European Dragons: Why Barcelona is the 'City of the Dragon'

They perch, poised around the city: Dormant giants guarding the secrets of the past.‌

Barcelona and its strong Catalan identity has at its center the legend of the dragon slain by Sant Jordi, or St. George. The story goes that when his lance pierced the creature's skin, drops of its blood flowed in the form of red roses.

‌For five centuries now, people have gifted red roses on April 23 – St. George's Day.

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What is a dragon personality?

‌Words and traits like strength, intelligence, charm and charisma are often used to describe people born in the year of the dragon.

While dragons are often portrayed in the West as evil creatures to be slain, Chinese dragons are benevolent, fiercely loyal protectors.

In China, many parents even wait for this year to have children, believing that they will be born natural, successful leaders.

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Why are there so many dragons in Barcelona?

‌In this year of the dragon, CGTN set out on the trail of local lore and legends around the world - and chasing the dragon's tail wasn't difficult in the capital of the region of Catalonia, northern Spain.‌

Local dragon hunter Josep Martinez has found and photographed over 1,400 dragons around Barcelona including statues, paintings, reliefs, fountains, wrought iron representations and more, publishing a guide called Drakcelona.

"Dragons are great protectors," begins Martinez, "Catalonia mainly embraced them because of the story of Sant Jordi and the dragon and it's become central to Catalan consciousness and identity.

"The Catalans are famously protective of their possessions, and they used dragons on buildings to guard them."

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‌In this year of the dragon, Barcelona's many mythical creatures will come to life and take on a greater significance, in the imagination at least.‌

"The Chinese community in Catalonia is very important, in Barcelona even more so, and I'm sure that this Lunar New Year, Year of the Dragon, we'll see spectacular celebrations," concludes Martinez.

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Barcelona's dragons

‌From the beautiful, colorful dragon commanding Casa de Bruno Cuadros building on Barcelona's famous La Rambla, to the Barcelona Cathedral where an iconic fountain stands with St. George slaying the dragon, they're almost impossible to avoid.

That's particularly true when you get to the Plaza de la España Industrial – the Industrial Spain Square – next to the Barcelona Sants train station.

There, a giant iron dragon will stop you in its tracks. At more than seven meters tall and weighing 150 tonnes, this is the biggest dragon in Barcelona. It's the work of Basque artist Andres Nagel and has been here in the Plaza de la España Industrial since 1987.

‌Far from a fire-breathing terror, this is a playful friendly dragon complete with slides for kids and plenty of corners to hide and let your imagination run wild.

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Barcelona dragon hunt

‌In Barcelona, CGTN joins some local school kids on the trail of legendary dragons. Bergith Mayer-Schuchard leads the hunt on her 'Kids & Cat' family tours, revealing the myths and magic often hidden in plain sight.

"Barcelona, since the early 13th century already had in medieval times the dragon as a symbol of the King Jaume I and his son Pere III," she explains.

"And then the patron saint of Barcelona is also St. George fighting the dragon. This is in several countries but in Catalonia especially it's a very very important story.

‌"All over the city we find a St. George with the dragon. It is a symbol of protection for houses so maybe people were very superstitious here and thought that it could protect them from evil spirits, their houses and families.

"We tell the kids they are doing this tour in a very special year and maybe it makes them curious to learn more about the history and legends of their city."

Mayer-Schuchard also expects to have a busy year.

‌"I'm pretty sure there will be a lot of people coming, looking for dragons - hunting dragons as we say."

With more dragons per square meter than any other city in the Western world, it's wise to remember that while walking the streets of Barcelona, despite their stony silence we are all in the dragon's keep.

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