In the early 14th century when the city of Kraków, Poland looked something like this, there lived an evil dragon named Smok Wawelski who terrorized the city.
The dragon* lived in a limestone cave hidden beneath the slopes of Wawel Hill, where the King's castle rested.
You can see why Smok wanted to live here.
It's a pretty sweet cave.
A hidden gem, some would say.
Believe it or not, according to legend the dude who ended up slaying Smok was just a simple shoemaker named Dratewka, who stuffed a dead ram with sulfur and put it at the mouth of the Smok's lair.
Smok ate the sulfur-stuffed ram which made him very thirsty. So he drank from the Vistula River* to quench his thirst, and then proceeded to explode because he drank so much water (obviously.)
The dragon was dead, and the villagers* rejoiced.
Fast forward 800 years, and you too can see the bones of Smok the dragon, which now hang outside the entrance to the Wawel Catherdral.
See, I told you.
Okay you got us, these aren't "actual" dragon bones. Instead they are thought to be fossilized whale or mammoth bones, though legend still holds that these are the mythical bones of Smok.
Even now the story of Smok lives on. In 1970 a metal sculpture of the Wawel Dragon, designed by Bronisław Chromy was placed in front of the dragon's den.
