Un benvenuto al Ponte del Drago di Lubiana, in Slovenia, da uno dei quattro feroci draghi di rame verde che sorvegliano la campata di cemento armato che attraversa il fiume Lubibljanica, inaugurato nel 1901. I mitici mostri sono tra le attrazioni più popolari della capitale slovena, non da ultimo per la loro presunta capacità di cavalcare o sgualcare le code ogni volta che una vergine attraversa il ponte. Il drago è l’emblema ufficiale di Lubiana, che si trova sulle armi e sulla bandiera della città e persino sulle tane municipali.

Questa immagine potrebbe avere delle imperfezioni perché è storica o di reportage.

Ljubljana, Slovenia: welcome to the Dragon Bridge … this fierce green mythical monster seems about to breathe fire on people crossing the River Ljubljanica as its sharp talons grip a plinth and it stretches its webbed wings. In reality, the four dragons that have guarded the bridge since 1900 are among the Slovenian capital’s most popular sights – not least for their alleged ability to wag or twitch their tails every time a virgin walks over the bridge. Amazingly, no-one has ever seen them move a muscle. The sheet copper dragons, made in Vienna, were designed by Dalmatian architect and engineer Jurij Zaninović (1876-1946) (known in Italy as Giorgio Zaninovich). They perch as sentinels on pedestals at the corners of the 33.34m (109 ft 5 in) span, in the company of 16 much smaller griffins. The bridge, designed in Art Nouveau / Vienna Secession style, was opened in 1901, when Ljubljana was a city in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It was originally named the Jubilee Bridge of the Emperor Franz Josef, but renamed the Dragon Bridge in 1919. The triple-hinged arch structure was one of Europe’s earliest reinforced concrete bridges. The dragon is Ljubljana’s official emblem, taking pride of place on the city coat of arms and flag and even appearing on municipal manhole covers. According to ancient legend and local folklore, Ljubljana was founded by Greek mythological hero Jason who, with his Argonauts, defeated and killed a dragon terrorising a marshland area near the Ljubljanica’s source. The city’s medieval coat of arms included a dragon and the beast was later transformed from a marauding monster into a symbolic protector of the city, a mascot embodying power, courage and wisdom. D0950.B1433