Krakow's Fire-Spewing Dragon Is Running Up Big Gas Bills

An iconic metal sculpture of a dragon that spits real fire in the Polish city of Krakow will hold its breath for a month to check why it's been devouring so much fuel lately, authorities said Wednesday. Starting this week, experts will check the gas feeds for the 19-foot sculpture to find ways of reducing the dragon's energy bills, said Krzysztof Wojdowski, spokesman for Krakow's road infrastructure office. The dragon figure at foot of the Wawel Castle in the southern historic city is a major tourist attraction, reports the AP. Millions of visitors come each year to watch flames jut from its snout every three minutes.

The figure by Polish sculptor Bronislaw Chromy dates to the late 1960s, but refers to a centuries-old legend in Krakow's history. According to the story, the city was harassed by a blood-thirsty dragon that fed on the citizen's cattle, and sometimes even on young maidens. A resourceful young shoemaker offered the beast a sheep skin stuffed with sulfur that gave the dragon a burning feeling inside. Then, the dragon drank so much water from the nearby Vistula River that it burst. The sculpture, however, should regain its fire-breathing abilities in March.

(More dragon stories.)