Wawel Hill is the name of a Jurrasic limestone outcrop formed about 150 million years ago. It is situated on the left bank of the Vistula River, at an altitude of 228 metres above the sea level. Over the millennia, the hill provided a safe haven for people who settled there since the Paleolithic Age. It is assumed that the Western Slavic tribe of Lechitians (Poles) started living on the Wawel Hill as early as the 7th century.