The dragon is one of the Krakow's symbols.According to the legend, he plagued Krakow and its surroundings, kidnapping animals, as well as children that were a nice diversion of his diet. He was killed by Prince Krak, that became the city's hero. In another version, which is more often used by children today, the chosen one who defeated the dragon was a boy, a shoemaker apprentice - Dratewka. When Krak couldn't cope with the cruel beast, he announced all over his kingdom that the brave one who will defeat the dragon, would receive - as it usually happens in such stories - half of the kingdom and will mary Princess Wanda.
Many brave men came to the city to kill the beast, but none of the greatest knights didn't manage to defeat the dragon. And then, a small shoemaker,not known to anyone, named Dratewka used a smart ruse. He skimmed his old sheepskin coat, putted inside a lot of sulfur, gunpowder and other explosive materials, and finally putted the sheepkin under the dragon's cave. When the dragon saw the prey, he ate it with a great appetite. However, sulfur began to burn him from the inside ,so he desperately threw himself into the river and began to drink and drink ... the level of the Vistula river dropped drastically and the dragon still had not enough ... he drank and grew and became bigger ... and bigger ... until finally ... cracked ! The joy of Krakow citizens,local peasants and Krak was huge and Dratewka became a hero.
Since then, at the side of the Wawel Hill, in front of the cave which - as the legend says - was the the dragon's shelter (this Dragon's Den can be visited today), there is a metal sculpture of a terrible lizard standing on its hind legs and yawning with fire. The legend has its roots in ... medieval archaeological researches. There are also a huge bones hanging at the entrance of the Wawel Cathedral. Dragon bones ,as it was guessed with certainty by their medieval finders. They announce the end of the world when biblical apocalyptic monsters and dragons will return to destroy the world. For the ignorant people of those times, it was an unquestionable proof of the existence of the Wawel's Dragon. The bones are being kept close to the cathedral to protect the hill against the attack of the beast during the apocalypse. Hence, they are fixed on solid chains. The riddle was solved in 1937, when Henryk Hoyer, a professor at the Jagiellonian University, established that the bones were actually a mix of a rhino skull, half of the cetacean's jaw and a mammoth. The myth about the end of the world is still believed, so the chains on which the bones are hanging are extremely carefully preserved at every time.
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All dragon lovers meet in Krakow, since nearly 20 years at the Great Dragon Parade organized by the Groteska Theater. This large two-day dragon festival has become a permanent fixture in the calendar of Krakow events, and its culmination as a multimedia spectacle around the Wawel hill,is an experience that everyone visiting the city should experience.
This annual outdoor event gathers thousands of dragon enthusiasts from all over Poland, Europe and the world .. During the weekend dragon party, hundreds of dragons return to the medieval royal city of Krakow - of various colors, shapes and sizes.For two days in Junet ,the city completely changes its atmosphere . The Great Dragon Parade is organized with the significant participation of children and youth in the historical center of Krakow. All dragons, designed and hand-made by the participants of the parade, compete for the title of the most beautiful and the most ingenious. Over 1,000 children take part in the march along the streets of the city, accompanied by artists: dancers, musicians, and jugglers. On the Vistula boulevards, the Dragon Family Picnic takes place for two days,filled with attractions,such as knight's festival, competitions, concerts. During the Parade, the largest city market in Europe is filled with thousands of viewers who want to see this colorful spectacle.
When the evening comes, an amazing spectacle begins ,using the technique of light and sound on the water, and huge, flying and floating dragons, of gigantic sizes of 25 m length and 15 m height are presented. Dynamic dragons are being controlled from the rushing boats, ships and water scooters.A romantic music, fireworks and laser lights, crowds of excited spectators - all of these make the dragon show an event of an unforgettable power. Dragon ceremonies are always held on the weekend around the 1st of June , the International Children's Day. The spectacle in the open air is watched by nearly 100,000 people.
This year the Final of the 20th Great Dragon Parade will take place on 30th of May.
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