Polish President Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria were buried on Sunday in a crypt in the historic Wawel Cathedral, the main burial site for Polish monarchs for several centuries.

They were laid to rest near the tomb of Jozef_Pilsudski, a driving force behind Poland's reemergence as an independent state after World War I.

The burial ceremony followed a state funeral service at St. Mary's Basilica attended by several foreign leaders, including Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, and a procession with full military honors across Krakow.

Thousands of Poles lined the streets to pay their last respects to the presidential couple.

The two coffins were placed in an amber-colored tomb inscribed with just their names and a cross.

A special plaque in memory of the 96 people who died when the president's plane crashed in western Russia on April 10 was placed nearby and the crypt was to be open for visitors on Sunday evening.

KRAKOW (Poland), April 18 (RIA Novosti)