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The fountains in Leipzig were originally built as part of the city's water supply and in the 19th and 20th centuries others were added for decorative functions. They are regarded as objects of historical and art historical interest.
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In the 1860s, the Connewitz waterworks, Leipzig's first groundwater works, was built on the Bauernwiesen (farmers' meadows). The city administration also ordered the installation of a water reservoir with a capacity of 4,000 m³ in Probstheida near Leipzig. This meant that the importance of the Leipzig fountains for supplying drinking water to the population was completely marginalized. Since then, the design purpose of the fountains has been the main focus. Of the fountains that still exist in the city today, the oldest was inaugurated in 1886 (Mendebrunnen).
In connection with the restoration and reconstruction work of the Old City Hall at the marketplace from 1906 until 1909, there were built two fountains „Badender Knabe“ (German: Bathing knave, Sculptor: Carl Seffner) and „Badendes Mädchen“ (German: Bathing girl). They are in a niche inside and in front of the passage on the town hall's side towards the Naschmarkt. The sculpture of the girl has been made by Johannes Hartmann in 1906. After it has been stolen, it was recreated in 2000 by the Leipzig sculptor Klaus Schwabe. [1]
It is located ( 51°20′23.89″N12°22′32.19″E / 51.3399694°N 12.3756083°E ) on the Naschmarkt opposite the main entrance of the Mädler Arcade Gallery and was built in 1918, on the location of buildings dating from 1690. Its fountain is reached by three steps that surround it and is decorated with mythical creatures and marine sandstone reliefs. On the copper painted hood, there was a pyramid, crowned at the tip with a golden sun. [2]
Around 1820 there was a decorated pump handle in the form of an iron lion and designed by the Berlin sculptor Johann Gottfried Schadow and cast by Lauchhammer. It was incorporated into the lion fountain designed by the Leipzig Oberbaurat Hugo Licht. There is a Versalinschrift on the back of the fountain which reads "In the last war in 1918, this fountain in the shape of the old wooden housing has been rebuilt from the rate by the architect Dr. Ing. Hugo Lucht. The funds were donated by the Hugo Haschke Company."
The Mägdebrunnen, [3] which was inaugurated on 31 May 1906 and was formerly located at the confluence of Seeburgstrasse and Sternwartenstrasse with Roßplatz, is now located in the northern corner of the Ringbebauung on Roßplatz ( 51°20′13.55″N12°22′54.41″E / 51.3370972°N 12.3817806°E ). The funds required for its construction were raised by Leipzig residents living abroad. The fountain, created by the sculptor Werner Stein, consists of a six-sided water basin made of white shell limestone, with smaller water basins in front of it on three sides. Above these are capital inscriptions (“Whoever wants pure water must use pure jugs”, “Water takes everything away, just don’t talk badly”, “Whoever wants to drink must join”).
The centerpiece of the building is the life-size bronze figure of a woman carrying water on the central column decorated with lion heads, which refers to Lieschen from the fountain scene in Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's Faust I. The Mägdebrunnen was moved around 1955 as part of the redesign of Roßplatz and was extensively renovated in 1993.
The Märchenbrunnen (Fairytale fountain) [4] [5] in the promenade at Dittrichring ( 51°20′4.86″N12°22′18.12″E / 51.3346833°N 12.3717000°E ) was created in 1906 by Josef Mágr. In the grotto of the middle section there are life-size bronze figures of the fairy tale characters Hansel and Gretel on a pedestal. Above this is a stone relief of a witch and a raven. Above the benches on both sides of the middle section there are two bronze reliefs that depict key scenes from the fairy tale (getting lost in the forest, discovering the crispy house, returning home).
The bronze parts of the fountain were removed in 1942 and used in the armaments industry. Since 1965, the fountain has been decorated with new figures designed by the Leipzig artists Elfriede Ducke and Hanna Studnitzka.
The Mendebrunnen is located at Augustusplatz in front of the Gewandhaus (Concert Hall) ( 51°20′18.71″N12°22′50.7″E / 51.3385306°N 12.380750°E ). It is the largest fountain in Leipzig and cost 189,000 gold marks to construct. It was built by Adolf Gnauth in 1883–86. The ensemble of figures was created by the Munich sculptor Jacob Ungerer. Pauline Mende, a merchant's widow, bequeathed her money to Leipzig for building a fountain. In honor to her Leipzig give the fountain her name. [6]
Regarding her motives, Egon Erwin Kisch speculated that Mende was the owner of a brothel and wanted to atone for her sacrilegious earthly actions with the generous legacy. [7] The legend later turned out to be a (possibly intentional) mix-up. [8]
The Mendebrunnen is to be understood as an allegory of the importance of water for humans. The maritime depictions embody figures from Greek mythology: Triton , the son of Poseidon, is depicted twice with a human torso and a double-tailed fish body. The Triton figures contain powerfully rearing hippocampi, mythical creatures half horse, half fish, which can be interpreted as man's control of the forces of the sea. The Nereids on the consoles of the almost 18 m (59.1 ft) tall obelisk symbolize the benefits that people derive from dealing with the sea. Gnauth and Ungerer based their basic concept of the fountain as well as the selection and design of the sculptures on famous models of the Italian Baroque. The references to the Roman fountains in Piazza Navona, the Fontana del Moro and the Four Rivers Fountain designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini are unmistakable. The motif of the ensemble of figures could be inspired by Nicola Salvi's Trevi Fountain in Rome. [9]
The fountain on St. Nicholas Church Square ( 51°20′26.1″N12°22′43″E / 51.340583°N 12.37861°E ), in German Nikolaibrunnen, inaugurated in 2002, is also called the Chipperfield fountain. [10] It was built as a result of a competition advertised by the city of Leipzig and the Stiftung Lebendige Stadt. [11] The granite bowl, which is filled to the brim with water and has a diameter of 3.3 m (10.8 ft), is reminiscent of an oversized baptismal font [12] in a church. The monolithic design by the Berlin office of David Chipperfield Architects was selected from 6 submitted works and won an award. The overflowing fountain is intended to represent the political situation in 1989, when the neighboring St. Nicholas Church became the starting point for the Monday demonstrations in Leipzig. The modern fountain's shape is subtle, especially when compared to a Renaissance predecessor on the square that no longer exists, and creates a quiet square atmosphere in the center of the city.
The name Dandelion Fountain (in German: Pusteblumenbrunnen) has become established for the three fountain sculptures made of stainless steel designed by Harry Müller (1930–2020) because their appearance is reminiscent of dandelions. They are about 3 m (9.8 ft) tall. The location of the three sculptures created in 1971–72 was originally on Sachsenplatz, which has been covered by the new Museum of Fine Arts since 2002 and the completed Leipzig Museum Quarter since 2017. The listed dandelions, which had been stored in the meantime, found their new location in 2013 ( 51°20′36.74″N12°22′20.14″E / 51.3435389°N 12.3722611°E ) on the newly designed Richard-Wagner-Platz in front of the building popularly known as the Blechbüchse (in English: Tin can), whose curtain wall is also a listed work by Harry Müller.
On the Burgplatz, in front of the entrance to the Ratskeller, is the Rathausbrunnen (town hall fountain) [13] ( 51°20′12.26″N12°22′22.94″E / 51.3367389°N 12.3730389°E ), which was opened on 7 October 1908, the third anniversary of the inauguration of the New Town Hall. Since the complete renovation was completed in 1999, the fountain has been in operation again after a five-year break.
The town hall fountain was financed by Leipzig citizens and designed by the Dresden sculptor Georg Wrba. It consists of an octagonal water basin made of shell limestone, in the middle of which there is a round column. Attached to it is the “fairy tale wreath”, which is decorated with small figures from German fairy tales. On the column stands a group of bronze figures, consisting of a life-sized youth playing the flute and two boys playing at his feet. This makes the fairy tale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin the central motif of the fountain, which is also called the “Pied Piper Fountain” for this reason.
At the base of the column there are portrait medallions of the mayors of Leipzig Otto Georgi (1831–1918) and Carl Bruno Tröndlin (1835–1908) as well as the builder of the New Town Hall Hugo Licht. A bronze plaque on the back indicates the reason for the fountain's construction: "In memory of the inauguration of the New Town Hall on 7 October 1905".
The Villersbrunnen, located on the Tröndlinring ( 51°20′39.81″N12°22′25.57″E / 51.3443917°N 12.3737694°E ), was built in 1903 on the initiative of the Leipzig booksellers Dürr and Geibel under the direction of the sculptor Max Unger. [14] Helene de Villers was Dürr's wife, who died in 1854 after a short marriage. The complex, made of light stone, rests on a foundation made of rock, above which the cast base with a large, round water basin rises. This arrangement is repeated on the central column of the fountain. The upper, smaller water basin is supported by three intertwined fish bodies. On it stands a bronze figure depicting a drinking female figure. The original figure was melted down in 1942 for the production of military equipment. It was only in the 1950s that the fountain was given back its original shape with a replica of the female figure. The figure, created by the sculptor Markus Brille, was stolen in 1993 and replaced by a detailed copy in 2003.
The Archibald Fountain, properly called the J. F. Archibald Memorial Fountain, is located in Hyde Park, in central Sydney. It is named after J. F. Archibald, owner and editor of The Bulletin magazine, who bequeathed funds to have it built. Archibald specified that it must be designed by a French artist, both because of his great love of French culture and to commemorate the association of Australia and France in World War I. He wished Sydney to aspire to Parisian civic design and ornamentation. The artist chosen was François-Léon Sicard, who completed it in Paris in 1926 but never saw the sculpture be placed in Sydney, where it was unveiled on 14 March 1932 by the Lord Mayor of Sydney, Samuel Walder.
A fountain, from the Latin "fons", meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect.
The Tritons’ Fountain is a fountain located in Floriana, Malta. It consists of three bronze Tritons holding up a large basin, balanced on a concentric base built out of concrete and clad in 730 tons of travertine slabs. The fountain is one of Malta's most important Modernist landmarks.
The Steble Fountain stands in William Brown Street, Liverpool, England, to the west of Wellington's Column. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. It was donated to the city by a former mayor to fill a vacant plot to the west of the column. For much of the 2010s and 2020s, the fountain has needed repair and has not functioned.
The Augustusplatz is a square located at the east end of the city centre of Leipzig, borough Leipzig-Mitte. It is the city's largest square and one of the largest squares in Europe. It is also part of the city's inner-city ring-road and a central hub for its tram network.
Jacob Ungerer was a German sculptor and Professor of Fine Arts.
The Fountains in Paris originally provided drinking water for city residents, and now are decorative features in the city's squares and parks. Paris has more than two hundred fountains, the oldest dating back to the 16th century. It also has more than one hundred Wallace drinking fountains. Most of the fountains are the property of the municipality.
The Fontaine Saint-Michel is a monumental fountain located in Place Saint-Michel in the 6th arrondissement in Paris. It was constructed in 1858–1860 during the French Second Empire by the architect Gabriel Davioud. It has been listed since 1926 as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.
The Fontaine du Fellah, also known as the Egyptian Fountain, located at 52 rue de Sèvres in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, next to the entrance of the Vaneau metro station, was built in 1806 during the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte, in the neo-Egyptian style inspired by Napoleon's Egyptian campaign. It is the work of architect François-Jean Bralle and sculptor Pierre-Nicolas Beauvallet. It has been listed since 1977 as a monument historique by the French Ministry of Culture.
Volkspark Friedrichshain is a large urban park on the border of the Berlin neighborhoods of Friedrichshain and Prenzlauer Berg. The oldest public park in Berlin, at 52 hectares, it is also the fourth-largest, after Tempelhofer Park, Tiergarten, and Jungfernheide.
Matthias Fountain is a monumental fountain group in the western forecourt of Buda Castle, Budapest. Alajos Stróbl’s Neo-Baroque masterpiece is one of the most frequently photographed landmark in the Hungarian capital. It is sometimes called the ’Trevi Fountain of Budapest’.
The Märchenbrunnen is located in the Volkspark Friedrichshain in Berlin. In 1893 the authorities of Berlin issued the artistic entrance to the National Park Friedrichshain. The fountain of fairy tales was commissioned by the National Park and later designed by Ludwig Hoffmann. Hoffmann put forward the idea of a fountain in the park to depict fairy tales. Hoffmann describes this in his memoirs.
Georg Wrba was a German sculptor and graphic artist. He created some 3,000–4,000 works, including as a collaborator of the Zwinger workshop.
Ignatius Taschner, also known as Ignaz Taschner, was a German sculptor, medalist, graphic designer and illustrator.
The Fischbrunnen is a fountain in the center of Munich, whose history can be traced back to the Middle Ages. In 1954, Josef Henselmann created the fountain in its present form, using parts of Konrad Knoll’s neo-gothic fountain that was destroyed during the Second World War.
The Poets' Fountain was a public fountain with sculptures that was installed on a traffic island in Park Lane, London, in 1875. It was removed in 1948 and it is thought to have been destroyed. One sculpture, an allegorical figure of Fame, is known to have survived and is displayed in the gardens at Renishaw Hall in Derbyshire.
Karl Gustav Rutz was a German sculptor.
The history of the architecture of Leipzig extends from the Middle Ages to the 21st century. Numerous typical buildings and valuable cultural monuments from different eras are still preserved or have been rebuilt. Leipzig, Germany, begins its architectural history with several buildings in the Romanesque style. An example of Gothic architecture in Leipzig is the late Gothic hall vault of the Thomaskirche (1482/1496). In the early modern period, the Old Town Hall was expanded in the Renaissance style. The city experienced the peak of urban design and artistic development from around 1870 to 1914 with historicism, Reformarchitektur and Art Nouveau. Numerous trade fair palaces, commercial buildings, representative buildings such as the Imperial Court Building and the new town hall and the arcade galleries known for the city were built. After the First World War, Leipzig became known for its neoclassicism. During the air raids on Leipzig in World War II, large parts of the city center, which was rich in historic buildings, were destroyed. This was followed in the post-war period by (socialist) neoclassicism and modernism.
The Old Town Hall, which dominates the east side of the Markt square in Leipzig's district Mitte, is considered one of Germany's most important secular Renaissance buildings. At the rear is the Naschmarkt. The mayor and the municipal administration have been housed in the New Town Hall since 1905.
The Promenadenring Leipzig is the oldest municipal landscape park in Germany and one of the most important garden and cultural monuments in the city. The term is also used as a synonym for Leipzig's inner city ring road, a traffic facility that is connected to the green spaces of the Promenadenring. Like the inner city ring road, the promenade ring is about 3.6 kilometers long (2.24 mi.).
(Incorporates information translated from the German Wikipedia)
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