A fire-breathing dragon in Krakow, Poland has had its flame extinguished for a while so that city officials can figure out why its energy bills have jumped in recent months.
The dragon, whose flame is fed by natural gas, was installed in the 1960s at the foot of the city’s Wawel Castle. It commemorates the story of a dragon that terrorized the city, eating cattle and occasional maidens, until a young shoemaker fed it a sheepskin stuffed with sulfur. With its insides burning, the dragon drank from the nearby Vistula River until it burst.
Engineers will study the 6-meter tall sculpture to see if they can find a way to reduce its appetite for gas. Perhaps it’s time for another bright young shoemaker…