LAJKONIK

The Lajkonik is one of the main symbols of Krakow, used by its transport company and one of the city's oldest traditions. Every year for the past seven centuries, a Tatar in a colourful dress, a pointed hat, a false beard and a painted wooden horse has walked through the city armed with a club. Followed by a jubilant crowd, he demands tribute from businesses and knocks out passers-by (it brings them good luck) from the Premonstratensian Convent in Zwerzyniec to the Rynek. The man in disguise is often a celebrity from the world of culture.