Short answers, pulled from the story.
The legendary ruler named Krakus supposedly built the city above a cave inhabited by a dragon called Smok Wawelski. The first written record of this name appears in 965, describing the settlement as a notable commercial center controlled by Moravia before being captured by Boleslaus I in 955.
By 1038, Kraków became the seat of Polish monarchs under the Piast dynasty. Brick buildings rose during this era, including the Royal Wawel Castle with St. Felix and Adaukt Rotunda. Romanesque churches such as St. Andrew's Church were constructed alongside a cathedral and a basilica.
Some 56,000 Jews resided in Kraków at the outbreak of World War II, representing almost one-quarter of the total population of about 250,000. Mass deportations occurred from June to September 1942, with the largest deportation taking place in the first week of June 1942, and the ghetto was finally liquidated in March 1943.
The Stalinist government ordered the construction of the country's largest steel mill in the newly created suburb of Nowa Huta. The creation of the giant Lenin Steelworks sealed Kraków's transformation from a university city into an industrial center.
In 1978, UNESCO placed Kraków Old Town on the first list of World Heritage Sites. That same year, Karol Wojtyła was elevated to the papacy as John Paul II, the first non-Italian pope in over 450 years.