On Common Path. Kraków and Budapest in the Middle Ages
On 5 June Mayor of Kraków Jacek Majchrowski and Lord Mayor of Budapest opened a new exhibition at the Historical Museum of the City of Kraków devoted to the mediaeval and early modern history of Kraków and Budapest. The exhibition On Common Path - Kraków and Budapest in the Middle Ages was opened after both mayors signed a new agreement twinning the two cities.
See photos taken at the exhibition opening: OTOFOTOKRONIKA MIASTA KRAKOWA
The exhibition was created by the Budapest History Museum and the Historical Museum of the City of Kraków. It was already exhibited in the Castle Museum of the Budapest History Museum where it was officially opened on 18 March 2016 as one of the events of the Polish-Hungarian Frendship Day. Present at the opening were not only mayors of both cities but also President of Poland Andrzej Duda and Hungarian President János Áder.
Kraków and Buda were major cities of Europe in the Middle Ages, ranking equally with Nuremberg, Milan and Rome. The exhibition presents the common past of Kraków and Buda through relics, historical events and persons who were prominent in the history of both cities, including members of the Angevin and Jagiello dynasties and István Báthory, who held the titles King of Poland and Prince of Transylvania. These figures link up the history of the cities and the whole nations.
Many of the exhibits offer a glimpse into everyday life in the medieval cities, while others are relics of major celebrations and court pomp. Alongside a great many archaeological finds are art works that have survived in historical collections. One of these is a masterpiece by goldsmith Gian Giacopo Caraglio, a statue in the form of a cock adorned with precious stones from around 1500, a prized possession of the Kraków Shooting Society and the symbol of the city. There are also portraits of the Jagiello family painted in the studio of Lucas Cranach the Younger (1515–1586), unique records of the time.
Also on display is a suit of child’s armour now known to have belonged to Sigismund II Augustus of Poland, having traditionally been associated with Louis II of Hungary (Hungarian National Museum).
The exhibition will displayed at the main building of the Historical Museum of the City of Kraków in Rynek Główny between 6 June and 20 August 2017.
