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All Germany Munich Wurmeck
AO Edited

Wurmeck

A fearsome dragon clings to a corner of Munich's city hall.

Munich, Germany

Added By
Albert
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The dragon clinging to the side of the building.   Oliver Raupach
The dragon clinging to the side of the building.   Oliver Raupach
  Runawaydc / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Inscription on the tail   CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
  CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
St. George killing the dragon on the other side of the building.   CoolCrab / Atlas Obscura User
Historic Photo of the Wurmeck, 1910.   Unknown
The mighty monster.   Ștefan Jurcă
Dragon, yo!   DaytonDUI / Atlas Obscura User
  Inkythistle / Atlas Obscura User
  vglnty1gmailcom / Atlas Obscura User
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About

A great dragon lurks above pedestrians, poised as if ready to strike terror into all who pass below. But fear not: the metal beast commemorates a monster slain by the brave people of Munich.

According to local legend, in the dark days of the Middle Ages, a winged serpent crept out of the ground in central Munich. It spread the Black Death among the people, causing waves of death and destruction until heroic citizens fought and killed the creature (this medieval tale may have had metaphorical dimensions as the word dragon was also used during this period as a metaphor for hunger and starvation. It is recorded that the black death also brought famine to the region). 

A metal dragon statue climbing up the side of Munich's city hall on the Wurmeck, or "Serpent's Corner," commemorates this event. The dragon clings to the corner of a building that was constructed in 1906. Around the beast, stone reliefs tell the story of its legendary arrival and defeat.

The true origins of the name Wurmeck may, in fact, come from the owners of the original historic building, which was there from medieval times until the mid-19th century. The Schönecker family is said to have had a "panther" in their crest. But this was not the jungle cat we know, and instead was a monster similar to a serpent called a lindwurm in German mythology. In addition to the crest, a relief of Saint George fighting a dragon is known to have been on the old building as well.

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Dragons Sculptures Plague Legends

Community Contributors

Added By

albozes

Edited By

Monsieur Mictlan, CoolCrab, Kerry Wolfe, DaytonDUI...

  • Monsieur Mictlan
  • CoolCrab
  • Kerry Wolfe
  • DaytonDUI
  • Collector of Experiences
  • vglnty1gmailcom
  • Inkythistle
  • Runawaydc

Published

June 15, 2018

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Sources
  • https://izi.travel/en/0a8d-the-wurmeck-legend/en
  • http://muenchnr.de/17293/muenchner-sagen-gschichten-und-legenden-rund-ums-rathaus/
Wurmeck
1 / II Marienplatz
Munich
Germany
48.137576, 11.575224
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