Karolina's Kraków: Wawel Castle

For many years, the kings and queens of Kraków lived in the grand Wawel Castle, which sits on a high hilltop. It was originally built in the 1300s by Casimir III the Great. King Casimir truly was a great ruler! He founded the University of Kraków, made new laws to help peasants, and protected the Jewish people of Poland. Legend has it that a dragon, Smok, lived in the caves beneath the hill centuries ago. The castle was only built after Prince Krakus killed the dragon! You can read the story of their mighty battle here. 

During the German occupation, the Nazi Governor-General Hans Frank lived in the Wawel. It was renamed Krakauer Burg ("Kraków Castle") and Poles were no longer allowed to visit it unless they worked there. Frank was a cruel man who liked to think of himself as a king...but he really wasn't. He was hanged for war crimes in 1946, after the defeat of Nazi Germany.