Each year, on Tuesday after Easter the Krakus Mound turns into a mediaeval village and a ground for knights’ duels. The name of the Rękawka festival is thought to originate from the Czech rakev (coffin) or Serbian rak (tomb), which suggests that the mound was once a place of ancestor worship or a burial site. Legend has it that Krak’s subjects build the mound with soil they brought with their own bare hands.

During pre-Christian times, the location was most likely the site of Slavic rites for the dead, celebrated in spring. Christianity adapted to the ancient customs, and although All Souls’ Day is now in autumn, using the site to celebrate the memory of the dead (including funerals – wakes were held here until 1836) has been preserved in folk tradition.

Over the years the celebrations have become a fete with bonfires and swordsmanship contest, and people throwing food and money to the poor. The tradition was maintained even when Rękawka was moved from the mound to the Church of St. Benedict. The change was enforced in the 19th century by Austrian authorities, who seized the area for military purposes and built a fort around the mound. They also banned the custom of throwing food and money, claiming it denigrates the poor. All that remained was the entertainment – climbing the greasy pole, sack races – and the fair.

Today the indulgence is held by the church at Lasota Hill, while the celebrations have returned to the Krakus Mound. Thanks to the Podgórze Cultural Centre, on every Tuesday after Easter it hosts a mediaeval village presenting the customs, attire, arts and crafts and weapons of early Slavs.