The Armchair Traveller

I mentioned in an earlier blog posting that my ethnicity was half Croatian and half Polish. As a child, I attended Polish classes once a week to learn the basics of the language as well as learn more about the culture. One of the things I remember most clearly from those classes was a story I was told about Smok Wawelski (The dragon of Wawel Hill).

Legend has it, in the city of Kraków, in a cave under Wawel Hill (on the banks of the Vistula river) lived a dragon – Smok Wawelski. At the time, Kraków was the capital city of Poland and King Krakus lived in a castle on the hill above the cave. Smok frightened the people of the town, killing locals, destroying thier property and eating their rams, cows and sheep. The king wanted to put a stop Smok but many great knights had tried to defeat him and failed, Smok would kill them with a fiery breath. A local apprentice named Dratewka thought of a plan which he shared with the King. The king approved his plan and here is what happened next…

The local shoemaker provided tar, the coopers and blacksmiths gave bags of sulphur, the butcher gave a rams skin, and the seamstress gave a needle and thread. With these items Dratewka stuffed the ram’s skin with sulphur and tar and then put the false ram on wooden legs.

This false ram was then placed in front of the dragon’s lair. He ate the ram and soon became very very thirsty, so he went to the river to drink some water, but no amount of water seemed to quench his thirst and he drank the Vistula river dry! As he drank the water his body began to swell to the point where he exploded, and thus Smok Wawelski was defeated! Different versions of the story say that Dratewka made shoes out of the dragon’s skin for the king’s daughter to wear, the most common version says that the king allowed the hero Dratewka to marry his daughter. Either way, the people of the city of Kraków were able to live happily ever after!

So this story has captured my imagination since I was a child and Wawel Hill in Krakow is definately on my list of places to visit! According to the following website: http://www.cracow-life.com/guide/Krakow_Wawel/Dragon%27s_Lair.php

“As you ascend the stairs to Wawel Cathedral, you may notice a curious selection of bones that are chained to the wall on your left. One of these looks as if it might have come from the rib-cage of a blue whale. The other, an ancient, snout-like relic, is even more fantastical in its appearance. If you are puzzled as to the provenance of these objects, then do not fear. For enlightenment can be found embedded in the western defense wall above the river. There one finds an eighteenth century plaque, and it reads as follows:

The entrance to this beast’s lair can be found at the westernmost point of Wawel Hill, and it commands a fine view over the Vistula. From here you descend a dizzying flight of steps, after a hundred or so of which the temperature suddenly drops, setting the tone nicely for the job at hand – the slaying of the infernal dragon.

The caves below are dank and mysterious, a suitable backdrop for such chivalrous adventures. However, if there are some who would prefer an unassailable historical reason for investigating the place, then they too are in luck. For the caves did receive a second incarnation. During the seventeenth century, to the delight of many aristocratic adventurers, both an inn and a brothel were to be found here. It is claimed that kings themselves distinguished the chambers with their presence. A most agreeable distraction to be sure. “

A metal sculpture of the dragon was created by Bronisław Chromy in 1970 and placed in front of the dragon’s lair. It breathes fire every few minutes to entertain the crowds!

There are many other things to see and do in Kraków, and as always Wikitravel is a good place to start. The city’s official website sums up Kraków as follows: “Welcome to Krakow, a city wrapped in legend, where time flows differently, and where every moment becomes a moment of history. For centuries Krakow was the capital of Poland, the seat of kings, drawing great scholars and artists from the whole world. It is their talents and imagination we must thank for the city’s rich legacy of unique historical relics, which reflect the most important trends in European culture.”

So go forth and enjoy the sites to be seen in Kraków and make sure you keep an eye out for dragon fire!

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