Wawel Royal Castel
Wawel is an architectural complex erected over many centuries atop a limestone outcrop on the left bank of the Vistula River in Kraków, Poland, at an altitude of 228 metres above the sea level. It is a place of great significance to the Polish people. The Royal Castle with an armoury and the Cathedral are situated on the hill. Polish Royalty and many distinguished Poles are interred in the Wawel Cathedral. Royal coronations took place there also. Wawel began to play the role of a centre of political power at the end of the first millennium A.D. In the 9th century it became the principal fortified castrum of the Vistulans tribe (Polish: Wiślanie). The first historical ruler Mieszko I of Poland (c.965-992) of the Piast dynasty as well as his successors: Boleslaw I the Brave (Polish: Bolesław I Chrobry; 992-1025) and Mieszko II (1025–1034) chose Wawel as one of their residences. At that time Wawel became one of the Polish main centres of Christianity. The first early Romanesque buildings were erected there including a stone cathedral serving the bishopric of Kraków in the year 1000. Since the reign of Casimir the Restorer (1034–1058) Wawel became the leading political and administrative centre for the Polish State.
Wawel hill:
Wawel hill has the form of a horst that originated in the Miocene epoch (23-5 million years ago). It is made up of Jurassic limestone dating back to the Oxfordian age (161-155 million years ago). The limestone is strongly karsted and abounds in caves (e.g. the Dragon’s Den - Smocza Jama). This could explain why the hill was originally called "wąwel", meaning ravine in Polish. Once the ravine divided the hill in two. According to another theory this word means 'protrusion from the marshes' which surrounded the hill. According to the newest theory name "Wawel" is a regular continuation of the name Babel in both Greek and Old Church Slavonic languages The hill is the site of a group of historic buildings, including Wawel Castle and the Wawel Cathedral (the Cathedral Basilica of St. Stanisław and St. Wacław). The complex also comprises the Wawel Hill Fortifications. The remains of other buildings, dating back to different historical periods, have also been found on the site.The history of medieval Wawel is deeply intertwined with the history of the Polish lands and Polish royal dynasties during the Middle Ages. The political and dynastic tensions that led to the ascendence of Kraków as the royal seat are complex, but for most of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance Wawel was the seat of the national government. As the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth formed and grew, Wawel became the seat of one of Europe's most important states. This status was only lost when the capital was moved to Warsaw in the 17th century. Beginning in the second half of the 18th century, when Poland lost its independence during the period of partitions, Wawel became a symbol of the enduring nation and wittnessed demonstrations and gatherings of Cracovians against the foreign occupation. The significance of the Wawel Hill comes in part from its combination of political and religious structures and their functions. The Cathedral holds the relics of St. Stanisław and stands directly adjacent to the Royal Castle. The Hill has long served religious functions; some of the oldest extant architectural remains are those of the Rotunda of the Virgin Mary, which may be visited today in a tour that takes visitors into the walls and foundations of the present-day buildings. The history of Wawel is long and complex. Throughout the centuries Wawel has undergone many changes that are presented below.
Legeng of The Wawel Dragon:
Smok Wawelski, also known as The Dragon of Wawel Hill or simply The Wawel Dragon, is a famous dragon in Polish folklore. He laired in a cave under the Wawel Hill on the banks of the Vistula river, although some legends place him in the Wawel mountains. In some stories the dragon lived before the founding of the city, when the area was inhabited by farmers.The Wawel Cathedral features a statue of the Wawel Dragon and a plaque commemorating his defeat by Krakus, a Polish prince who, according to the plaque, founded the city and his palace on the slain dragon's lair. The dragon's cave under the castle is now a popular tourist stop.
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 people, pillaging their homes and devouring their livestock. In many versions of this story, the dragon especially enjoyed eating young girls, and could only be appeased if the townfolk would leave a young girl in front of his cave once a month. The King certainly wanted to put a stop to that awful situation, but his bravest knights fell to the dragon's 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 anybody 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 Dratewka 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. No amount of water could quell his stomach ache, and after swelling up from drinking half of the Vistula river, he exploded. The apprentice married the King's daughter as promised and they lived happily ever after.
