Dragon’s Den

According to legend, the caves under Wawel Hill – whose corridors extend 270 m (885 ft) and reach a height of 10 m (33 ft) – used to be the dwelling place of the Wawel Dragon. The lair of the foul beast was opened to visitors in 1918 after the former Austrian water well was adapted for use as a staircase. The entrance to the Dragon’s Den is situated on Wawel Hill, behind the Thieves’ Tower in a small turret covered with an onion-shaped dome.

A karst formation, the cave began to form 12 millions years ago, but did not fully develop until 1.6 million years ago. It was practically inaccessible in the period 1966-2000 due to research and protection work. The research resulted in the discovery of another cave (not accessible to tourists), which is 160 m (525 ft) long and contains five muddy lakes, inhabited by a rare, blind crustacean, Niphargus tatrensis (Polish: studniczek tatrzański).

The tourist route is 81 m (266 ft) long, and includes – after walking down the former well – three rock chambers with fossils and highly divergent karst formations. The last of the three chambers, closest to the cave’s mouth by the Vistula River, is the place where a famous inn – widely described in the accounts of visitors and travellers – operated in the 17th and 18th centuries.

In 1972, a sculpture of the Wawel Dragon by Bronisław Chromy was erected on the embankments in front of the Dragon’s Den.

You can find more information on visits to the Dragon's Den in the Museums section.