# Gniezno Doors are cast (1175)

URL: https://poland-history.com/timeline/1175-gniezno-doors-are-cast
Location: Gniezno

The bronze doors of Gniezno Cathedral, depicting the life of St Adalbert in eighteen scenes, are a masterpiece of Romanesque art. Within the broader Fragmentation period: After 1138 Poland split into duchies ruled by rival Piast princes. Mongol invasions, German settlement, the growth of towns and the arrival of the Teutonic Knights reshaped the land before it was reunited. At this point in the timeline (1175), the governing authority was Mieszko III the Old (High Duke of Poland). Duke of Greater Poland who repeatedly fought to hold the Kraków seniorate, which he lost and regained several times. Gniezno Doors are cast mattered because cultural achievements helped preserve and define Polish identity and influence beyond its borders. The event is placed here so readers can follow it alongside changes in government, warfare, society, religion and culture across Polish history.

## Why it matters
Gniezno Doors are cast mattered because cultural achievements helped preserve and define Polish identity and influence beyond its borders.

Ruler at the time: [Mieszko III the Old](https://poland-history.com/rulers/mieszko-iii-the-old)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Gniezno Doors](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gniezno_Doors)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Gniezno Doors are cast](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Gniezno+Doors+are+cast)
- [Wikipedia — History of Poland during the Piast dynasty (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Poland_during_the_Piast_dynasty#Fragmentation_of_the_realm_(1138%E2%80%931320))