The Vienna High End Show 2026 will feature the debut of a new, prestigious award from “High Fidelity” magazine.
At the event, which begins in just three days, we will, for the first time in history, be presenting the Dragon of the Exhibition award.
It is intended as an expression of our appreciation for the sound quality achieved during the event. It does not replace the existing Best of the Show awards, which we have been presenting for over a decade, but is intended to complement them. It is meant to be a “Best of the Best” award, and we will present only six such statuettes.
The project was created by Bartosz Łuczak (Piksel Studio), who is working on the design side of “High Fidelity”.
Where: High End Vienna 2026
When: 4-7 June 2026
The award’s design is inspired by the Wawel Dragon – a magnificent, fire-breathing (unless the mechanism is broken 🙂 sculpture by Bronisław Chromy from 1972, located at the foot of Wawel, the castle and burial ground of Polish kings. After all, the “High Fidelity” headquarters are located in Krakow.
Let us recall that the Wawel Dragon is a legendary dragon, whose lair was said to be a cave called Smocza Jama at the foot of Wawel Hill in Kraków. Smocza Jama – the legendary cave on the western slope of Wawel – is one of the hill’s major attractions. It was formed about 12 million years ago as a result of the karstification of Jurassic rock. Smocza Jama was made accessible to visitors by Professor Adolf Szyszko-Bohusz after Poland regained its independence in 1918.
‖ The entrance to the Dragon’s Lair
The oldest version of the legend of the Wawel Dragon, linked to the mythical origins of Kraków, can be found in the Chronicle of Master Wincenty, known as Kadłubek, from the turn of the 12th and 13th centuries; Jan Długosz altered the legend, writing that King Krak himself vanquished the dragon. Finally, in the 16th century, Joachim Bielski introduced the character of the cunning shoemaker Skuba into the legend; this is today’s most popular version of the tale; more → HERE.
‖ A dragon-headed gargoyle on Wawel Cathedral
‖ Dragon-head gargoyles in the courtyard of Wawel Royal Castle
The dragon is ubiquitous in Kraków. It is not only „present” at Wawel Castle, but also depicted in the press, in logos, etc. Let us recall that the coat of arms of Bona Sforza d’Aragona, from 1518 Queen of Poland and Grand Duchess of Lithuania, Duchess of Ruthenia, Prussia, and Mazovia, etc., Duchess of Bari and Rosano, wife of King Sigismund the Old, mother of kings (Anna also held the royal title), Sigismund Augustus and Anna Jagiellonka, featured a distinctive serpent (or dragon) in her coat of arms, which swallows a man (usually interpreted as a Moorish warrior). For a long time, the serpent was identified with the dragon; for more, see the book: Halina Auderska, The Dragon in the Coat of Arms, Warsaw, 1989.
‖ Coats of arms in the vestibule of the gate leading to the castle courtyard – in the centre, King Sigismund Augustus; on the right, the Lithuanian Pogoń; and on the left, the snake (dragon) of Queen Bona Sforza
‖ Dragon figurines on the castle wall
‖ T-shirts in the castle shop
‖ The dragon in the lobby of Galeria Krakowska (shopping center)
‖ Digital Dragons is one of the largest and most important ecosystems in Central and Eastern Europe supporting the video game industry (gamedev), run by Krakowski Park Technologiczny (Krakow Technology Park)
‖ A satirical cartoon in the latest issue of Kraków’s “Tygodnik Powszechny”
The new Dragon of the Exhibition award will be presented at trade shows – we plan to present it at High End Show in Vienna and the Audio Video Show in Warsaw. We hope it will find a worthy place among the best systems at these events. May the dragon be with you, dear readers, and with you, valued exhibitors!
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And this is how the prize came about:
Co w magazynie
Krakowskie Towarzystwo Soniczne
