The story about Wawel Dragon

Centuries ago, when Kraków was ruled by King Krak, a dragon showed up in a den under Wawel Hill and terrorised people. They had to feed him with sheeps and cows, some people say that the monster ate nothing but virgins.

Desperate King decided to give his daughter's hand to the one who would slay the dragon. Brave knights began to arrive in Kraków, but none of them was able to defeat the beast. When the king was slowly losing hope, a young shoemaker named Skuba appeared at the royal court and promised to kill the dragon. The taunts of the knights did not discourage the boy, and the next day he stuffed the skin of a sheep with sulfur and left it in front of the dragon's den as bait. The dragon greedily devoured the fake sheep, and then the sulfur began to steam its belly. The dragon breathed fire and, in order to quench the pain, began to drink water from the river Vistula. It drank and grew until it became so big that it burst.

And in this way a clever, inconspicuous shoemaker freed Kraków from a dangerous dragon. In return, he received the hand of the princess, with whom he lived happily ever after.

Today you can visit the dragon's den. The entrance to the Dragon's Cave is located on Wawel Hill, in the courtyard behind the Thieves' Bastion, enter the small tower in the courtyard. A long winding staircase leads to the bottom of the cave where the dragon lived centuries ago. When you will be on the Wawel Hill, make sure to go to the western entrance to the cathedral. There are bones hanging above the door. According to records, they have been hanging there since the Middle Ages. Many believe that these are the bones of this legendary monster. Legend says that if a bone falls on the steps of the temple, the world will end. For this reason, conservators pay special attention to a very thorough conservation of chains on which these bones hang.

In addition to the dragon's cave at the at foot of Wawel, there is a bronze sculpture made by Bronisław Chromy from 1969, showing the image of the Wawel dragon through the artist's eyes. Not only the sculpture itself is very impressive, but also the fact that this dragon... breathes fire! Just wait a while. The dragon breathes fire every 3 minutes!

Have You seen the Wawel Dragon yet?

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