Romantic Dragon
Dragon Trail
The romantic dragon stands at the entrance to Father Bernatek Footbridge on the Podgórze side. The footbridge, opened in 2010, links Kazimierz and Podgórze.
History
The Romantic Dragon stands by the Father Bernatek Footbridge on the Podgórze side. The footbridge, opened in 2010, has separate decks for pedestrians and cyclists, and part of the cost was covered by the European Union. It links Kazimierz with Podgórze, which were once separate towns. The footbridge is named after Father Laetus Bernatek (1847-1927) from the nearby Bernardine friary, who initiated the building of the Brothers Hospitallers' hospital, which helped bring the cholera and smallpox epidemics in Kraków under control at the end of the 19th century. From the start it also became a lovers' bridge: couples fastened padlocks with their names here and threw the keys into the Vistula.
Did you know?
There were so many padlocks that the footbridge became dangerously heavy and needed repairs. The padlocks that were removed were to be melted down into a special bench for lovers.