Krakow’s fire breathing dragon is extinguished

Krakow are going to test the famous fire breathing Wawel dragon sculpture. It is taking a break from breathing flames so that the city can see exactly why it has been costing so much to run.

The metal sculpture, resides below the Wawel Castle in the historic South of the city, it is considered a major tourist attraction with millions of people visiting the dragon to watch it breath fire from its muzzle every year. It sends flames out of its nostrils every three minutes although it’s going to have to take a month-long break from its usual routine whilst tests are completed. Instead of the legendary diet of cattle or damsels in distress this dragon has been overindulging on fuel and experts have said the gas feeds for the 6-meter-tall sculpture need to be checked.

Krzysztof Wojdowski, a representative of road infrastructure in Krakow said they needed to find ways to reduce the Wawel dragon’s energy bills.

Polish sculptor Bronislaw Chromy created the Dragon in the late 1960’s but it is actually a figure from the city’s historical legends. According to the legend of the Wawel Dragon or Smok Wawelski, the fearsome fire breathing lizard had a lair in a cave on Wawel Hill. In true dragon fashion it was tormenting locals, stealing away cattle and young women to eat.

The legend’s hero a young shoemaker, stopped the dragon by giving it a sheep’s skin filled with sulphur to eat, the dragon feeling warm and uncomfortable drank so much water from the Vistula River that he burst. Whilst the legendary dragon might have needed extinguishing by the city, they are going to do everything in their power to make sure that the figure at the foot of Wawel Hill continues to blaze on from March 2025.

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