Isabela, our Krakow guide, is a third generation Krakow resident. She led us up to the castle and cathedral that are the heart of the city, and the nation, the seat of its kings and queens as well as the spiritual center of the people. This is the town where Pope John Paul II first became bishop and then cardinal.
Two views of the castle-fortress from the outside.
The Castle and Cathedral share the hill, and we see the eclectic architecture that represents several classical styles.
The Wisla River is central to Poland, and the statue of the dragon that you can see at the bottom of this photo is a classic story connected to Krakus, a pagan king whose name gives us the name of the city. The King promised his daughter's hand to the one who could defeat the local dragon. The dragon took as appeasement every girl in the city except the King's daughter Wanda. No knight could defeat the dragon. The simple cobbler's apprentice named Skuba had an idea. He stuffed a lamb with sulphur and put it in front of the dragon's cave. The dragon noticed the free meal, ate the lamb, and then became terribly thirsty. He drank all the waters of the Wisla, the nearby river and burst. Skuba and Wanda were married.
A fun feature is that the dragon statue actually blows a puff of fire on occasion!
Tadeusz Kościuszko, a great Polish general who served in the Continental army during the Revolutionary War, is memorialized in a grand statue on Wawel Hill.
Tomorrow we go to Kazimierz, the Jewish section of Krakow.
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