Legends of Krakow

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Many cities have extraordinary legends but Krakow is special, it has magical tales about its history. The history is everywhere, you can touch it every corner around you when you walk in this medievel city that brings you back in time. I love Poland, I was in many interesting places in the country but I especially love Krakow - its magic and lovely atmoshpere attract me all the time. I am so lucky, I visitied Krakow three times - and on every occassion I felt I got closer and closer to the secret of Krakow.

It happened approximately 3,5 years ago in summer when we had a wonderful week in Krakow. It was a family trip actually with my husband, Zoli and my brothers, Csabi and Ricsi. It was great being together in this magnificant city where we never got bored. Our hostel was in Kazimierz, the jewish district of Krakow - which was the centre of jewish life in Krakow over 500 years. It was destroyed during the II Word War but since 1990s it has been revitalized and now it is the most exciting part of the city. Bustling, bohemian streets are packed with historical sights, atmospheric cafes and art galleries. As a result this district became a major tourist destination in Krakow.

We stayed in the Momotown Hostel - colorful hostel in a colorful street very near to the centre of old town. From here we could easily approach the bus station, Schindler Factory and the centre - but I must admit that we almost always got lost - never found our accomodation in spite of the fact that we had city maps. 😊 But I think losting in a wonderful and exciting city is not a huge problem - it is another way of discovering hidden treasures.

We spent our days with walking, visiting the Schindler's factory - which was very interactive and weirdly real - you felt like you were there when all horror happened during the II. Word War. The factory is located in the former building of Oscar Shindler's factory under the Nazi Occupation. It was very interesting to be there.

It is worth walking a lot in Krakow, there are many gorgeous squares, sculptures, fabulous streets and churches - St. Mary's church is also great in the main square. There is a big market, it is also recommended to visit.

I have began this blog with mentioning legends - I would like to share my favourite one with you:

If you visit Wavel Castle you can't miss the flame blowing dragon in front of it. This dragon is also known as the Dragon of Wavel Hill, a famous dragon in polish folklore.

A popular version of the Wawel Dragon tale takes place in Kraków during the reign of King Krakus the city's legendary founder. Each day the evil dragon would beat a path of destruction across the countryside, killing the civilians, pillaging their homes and devouring their livestock. In many versions of the story, the dragon especially enjoyed eating young maidens, and could only be appeased if the townsfolk left a young girl in front of its cave once a month. The King certainly wanted to put a stop to the dragon, but his bravest knight fell to its fiery breath. In the versions involving the sacrifice of young girls, every girl in the city was eventually sacrificed except one, the King's daughter Wanda. In desperation, the King promised his beautiful daughter's hand in marriage to anyone who could defeat the dragon. Great warriors from near and far fought for the prize and failed. One day a poor cobbler's apprentice named Skuba accepted the challenge. He stuffed a lamb with sulphur and set it outside the dragon's cave. The dragon ate it and soon became incredibly thirsty. He turned to the Vistula River for relief and drank and drank. But no amount of water could quench his aching stomach, and after swelling up from drinking half the Vistula river, he exploded. Skuba married the King's daughter as promised, and they lived happily ever after.

It was just one tale If you are interested more, visit this fantastic city and discover them. You won't be dissapointed, there are more hidden treasures than you can imagine. 😊

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