Kopiec Kościuszki

05/27/2012 13:19

A kopiec (koh – piets) is a traditional type of burial mound dating back to pagan times. After a person of note would die, people occasionally built a huge mound of dirt over the burial site. In and around Kraków, there are numerous kopiec of note. The legendary founder of Kraków, Krakus, has one, as does his daughter Wanda. Without completely digging up either of these dirt piles, though, I don’t know if anyone is absolutely sure whether or not Krakus and Wanda are truly buried there. In addition, seeing that the stories of these people come from the murky times of legend, I don’t think that there’s proof that either of them even existed. Their huge burial mounds, however, do.

The Kopiec Kościuszki in Kraków, on the other hand, has a history that is much better known. This is a very large mound that can actually be seen from downtown from one part of the Planty. It’s named after the famous Polish general Kościuszko. Interestingly, it’s not a burial mound at all, as Kościuszko’s body actually lies at the Wawel Castle, while his heart is in the Royal Castle in Warsaw. It’s more of a memorial constructed to honor this great Polish patriot and national hero. For our purposes, it’s not a bad place to walk up to, grab a cup of coffee and get a nice view of the city. 

 The Kopiec Kościuszki