State Visit to Poland - Day 3 *

Photo: SIP / Nicolas Bouvy

After two days in Warsaw, the Grand Duke and the Grand Duchess made their way to Kraków for the third and final day of their state visit to Poland today. Roughly an hour's flight from Warsaw, Kraków is Poland second largest city and its historical centre. Upon their arrival, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria-Teresa were welcomed by the governor of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship, Jerzy Miller, the Undersecretary of State in the Chancellery of the President (or something along those lines), Jaromir Sokołowski, as well as the chief of protocol of the Polish foreign ministry, Krzysztof Krajewski. 

Photo: SIP / Nicolas Bouvy

Then the Grand Duke went solo for a while, visiting the Wielopolski Palace, Kraków's town hall, to meet with the city's mayor, Jacek Majchrowski, and to hear a presentation about Nowa Huta, the city's largest district whose name literally translates to 'The New Steel Mill'. In 2007, Luxembourg-headquartered international steel manufacturer bought the local steel mill which was once the largest in Poland. Since the end of the Communist era, large parts of Nowa Huta have been redeveloped and modernised.

Photo: SIP / Nicolas Bouvy

Grand Duke Henri then visited the Jagiellonian University Museum housed at the Collegium Maius, the oldest university building in Poland. At the museum, he was greeted by various university officials before touring the museum featuring a rich collection of scientific instruments, including some of world significance, such as an astrolabe, astronomical globe and torquetum by Hans Dorn from the 1480s, and the  sixteenth century Jagiellonian Globe - the first globe showing America. It also houses the oldest scientific instrument in Poland, an Arab astrolabe dating from 1054. The Grand Duke also visited the university's main building, the Collegium Novum, where he met with vice chancellor Wojciech Nowak.

Photo: Sanctuary of the Divine Mercy, Kraków-Łagiewniki

Meanwhile, the Grand Duchess was on a private visit to the Sanctuary of Divine Mercy in Kraków-Łagiewniki. The Roman Catholic basilica is the resting place of Saint Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun who is considered to have been a mystic and visionary. It was already the second visit of Grand Duchess Maria-Teresa to the Sanctuary as she, as well as her husband and children, had already paid a visit to the basilica dedicated to the Divine Mercy devotion shortly after the canonisation of Saint Faustina in 2000. More pictures of the visit of the Grand Duchess can be found on the website of the Sanctuary. (A major thank you once again to our dear reader Ilona who sent in the link and information!)

Photo: SIP / Nicolas Bouvy

To round off the morning activities, the Grand Duchess joined the Grand Duke on his Krakówian adventures and together they visited the Church of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven a.k.a. St. Mary's Church particularly famous for its wooden altarpiece carved by Veit Stoss. Afterwards they had lunch together with the governor of the Lesser Poland Voivodeship, aforementioned Jerzy Miller.  

Photo: SIP / Nicolas Bouvy

Before heading home to Luxembourg, Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria-Teresa did some sight-seeing in Poland's historical centre. They visited the Royal Archcathedral Basilica of Saints Stanislaus and Wenceslaus on the Wawel Hill - usually simply known as Wawel Cathedral but you know how I love long names, - as well as the Gothic Wawel Royal Castle. They also met with the Archbishop of Kraków, Stanisław Kardinal Dziwisz.

Aaaand, that was it. Pictures of the day can the found at Tageblatt, Wort in German, Wort in French and the government website. A video of the the last two days is available at RTL. Also make sure to check our post of Day 1 and Day 2 if you haven't already done so. We will see the Grand Duke again on Sunday for a concert back in Luxembourg, until then there'll be two engagements of the Hereditary Grand Ducal Couple and whatever will come out of Liechtenstein, or wherever the members of the Princely Family are, to keep us occupied.


Source: Gouvernement du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg, Cour grand-ducale