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Atlas Obscura The Warsaw Basilisk

The basilisk is a famous monster from ancient mythology, found in Roman legends, medieval stories, and more recently, in the second Harry Potter book. In Warsaw, there is also a legend about this monstrous creature and its lair.

It is said that long ago, the basilisk lived in the basement of a ruined castle in what is now the Old Town Market Square, sleeping during the day and wandering the city at night. Under cover of darkness, the creature killed all that came across its gaze by turning them to stone. It demolished buildings and stole livestock and riches, killing many people and amassing a great fortune for itself over the years.

Since 2019 legends local history monsters mythology statues
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Atlas Obscura 2019
0.07km
Mermaid of Warsaw

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Atlas Obscura 2019
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Atlas Obscura 2019
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Atlas Obscura 2017
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Atlas Obscura 2018
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Atlas Obscura 2019
2.09km
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Atlas Obscura 2020
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Atlas Obscura 2019
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Audio Guide
A walk through Warsaw
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Brutalism 1975
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Atlas Obscura 2019
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Atlas Obscura 2019
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Atlas Obscura 2022
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Atlas Obscura 2019
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Atlas Obscura 2019
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Atlas Obscura 2017
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Atlas Obscura 2019
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Atlas Obscura 2020
0.09km
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Atlas Obscura 2021
4.74km
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Atlas Obscura 2019
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