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 Krakow Pigeons

When it comes to Polish cities, Cracow certainly has the highest pigeon-per-square-foot rate. The Krakow pigeons – mostly residing on the Main Square – have become one of the city's symbols, and many-a-legend has been told about their impact on Krakow's history.

It seems, though, that it's only the Krakow tourists who are so fond of the pigeons, and many inhabitants seem to feel that they do more harm than good. Apart from the obvious threat they might pose to the landing and starting airplanes of the Krakow Airport, the pigeons are also a threat to the city's landmarks, especially when it comes to aesthetics.

Anyway, tradition is tradition, and hardly anyone can imagine Krakow without its pigeons. Below are two known legends about the Krakow Pigeons.

Pigeons and the Regional Disintegration

Back in the medieval ages, Poland was divided into several regions of relative autonomy – this period of “Regional Disintegration” lasted between the 12^th and 14^th centuries, and the lack of a strong central authority weakened the Polish lands. No wonder then, that Henry IV, a Polish prince residing in Krakow, decided to try and become the king of all of the Polish lands. As it usually happens in legends, Henry contacted a witch, who told the Krakow prince that to achieve his goal, he should go alone to Rome and present the pope with a large quantity of gold. She offered him assistance – she turned the prince's knights into pigeons, and they quickly flew all the way up to the St. Mary's Church's tower, and started to rip out small parts of the stone and bricks, that fell on the ground turned into gold. Having collected enough, Henry left Krakow, leaving his knights-pigeons behind to keep the city safe. However, the Krakow prince never got to Rome – he spent all of his gold on girls, food and drink, got lost along the way, and never even returned to Krakow. Poland wasn't re-united until Wladyslaw Lokietek was crowned Polish king in the Wawel Cathedral in 1320, and Henry's knights are still waiting for their king on the Main Square.

Pigeons and the Siege of Krakow

At various points in the medieval ages, Krakow was under siege, and the defenders were slowly losing their hopes – not to mention supplies. On one ocassion they were so desperate that they started to eat the Krakow pigeons. The Krakow authorities opposed this, thinking the pigeons could be useful in other ways – like bringing small quantities of grains or other foods to the city. After a few more days, one of the Krakow defenders decided to try and sneak through the enemy lines to find out if help is on the way. He took a few pigeons with him to contact the city. After some time, one of his pigeons landed on the roof of one of the houses. It was quickly captured, and on his leg the defenders found a note that infused their hearts with hope: “Relief will come in six days, hold on”. The Krakow defenders prepared to attack on the sixth day, to help their rescuers crush the opponent by catching them in crossfire. On the evening of the fifth day, nobody even noticed that another pigeon landed on the tower of one of the Krakow churches... At dawn on the sixth day, the Krakow knights attacked with double confidence in their force, expecting the rescuers to come any minute. The sieging army was so surprised that it gave hardly any resistance, and fled, leaving behind almost all of their camp. Krakow knights were beaming with happiness, and only in the evening someone caught the pigeon that flew in the day before. A note tied to his leg said: “Flooding river. Crossing impossible. Rescue won't come. Give the city up”.