Lajkonik Dragon
Dragon Trail
A dragon dressed as the Lajkonik stands in a small square on Kościuszki Street. The Lajkonik is a Kraków tradition associated with the Zwierzyniec district.
History
The Lajkonik Dragon stands on Konika Zwierzynieckiego Square and combines two Kraków legends in a single figure. The dragon's costume was designed by Andrzej Mleczko. The Lajkonik is a figure dressed as a Tatar who every year, in the octave of Corpus Christi, rides in a procession from the City Waterworks on Senatorska Street, past the Norbertine convent and through Na Stawach Square to the Main Market Square, tapping onlookers with his mace for good luck on the way. According to legend, the raftsmen of Zwierzyniec (the "włóczkowie"), who floated timber down the Vistula, routed the Tatars and then, dressed in the captured costumes, announced the victory to the city.
Did you know?
Another Lajkonik costume, designed by Stanisław Wyspiański, can be seen in the Krzysztofory Palace, at the Museum of Kraków.