Gniezno - Bazylika Wniebowzięcia Najświętszej Maryi Panny

Gniezno was an important pagan cult center and around 940
became one of the main fortresses of the early Piast rulers. It may be, that the Lech Hill could have been the burial place of rulers even before the baptism of Mieszko I. After the adoption of Christianity by Mieszko I, his son Bolesław I deposited the remains of Saint Adalbert in a church.

The Congress of Gniezno took place in the year 1000, during which Duke Bolesław I the Brave, received Holy Roman Emperor Otto III. They celebrated the foundation of the archbishopric in Gniezno. In 1025 Bolesław I became the first king of Poland. Until 1320 the city was the coronation place of Polish kings. Gniezno was plundered and destroyed in 1038 by Bohemian troops and again by the Teutonic Knights' invasion in 1331. The city was soon rebuilt during the reign of King Casimir III.

Trade flourished, four annual fairs took place and Gniezno was one of the major cities of Poland until the mid-17th century. It was devastated during the Swedish invasions and by a plague in 1708 -1710. All this caused depopulation and economic decline, but the city was soon revived during the 18th century. Gniezno was annexed by Prussia in 1793 and renamed Gnesen.

After the invasion of Poland, Gniezno became part of the German Reich in 1939. In January 1945, the city was occupied by the Red Army and rejoined Poland after the end of World War II. The German inhabitants fled or were expelled.
-

A church here existed already n the 9th century. This church was altered and substantially enlarged over time. After the Bohemian troops in 1038 had destroyed the cathedral and stolen the bones of St. Wojciech the cathedral was rebuilt in the Romanesque architectural style and consecrated in 1064.

In 1104 a synod took place here with the participation of a legate of the Holy See, concerning the recovery and future preservation of Wojciech's relics. In 1127 the recovery and preservation of the holy head of Wojciech in the cathedral were celebrated.

In 1331, the Teutonic Knights pillaged and destroyed the cathedral. Ten years later a Gothic church was built. Casimir III the Great greatly contributed to the reconstruction of Gniezno. At the end of the 14th century, the construction of the chancel and large nave was completed.

Today's appearance is determined by the restoration, since 1945, after the heavy destruction of WWII.