Oh Wow! The Mummies of Krakow

Beneath the Church of St. Kazimierz the Prince, in southern Poland, are catacombs full of strikingly preserved mummies, formed as a result of naturally-occurring environmental conditions.

Since 1667, up until 1841, almost 1000 bodies have been placed in these crypts, where the unique microclimate has allowed many of the bodies to become naturally mummified.

Today it is only possible to view the mummies once a year on 2 November, All Souls' Day. On this day, you can see the mummy of a women in her wedding dress, who was poisoned by her family for going ahead with a marriage, of which they did not approve.

Monks however, were very simply laid on the sandy floor, wearing their habits and left to mummify.

In a glass coffin, lies the body of Father Sebastian Wolicki. It is also possible to view the body of Countess Domicella Skalska, who worked at the church as a housemaid for 20 years. Shortly before she died in 1864, the housemaid revealed that she was actually the Countess Domicella Skalska, from an aristocratic family.

Some photos Flickr bildungsr0man