A dragon every step of the way - more sculptures contributing to the dragon trail will hit Krakow streets in the coming days. The bronze figures catch the eyes of the youngest, although they are rather far from being decorations of the city.
The Wawel Dragon has been a guest in the minds of Cracovian men and women since at least the 12th century, when it was mentioned in his chronicle by the priest Wincenty Kadlubek. Since then, the monster from under Wawel Castle has become the hero of legends, a mascot reproduced in countless forms and a tourist attraction. The latter function owes much to Boleslaw Chromry, whose sculpture, set at the foot of Wawel Castle, gave form to the legendary creature. However, there is apparently still not enough of the dragon in Krakow, which is why Chromy's already iconic sculpture has for some time been accompanied by smaller figurines depicting the Wawel reptile scattered throughout the city. According to the magistrate, even more of them will appear in the near future.
The Dragon Filmmaker near the Kijów Cinema
Photo: Przemyslaw Ciępka
others have, so we do too
Since Wroclaw has dwarves, Gdansk has lions, and Slupsk has bears, Krakow couldn't be worse and in 2023 gave itself a "Dragon Trail." The initiative did not come from officials - the Dragon Trail was created as part of a project for the Civic Budget, submitted by Marta Jakubiak and Mariusz Meus. Four Krakow-based artists were involved in creating the dragon trail. From Andrzej Mleczko and Edward Lutczyn, the City bought the drawing projects, which were transferred into the third dimension by Prof. Jan Tutaj and Dr. Jacek Dudek, working at the Faculty of Sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Krakow. Last year, seven bronze cast figures, including the Surveyor 's Dragon, the Filmmaker 's Dragon and the Dragon with a Map, stood in squares, squares and parks in Krakow. A month ago, an eighth appeared in front of Galeria Kazimierz, carrying shopping bags. The whole action was coordinated by the Department of Culture and National Heritage of the City of Cracow, and the figures were brought to the site by employees of the Cracow City Roads Authority. It's hard to say which stage of the design process failed - because some failed for sure.
Dragon Painter on Axentowicza Square
photo: Przemyslaw Ciępka
not as pretty a dragon as they paint it
The dragons, although they attract the attention of the youngest, look clumsy, closer to gadgets sold in tourist resorts than to the prototype sculpted by Chromy. It's hard to believe that a grotesque dragon with a map stands in Krakow Park, not far from Roman Tarkovsky's excellent sculptures. Krakow's dragons are also far from Wroclaw's figures, which are much smaller, unobtrusive and ingeniously integrated into the urban fabric.
A dragon with a map in Krakowski Park
photo: Przemyslaw Ciępka
Using the Wawel Dragon to promote the city and encourage exploration with the help of dragon spots scattered around Krakow is the right idea. It is also not surprising that the initiative received a positive response from residents, who eagerly voted for the project in the Civic Budget. The success of the bronze dragons has meant that 10 more figurines, made in a similar manner, will be set up in the near future. However, should the aesthetics of urban space be left out of the whole affair? It was on the City's side to engage people capable of designing and making sculptures that would not only encourage exploration, but also fulfill the role of decorating Krakow. In our opinion, UM did not do a very good job with this task.
