What it is
According to legend the town was founded on the swamp where a dragon lived, after brave men lured it out with a bull as bait and killed it. The dragon, weighing around six tonnes, was carved from chlorite schist from the nearby Kreuzbergl and brought into town in a festive procession; the figure of Hercules was added in 1636. The head was modelled on the skull of a woolly rhinoceros found near Klagenfurt, which is now in the Landesmuseum.
Neuer Platz is the heart of the city, with a statue of Maria Theresa and the town hall; the streets of the old town lead off from its corners.
Getting there by bus
Neuer Platz stop (lines 2, 3, 5, 7 and B) is directly on the square, and Heiligengeistplatz, the main bus hub where almost every city line stops, is about 100 metres away.
From the Hauptbahnhof it is around 15 minutes' walk north along Bahnhofstraße, or a few minutes by bus.
