Dubrovnik, Croatia
If you enter the Old Town of Dubrovnik by the Pile Gate, as you walk
along the Stradun, the main street, look carefully and you might spot a
strange gargoyle head protruding from a stone wall.
It's on the left side, just next to the entrance to the Franciscan
monastery and the stairway that leads up onto the city's famous walls.
The head stands some half a meter above the ground, sticking out barely
fifteen centimeters. Its top surface is polished like marble. The wall
above it is noticeably greasy from the touch of a thousand hands.
Legend has it that if you manage to hop onto the head, keep your
balance, and take off your shirt while still standing facing the wall,
luck in love will follow you.
The gargoyle head was supposed to represent an owl. It was once the
end of a pipe that drained rainwater from the top of the building. The
pipes were rerouted a long time ago, and water doesn't flow from its
mouth anymore.
