The Old Town of Warsaw, Poland, vibrates with life
and colorful buildings. A statue of a mermaid, the city symbol, stands in the
center. The upper part of her body is a woman and the lower part is a fish. She
is armed with a sword raised in her right hand and a shield in her left hand
ready to protect. Legend will explain.
A prince from Mazovia region hunted in the forest, where he
got lost. While trying to find his way back, he reached the banks of the
Vistula River, where he saw the most beautiful girl emerging from the water.
She was half-woman half-fish. She shot an arrow for the prince to follow. It
took him to a fisherman’s hut, where he stayed for the night. The elderly
couple were proud parents of twins Wars and Sawa. The little food they had,
they shared with the prince. The prince gifted the lands to the poor couple,
where they built a settlement, which later was named after the twins Warsaw.
The prince never saw the mermaid again. But she was still
there, watching the village grow into a city. As more and more nets were
dropped into the river, one day, she got tangled in one of them. The local
fishermen upon hearing her sing released her. As she was released, she
declared, “From now on, I will protect you with my sword and shield.”
So she stands in the center of the Old Town ready to protect
its citizens.
Rome,
Italy, was built on seven hills. The one in the center is called the Palatine
Hill. At the foot of the south side of the Palatine Hill, there is a cave,
called Lupercal, where a she-wolf lived, bringing a legend of Romulus and
Remus.
The twin brothers were taken away from their mother by the
uncle, who abandoned them by the river, since he wanted to rule the kingdom.
The twins were found by a she-wolf, who fed and nursed them until they were
found by a shepherd. Later, they became shepherd warriors during which time
they learned their true identity. They avenged the uncle, but decided to found
their own city. They quarreled over which hill to pick. Remus was killed by his
brother. Romulus settled on one of the hills, which with time grew over the
seven hill and was named after him as Rome.
Bucharest, Romania, is located on the banks
of the Dambovita River. It is
said that it was built upon seven hills as Rome. Both names of the city and the
river bring a legend.
A shepherd
named Bucur was engaged
to a beautiful young lady named Dambovita.
She was a daughter of a poor woodcutter, who lived in a forest. One day,
Dambovita helped a prince, who lost his way in the forest. He was so charmed by
Dambovita that he asked her to marry him. Since she was already promised to
another, he gave her a penknife and a spinning top to fulfill any wish.
The
shepherd didn’t understand why a prince would give a penknife to a girl.
Dambovita wanting to prove her love for Bucur shoved the penknife to the ground
to show that it meant nothing to her. The knife hit the stone springing out
with water and creating a river. The river was named after the girl and the
settlement, which they built was named after him.
Vilnius, Lithuania, is known for its Old
Town with beautiful architecture of pastel color buildings covered in red-tile
roofs. It contrasts with the white Cathedral and its tower at the Cathedral
Square. There next to the Cathedral stands a monument to the Grand Duke Gediminas,
who was one of the first rulers of Lithuania and who found the capital.
At one of the successful hunting trips of Grand Duke
Gediminas, the party felt tired and camped around the mouth of the River
Vilnia. One night, the Duke had an unusual dream where he saw an iron wolf at
the top of the mountain, where he killed a European bison that day. The iron
wolf stood atop the hill with its head raised and howled towards the moon.
Next day, remembering his dream, he consulted a pagan priest
Lizdejka. The priest explained that the wolf standing on a hill gave a sign to
found a city among those hills. And the howl meant that the city would prosper
greatly and become the capital of the Lithuanian lands.
So the Grand Duke found the city among those hills and the
name given was from the stream of the rapid Vilnia.
In Ljubljana, Slovenia, a special bridge
crosses the Ljubljanica River. The bridge is quite special due to its
architectural achievement. When it was built, there were not too many bridges
built in concrete. The bridge was decorated with balustrades and four metal
dragon statues; two on each side, facing those who dare to enter the bridge.
Each dragon stands gloriously with the wings spread out and muzzle opened,
almost making a statement, “Do not dare to cross the bridge.” Really?
Legend has
it that Ljubljana was founded by the Greek mythological hero Jason and his
companions, who had stolen the golden fleece from King Aetes. As they fled they
came across a large lake in the marshes, near the source of the Ljubljanica
River. They stopped to dismantle the ship by the lake, where a monster lived.
Jason fought and defeated the monster. Now, the defeated monster, referred to
as Ljubljana Dragon, decorates the bridge and the Ljubljana coat of arms.
Vltava
River rambles by the historic part of the capital city Prague, Czech Republic. Vysehrad, a historical fort, stands up on a
high cliff overlooking the river. The fort with its thick stone walls encircles
the remains of the past time, where once an early settlement of the area stood.
And inside those heavy walls, stands a statue of Premysl and Libuse, which
holds a legend.
In
the 7th century, Slavic princess Libuše, a woman of great beauty and wisdom,
possessed prophetic powers. Libuše and her husband, prince Přemysl, ruled
peacefully over the Czech lands from the hill of Vyšehrad. A legend says that
one day Libuše had a vision. She stood on a cliff overlooking the Vltava,
pointed to a forested hill across the river, and proclaimed: "I see a
great city whose glory will touch the stars." She instructed her people to
go and build a castle where a man was building the threshold (in Czech práh)
of a house." And because even the great noblemen must bow low before a
threshold, you shall give it the name Praha." Her words were obeyed and
some two hundred years later, the city of Prague became the seat of the
Premyslid dynasty.
The
Svislach River meanders across the capital city of Minsk in Belarus. The river reminds the locals of a giant, who once
lived on its banks and it is said that he was the founder of the city.
Legend
has it that a giant named Menesk settled by the Svisloch River, where he built
a big stone mill with seven wheels. He milled rock and stones to make flower for
bread in order to feed the war-band he had assembled to protect his settlement.
Thus, when the settlement prospered it was named after the giant as Minsk.
