In the Spring of 997, an earnest Bishop from Bohemia said a mass at a small church on Cracow's Market Square. His name was Adalbert, and this was to be his last act before heading off into the barbarian wilds on the Prussian Baltic. His mission was to convert the pagan tribes, and as one might expect from these wild fellows, they didn't take kindly to his admonishments. Adalbert came to a rather sticky end.
Whilst Adalbert never saw Cracow again, the church in question still stands. It's called St. Adalbert's, as the noble Bishop was canonized by the Pope. Remodelled over the centuries, it's baroque facade belies the antiquity of its foundations. However, these foundations have just been revealed in an elegant restoration project that finished this week.
From afar, this little jewel of a church looks much the same as it always did; like a little baroque owl standing to attention in the south-eastern corner of the square. However, restorers have created a transparent section of glass along the northern side of the building, revealing just how much the level of the square has risen over the millennium. Some three metres in fact.
If you wipe back the snow you can peep down at the foundations. The restorers have done a fine job, and now that the surrounding fringe has been paved, the closing phase of the square's renovation is ready to kick off. The paving of the Western half of Europe's largest medieval square was completed in December, and investors are hoping that the eastern half will be wrapped up before the tourist season begins in May.
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