Ljubljana

Dragon Bridge

  Resljeva Cesta     more than a year ago

Spanning the Ljubljanica in the very heart of the city, the infamous Dragon Bridge is an Art Nouveau/Vienna Secession masterpiece dating from 1901. Named for four obvious reasons in the guise of mighty dragon statues at each corner, the structure is a superb example of an early reinforced concrete bridge and as such is exciting for both lovers of art and of architecture. The triple-hinged arch bridge, which measures just over 33m in length, was designed by the Italian engineer and architect Giorgio Zaninovich (Jurij Zaninović, 1876–1946), and features a further 16 smaller griffin statues (often mistaken for dragons themselves), which nevertheless help the bridge's reputation as one of the most photographed structures in Ljubljana. Not surprisingly, Dragon Bridge plays a central role in many legends, the most charming of them in our opinion being that when a virgin crosses, the dragons wag their tails.

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09.06.2013
Theodore Grocki

No need for the red paint. The bridge and dragons can and do stand by themselves. We were fortunate to stay in an airbnb apartment very near the bridge and each day we crossed it and were mesmerized by the beauty especially with the castle in the background. Lived the castle also, but our vote goes to the bridge!
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