Polish church independent of the German metropolis. Inside the Gothic cathedral in Gniezno there are relics of St. Adalbert (Wojciech in Polish), who went on a mission to christianize the pagan tribes in Prussia-and died a martyr's death in 997. Bolesław the Brave bought the bishop's body from the pagans for its weight in gold. Soon afterwards Adalbert was made a saint. His story is depicted on the bronze Gniezno Doors, one of the priceless Romanesque monuments in Poland. The saint's tomb was said to have miraculous properties and was visited in the Middle Ages by many noblemen, including German Emperor Otto III in the year 1000. It was with Otto III's permission that Bolesław the Brave was crowned king of Poland in 1025.
From Gniezno the Trail of the Piasts leads through Wielkopolska and Pałuki to the Kujawy region, where the Polish "Pompeii" is to be found. In the 1930's archaeologists unearthed Biskupin-a well-preserved site of the Lusitanian culture from the Early Iron Age. The partly reconstructed settlement now serves as an archaeological park, and a popular archaeological festival is held there every September. The festival presents archaeology at its most interesting, with visitors treated to reenactment's of settlement life.
Other interesting sites in the Kujawy region are Kruszwica and Strzelno. Kruszwica was the capital of a pagan Slavic state in Polish territories; its Mice Tower is the legendary spot where a host of mice ate the evil Prince Popiel. In Strzelno, the Holy Trinity church is worth visiting with its Romanesque columns and detailed decorations.
Grzegorz Kapu¶ciński
Museum of the First Piasts in Lednica, open April 15-Oct. 31, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.; Nov. 1-April 14, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. (without the island). Closed on Mondays and days following public holidays.
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