Dragon - Zurich, Switzerland
Posted by: 
Metro2
N 47° 22.630 E 008° 32.391
32T E 465263 N 5247181
This dragon is located on the Alfred Escher Fountain in Zurich.
Waymark Code: WMK529
Location: Zürich, Switzerland
Date Posted: 02/13/2014
Views: 13
Alfred Escher was a prominent Swiss politician and businessman.
This sculpture is near the main Zurich train station. It depicts a bearded Escher standing and wearing a suit, left hand resting on a ledge. See (
visit link)
The fountain features several sculptures in addition to Escher...including a dragon who spews water into the basin. A little boy seems to hold a leash on the dragon. Although found in many cultures, Wikipedia has a page for European dragons (
visit link) which informs us:
"European dragons are legendary creatures in folklore and mythology among the overlapping cultures of Europe.
In Western folklore, dragons are usually portrayed as evil, with the exceptions mainly in Welsh folklore and modern fiction. This is in contrast to Chinese dragons, which are traditionally depicted as more benevolent creatures. In the modern period, the European dragon is typically depicted as a huge, fire-breathing, scaly, horned, lizard-like creature, with (leathery, bat-like) wings, four legs and a long, muscular prehensile tail. Some depictions show dragons with feathered wings, crests, fiery manes, ivory spikes running down its spine and various exotic decorations.
Dragon's blood often has magical properties. For example: in the opera Siegfried, dragon's blood allows Siegfried to understand the language of the Forest Bird. The typical dragon protects a cavern or castle filled with gold and treasure and is often associated with a great hero who tries to slay it.
Though a winged creature, the dragon is generally to be found in its underground lair, a cave that identifies it as an ancient creature of earth. Possibly, the dragons of European and Mid-Eastern mythology stem from the cult of snakes found in religions throughout the world."