We have 13 17th-century tents in our collection. 5 of them are complete. This one is impressive, 18 m long, with a roof covering over 27 sq m – says Magdalena Ozga, head of the Fabrics Department at the Wawel Royal Castle. – Due to the grandeur and intricacy of its decoration, it probably belonged to a senior Turkish commander.

The presented tent has an oval shape, a blue background, rich decorations with floral elements and Arabic inscriptions with texts of blessings. – The blue background is very rarely found in Turkish tents, so this specimen is all the more valuable – says Magdalena Piwocka, an outstanding expert in old fabrics.

It is also important that the history of this tent is well known. Captured in 1683 near Vienna, it ended up in the hands of King Jan III Sobieski. Jan III’s successor – King August II of the Wettin dynasty – took it to Dresden. When in the 1930s the Wettins found themselves in financial trouble, the tent and other mementos of Sobieski were bought from them by the Viennese antiquarian Szymon Szwarc and donated to the Wawel collection.

– We know that this tent was shown in Kraków in the late autumn of 1683, together with other Viennese trophies, and the following year in the fields of Zhovkva – says Jerzy Petrus, deputy director of the Wawel Royal Castle.

The tent can be viewed until September 12, when the 330th anniversary of the Battle of Vienna will have pᴀssed. – It is worth hurrying up, because – for conservation reasons – the next show will be in 10 years – says Prof. Jan Ostrowski, director of the Royal Castle on Wawel.

The sponsor of the exhibition is Siemens, which in 2013 is the main benefactor of the Wawel exhibitions.