Guarding the four corners of Ljubljana's Zmajski Most (Dragon Bridge), these art nouveau sentries are the symbols of Ljubljana. Built in 1900 to replace a wooden 1819 bridge, the Dragon Bridge was one of the first reinforced concrete bridges in Europe, and is today one of the city's most representative examples of Art Nouveau architecture thanks to Dalmatian artist Jurij Zaninovic. A student of Otto Wagner, it was Zaninovic who designed the decorative balustrades, original lamps and copper-sheet dragons. Winged lions were originally considered, but given local legend - which claims Jason (the Argonaut) founded the city when he vanquished a dragon on the site - dragons it was and ever shall be. [The End.]
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