Legend of the Wawel Dragon

Centuries ago, during the time of King Krak, the founder of the Krakow stronghold, a dragon settled in a large cave on the slope of Wawel Hill. It was a huge beast with a mouth and a long tail. It devoured sheep and cows that people grazed on the meadows along the Vistula River.

The king decided to give his daughter's hand to whoever would slay the dangerous dragon. Knights began to arrive in Krakow, but none of them succeeded in defeating the dragon.

Then, a young shoemaker named Skuba appeared at the royal court and promised to deal with the fearsome creature. The whole entourage of knights surrounding the king burst into laughter, considering the shoemaker's words as a good joke. However, the shoemaker was not easily discouraged. The next day, he obtained the skin of a ram, which he stuffed with sulfur and placed it in front of the dragon's lair. Enticed by the sight of a delicious snack, the dragon quickly grabbed the ram and devoured it.

The sulfur began to burn his stomach, and the dragon breathed real fire. To alleviate the burning pain, the dragon started drinking water from the Vistula River. He drank and drank, growing bigger and bigger until he finally burst.

Are these the bones of the Wawel Dragon?

And so, the clever and unassuming shoemaker freed Krakow from the dangerous dragon. In return, he received the hand of the princess and lived happily ever after.

Hanging above the doors leading to Wawel Cathedral, massive bones have been suspended on a powerful iron chain since the Middle Ages! It is no wonder that they were considered the bones of the Wawel Dragon. According to superstitions, if they were to fall, the Wawel Cathedral would collapse. How they ended up there and where they actually came from, nobody really knows. Evidence of their existence can be found in writings from the 16th century. It was said that they were extracted from the Wawel Dragon's lair. A professor from the Jagiellonian University identified the bones as remains of whales, mammoths, and rhinoceroses. You can find more interesting facts about Krakow in the article: Krakow - interesting facts for tourists.

You can visit the lair of the fearsome dragon!

The entrance to the lair is located on Wawel Hill. We go out onto the Vistula boulevards, near the monument of the Wawel Dragon. Dragon's Lair - visit.

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Perhaps you would like to discover other Krakow legends and interesting facts?

Easy

directions_walk child_friendly

The Royal Route - Exploring Krakow, Discovering Landmarks and History

straighten 1.4km

timer 24min

north_east 26m

south_east 23m