The Ottoman Empire: From Enemy to Ally 10.22 | Tour of the Exhibition at the Palace of the Grand Dukes (MIM)

🟣One of the greatest treasures of Wawel Royal Castle has arrived at the Palace of the Grand Dukes: the legendary 17th-century tent of the Ottoman Empire’s grand vizier. It stood near Vienna when the grand vizier had ambitious but unsuccessful plans to capture the city; after his crushing defeat, the tent became war spoils and passed to John Sobieski. 🟣Large surviving works of Ottoman textile heritage, sparkling with colors and symbols, are extremely rare.

This exceptionally beautiful and unique work has left Wawel for the first time, giving us the opportunity to better understand more than five centuries of relations between the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, the Kingdom of Poland and the Ottoman Empire — from wars to diplomacy, trade and unexpected alliances. 🟣The exhibition presents more than 60 authentic treasures from the collections of Wawel Royal Castle and the Palace of the Grand Dukes, inviting visitors to view the Ottoman Empire not only as an adversary but also as an important political partner. 🌷On the tour, we will talk not only about wars and diplomacy, but also about the Ottoman

Empire’s everyday legacy in Europe: the spread of coffee culture, the origins of furniture names such as sofa and divan, the route tulips and lilacs took to Europe, and other unexpected cultural connections. 👑 You will also see an additional exhibit: the diptych of Queens Elizabeth and Barbara. ⏰ Tour duration ~ 1.5 hours. 🎫 We will meet by the ticket offices. ❗A separate ticket to the museum itself (Route II) must be purchased, so we recommend arriving early, as there may be a queue at the ticket offices.

Please do not be late and have a copy of your ticket saved on your phone. If you arrive late, you will still be able to join the tour, but you will need to find the guide yourself, as guides do not speak on the phone while working. ***** This tour, like our other tours, can also be booked privately. You can find all our themes at www.mimokykla.lt, and more dates for group tours - here. ***** Please note that if your plans change, tickets cannot be exchanged and the money will not be refunded.

However, you can always give or transfer your ticket to someone else. 📸 Please be advised that photographs and video may be taken during the tour. If you do not wish to appear in them, please notify us in advance by email. If you do not do so, we will assume that you do not object. 📷 📹 All tour participants are also entitled to take photographs and videos for personal use, but this material may not be used or distributed for commercial purposes without the tour organisers’ written consent.