Dragon Bridge, Ljubljana

The Dragon Bridge (Zmajski most) is after the Triple Bridge probably the second most famous bridge over the Ljubljanica river.

The Art Nouveau bridge was given over to traffic in 1901 and is one of the first reinforced concrete bridges in Europe. The Dragons were designed by Jurij Zaninovica.

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To the delight of my children, dragons are big in Ljubljana!

The most obvious dragons in the town guard the Dragon Bridge. Local legend has it that when a virgin passes, the dragon twitches its tail - I can't attest to whether this is true or not, as when we were there, it was a wet and miserable Sunday afternoon, so there weren't enough young women wandering around to trial their virtue!

The second photo is of the lift doors from the funincular up into the castle. Frankly the dragon detail is an irrelevancy, but it is whimsical and charming. I am also heartened that something that would be pretty easy to vandalise was still intact!

It wouldn't take the most attentive traveller to notice that Ljubljana is well endowed with dragons.

Legend has it that the foundations of the city were laid when Jason and the Argonauts passed this way, fleeing with the stolen golden fleece, en route from the Black Sea to the Adriatic. Having sailed up the Danube, and then via the Sava they arrived at the Ljubljanica. Here they encountered and slew a fearful monster which turned out to be the Ljubljana dragon, commemorated to this day on the coat of arms, on bridges and indeed pretty much everywhere.

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The Dragon bridge is know as the city symbol. There are big green dragons at each side and smaller dragons holding the lamps along the bridge. The legend say that the dragon would wave his tail when a virgin cross the bridge., I stayed there awhile but I guess the virgins were all hiding out that day so no waving, sorry.

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This bridge, designed by architect Jurij Zaninović, is known and named for its dragon statues. Originally intended to be named the "Jubilee Bridge" in honor of Hapsburg Emperor Franz Josef's 40th anniversary of rule, the name quickly changed. It's enjoyable to take photos of the bridge itself, as well as views from it.

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According to the legend, the Greek hero Jason had been away to fetch a golden skin from Kolchis to prove he was the right person for the throne of Thessos. On his way back home he stayed along the banks of Ljubanica river to get a rest. There he and his men the Argounats (from the name of their ship), met a fearsome fire-breathing dragon. To rescue the inhabitants of the city, he had to kill the beast. As a memory of this, the rulers of the city made the dragon the symbol of Ljubljana.
The official name of the bridge is 'The Jubilee Bridge of the Emperor Franz Josef I', but, who wants or can say that? So the name became "Dragon Bridge" in daily speech.

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The dragon bridge, or Zmajski most as it is called in slovenian is probaply the most scenic of the many bridges in Ljubljana.
It´s a little over a hundred years old and has some very scary looking statues of dragons on it.
Because of it´s scary look it´s also nicknamed "mother in laws bridge".

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Just at the edge of the Market you will find the Dragon Bridge. If you want to make photos without people, you should go in the early morning. It is sometimes difficult to make a shot without people as this is a busy street with cars crossing.
These Dragons are the symbol of Ljubljana and you will see them throughout the city and also many souvenirs will have these dragons, or cartoons thereof.
In the market there are some nice craft dealers who have made aprons, shirts, and table cloths with dragons on them. Some are quite nice and cleverly done.