The Whale Rib

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The Whale Rib
Arco della Costa
Verona, May 2025

“Verona, the city of Romeo and Juliet, is mysteriously home to a centuries-old whalebone. The trouble is, Verona is located about 75 miles (120 km) from the sea, and no one is quite sure how it got there. The bone, believed to be a rib, hangs in the center of the medieval Arco della Costa (Arch of the Rib), the entry point between Verona's Piazza Erbe and Piazza dei Signori. It's been hanging there, suspended from an iron chain, since at least the 1700s, though some estimates suggest much longer, possibly since the 15th century. In the Middle Ages and Renaissance era, the walkway above the arch provided a safe passage for judges and magistrates between the city hall and their living quarters, so that they needn't associate with the common or ‘corrupt’ people below. This may be the ironic origin of the myth of the whalebone's magic: It's claimed that it will fall on the first innocent or truthful person to walk under the archway.” (Whale Bone of Arco della Costa, Atlas Obscura)

DuMont-Brunnen

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DuMont-Brunnen ‘Zeitungsbrunnen’
DuMont Fountain (Newspaper Fountain) by Theo Heiermann, 1986
Hanns-Hartmann-Platz
Cologne, September 2024

“The DuMont fountain was erected in 1986 on Breite Straße at Hanns-Hartmann-Platz by Theo Heiermann in bronze and granite. It was sponsored by the publishing house DuMont donated on the occasion of its 100th anniversary. The fountain reflects motifs from the newspaper world: a street vendor, a reader engrossed in reading, and a girl folding a hat from a newspaper. Next to it, a sculpture of the founder and publisher of the Kölnische Zeitung Marcus DuMont (1784-1831) to the newspaper house. The sculptor himself has immortalized himself in a very Cologne way: At the edge of the fountain he has placed a 5-mark piece, a ‘Heiermann’, in the mosaic of a hand.” (DuMont Fountain, Stadt Köln)

Palazzo Porto in Piazza Castello

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Palazzo Porto in Piazza Castello
Piazza Castello
Vicenza, May 2025

“The Palazzo Porto is a palace in Piazza Castello, Vicenza, northern Italy. It is one of two palazzi in the city designed by Andrea Palladio for members of the Porto family (the other is Palazzo Porto, for Iseppo Porto, in contrà Porti). Only two bays of it were ever built, beginning shortly after 1571. Why the patron, Alessandro Porto, did not continue with the project is not known. For completing the scheme, which was probably intended to have been seven bays wide, the Porto family's 15th-century case, still standing to the left of the great architectural torso, would have been incrementally demolished. The structure was completed after Palladio's death by Vincenzo Scamozzi. The project seems to have been initiated immediately following the publication in 1570 of Palladio's I quattro libri dell'architettura, in which its design does not appear.” (Palazzo Porto in Piazza Castello, Wikipedia)

Minerva-Brunnen

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Minerva-Brunnen (Minerva Fountain) by Friedrich Schierholz, 1894
(1983 copy from the original, destroyed in 1944)
Römerberg, Altstadt
Frankfurt, September 2024

“The eastern part of the Römerberg is also called ‘Samstagsberg’ (Saturday Hill) because, in the 15th century, public court was held here every Saturday in the open air. Later, weekly markets were also held regularly at this location. In 1481, the first open well was built here. Its early existence is documented by a document relating to the house Zum Ullner. In 1750, the fountain was converted into a pump well, and the old well trough was replaced with a smaller one. Further changes took place in 1893/1894. Since then, the figure of the goddess Minerva has stood on the cornice of the fountain. She is considered a symbol of wisdom, warfare, the arts, and crafts. The sculptor Friedrich Schierholz created the design but was never able to complete the work. The sculptor Fritz Klimsch completed the figure and fountain. The figure of Minerva gives the fountain its current name. On her head, she wears a helmet, holds a spear in her left hand, and a shield in her right. The shield depicts the severed head of Medusa. Rococo reliefs adorn all four sides of the pillar. An inscription on the back reads: ‘Renovated 1887’. The Minerva Fountain was destroyed in the war in 1944 and removed from the Römerberg in 1951. A largely historically accurate replica was reinstalled in 1983.” (Minerva-Brunnen, Kunst im öffentlichen Raum Frankfurt)

Casa della Dogana

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Casa della Dogana (Customs House)
Via Euganea
Padua, May 2025

“Considered one of the most beautiful Romanesque houses in Padua, the so-called Palazzo della Dogana has been fully recovered through careful restoration. Built in 1294 near the medieval gate of San Giovanni delle Navi, under the podestà Nicolo Morosini, the Casa della Dogana had the important function of controlling traffic coming from Monselice. The building, which falls within the 13th-century typology of porticoed houses, is attributed to the architect Leonardo Zise Bocaleca from Monselice, who was also active at the time for the Municipality and for the Basilica Antoniana, who took inspiration, in the high portico, from the 13th-century structure of the Palazzo della Ragione. During the restoration of 1611, documented by the date inscribed on a window, the original mezzanine with wooden floors was replaced by a brick structure supported by a portico with lowered arches. Among the single-lancet windows on the first floor, an elegant double-lancet window stands out, closed by a relieving arch and decorated with a perforated pattern of small diamonds on the lintel. The motif, derived from the Tomb of Antenor, also by Bocaleca, is present in various private buildings from the second half of the thirteenth century. The façade towards Riviera San Benedetto is enriched by the coat of arms of the Municipality of Padua and that of the mayor Morosini.” (Casa della Dogana, ZonzoFox)

Leibniz-Denkmal

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Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz by Ernst Hähnel, 1883
Leibnizforum, Universitätstraße
Leipzig, September 2024

“The Leibniz Monument in the courtyard of the new campus of the University of Leipzig (Leibniz Forum) honors the mathematician, philosopher, physicist, politician, and diplomat Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (1646–1716), who was born in Leipzig on July 6, 1646, and studied at the university there. He is considered the polymath of his time, one of the most important philosophers of the 17th and 18th centuries, and an important pioneer of the Enlightenment . Leibniz stands as a larger-than-life bronze statue on a square, bronze pedestal. The base of the monument is made of granite. Although only associated with Leipzig as a young man, in contrast to Goethe's monument on the Naschmarkt, Leibniz is not depicted as a youth, but as a mature man in the costume of his time as a ‘Prince of Science’ who strove to unite theory and practice in all scientific fields. On his right, he leans on a globe as a symbol of power and holds an open book as a scholarly characteristic, which characterizes his historical scope of action.” (Leibniz Monument, Wikipedia)

Lungarno delle Grazie

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Reflection with a yellow buoy
Lungarno delle Grazie
Florence, December 2024

“The Lungarno delle Grazie is that stretch of the northern bank of the Florentine Lungarni that goes from the National Central Library of Florence (Piazza dei Cavalleggeri, near the Canto dei Tardiboni) to the Ponte alle Grazie, from which it takes its name, on the corner of Via de' Benci and the Lungarno Diaz. The Volta dei Tintori is inserted along the route. The name is linked to the nearby presence of the oratory of Santa Maria delle Grazie, today on the Lungarno del Generale Armando Diaz, but once placed on one of the pine cones of the bridge of the same name (to preserve a miraculous image of the Madonna), and destroyed in 1876 to widen the roadway and allow the tram line to pass through.” (Lungarno delle Grazie, Wikipedia)

Artesischer Brunnen

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Artesischer Brunnen (Artesian well) by Hans Erlwein, 1906 Albertplatz
Dresden, September 2024

“The artesian well at Dresden's Albertplatz is a spatially separated fountain ensemble consisting of a well house, a drinking fountain, and a fountain with a water basin. The artesian well was drilled northwest of Albertplatz by Freiberg miners between 1832 and 1836 to supply Dresden's Neustadt district with clean water. The water from the 243.25-meter-deep well emerges through natural pressure and flowed year-round until June 21, 2023. Due to the small amount of water, the well was never able to fulfill its original purpose.” (Artesischer Brunnen, Wikipedia)

Civiltà Italica

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‘Civiltà Italica’ by Egidio Girelli, 1919
Piazzetta XIV Novembre
Verona, May 2025

“The statue, conceived as a female allegory, symbolizes the Civiltà Italica. It was commissioned to remember the victims of the Austrian bombardments on 14th November 1915, during the First World War. The monument was inaugurated on 14th November 1920, for the 5th anniversary of this tragic event. It is by Egidio Girelli (1878-1972), a sculptor from Verona and it is his first statue made of bronze. The female figure, attired in an ancient dress and with a sword in her hand, is seen as the perfect exponent of pain and suffering, also thanks to the loose movement of the statue, which reminds of the Modern Style. The work is in good enough state of preservation and finlyvalued.” (Statua della Civiltà Italica, VisitVerona)

Toileta

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Socha Eva (Statue of Eva) by Jan Štursa, 1908
Nerudova, Malá Strana
Prague, September 2024

“Statue of Eva (Woman in the Bath, Toilet). A work by Jan Štursa from 1908, on the dividing line between Art Nouveau and monumental neoclassicism. The result of several studies was a marble sculpture from 1901, followed by another so-called large version in bronze from 1908 and finally in 1910 a version in stone. At its current location in the niche of the ramp of Prague Castle at No. 226, the statue was placed in 1922. A woman on a rocky formation, her head turned to the right, holding back her flowing hair with both hands.” (Socha Eva, Wikimedia)

St. Mary of Mount Berico

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St. Mary of Mount Berico
Viale Dieci Giugno
Vicenza, May 2025

“The Church of St. Mary of Mount Berico (Italian: Basilica di S. Maria di Monte Berico) is a Roman Catholic and minor basilica in Vicenza, northern Italy. The church is a Marian shrine, and stands at the top of a hill which overlooks the city. According to the tradition, as recorded in several documents, the Blessed Virgin appeared on the hill twice to a peasant worker named Vincenza Pasini; the first time occurred on March 7, 1426, the second on August 1, 1428. At this time in Veneto, people and economy had been suffering from a terrible plague for years. Mary promised that if people of Vicenza built a church on the top of the hill she would rid them of the plague. People kept their promise and the church was built in 3 months.” (Monte Berico, Wikipedia)

Ostermann-Brunnen

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Willi-Ostermann-Brunnen (Ostermann Fountain) by Willi Klein, 1939
Ostermannplatz
Cologne, September 2024

“The Ostermann Fountain, which was completed in 1939, stands on the Ostermannplatz square in Cologne’s old town. The figures depicted on the fountain are references to the songs of the Cologne lyricist and singer Willi Ostermann (1876 –1936). His music is still an indispensable part of carnival today, songs such as ‘Däm Schmitz sind Frau eß durchjebrannt’, ‘Einmal am Rhein’ and, of course, the Cologne anthem ‘Heimweh nach Köln’ are among the best-known pieces.” (Ostermann Fountain, Cologne Tourist Board)

La Specola

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La Specola
Vicolo dell'Osservatorio
Padua, May 2025

“La Specola is a 14th-century tower, formerly part of a medieval castle, and converted in 1767 into an astronomical observatory (specula) in Padua, region of Veneto, Italy. The 13th-century ruler of Padua, Ezzelino III da Romano, had built a castle at the site; this tower had served as a dungeon. In the 14th-century during a reconstruction by Francesco I da Carrara, this tower was raised further. After its conversion to an astronomical observatory a decade before, in 1777 the tower housed a lower observatory, 16 metres above ground level, and an upper observatory at a height of 35 metres.” (La Specola, Wikipedia)

Pegasus

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“Pegasus” (Alte Oper) by Georg Hüter, 1983
Opernplatz
Frankfurt, September 2024

“In 1983, Pegasus returned to the top gable of the Old Opera House. After the original sculpture by Ludwig Brunow burned during the war in 1944, a faithful replica now adorns the impressive building. Sculptor Georg Hüter crafted it from embossed copper sheet. This hybrid creature, originating from Greek mythology, has the body of a horse and the wings of an eagle, thus combining the symbolic aspects of the horse—vitality and power—with those of the bird—freedom and the striving for transcendence. Together with the panther quadriga, which sits enthroned in the center of the lower gable, Pegasus forms the pinnacle of the Old Opera House's magnificent exterior façade.” (Pegasus, Kunst im öffentlichen Raum Frankfurt)

Partir

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“Partir” by Jean-Michel Folon, 2002
Giardino delle rose (Rose Garden)
Via Poggi
Florence, December 2024

“The Rose Garden is located below the Piazzale Michelangelo in Florence, a superb place to visit also famous for its twelve sculptures by the great painter and sculptor Jean Michel Folon. It’s a place of extraordinary beauty, where there are many types of roses, artworks and a wonderful view of Florence. After a short walk we arrive at the panoramic area where there are the famous artworks ‘Partir’ and ‘Je me souviens’ (the frame-shaped suitcase, and the old man on the bench on which anyone can sit with and admire the Florence panorama).” (The Rose Garden of Florence, ChiantiLife)

Junges Paar

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“Junges Paar” (Young Couple) by Klaus Schwabe, 1968
Reichstraße / Salzgäßchen
Leipzig, September 2024

“Klaus Schwabe (1939-2017) was a German sculptor and graphic artist. From 1953 to 1956, Klaus Schwabe trained as a ceramic sculptor in Sitzendorf, neighboring his birthplace. From 1956 to 1960, he studied at the Leipzig School of Applied Arts, where he taught under Hellmuth Chemnitz, among others. This qualification qualified Schwabe for university studies, which he pursued from 1960 to 1965 at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts. There, he studied under Walter Arnold, Gerd Jaeger, Hans Steger, and Herbert Naumann, among others. From 1965, he worked as a freelance sculptor in Leipzig. From 1969 to 1972, he taught sculptural design at the evening academy of the Leipzig Academy of Visual Arts (HGB). In 1974, together with Frank Ruddigkeit and Rolf Kuhrt, he won the competition for visual arts design at the Karl Marx University of Leipzig with the monumental relief ‘Aufbruch’ (Marx Relief), beating, among others, Bernhard Heisig.” (Klaus Schwabe, Wikipedia)

Torre dei Lamberti

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Torre dei Lamberti
Via della Costa
Verona, May 2025

“The Torre dei Lamberti is an 84 m high tower in Verona, northern Italy. Construction of the tower began in 1172. In May 1403, the top of the tower was struck by lightning, but restoration works did not commence until 1448, lasting for 16 years. During this period, the tower was expanded, with the newer sections distinguishable today by their use of different materials, such as marble. The prominent clock was added in 1779. The tower houses two bells: the Marangona , which signals fires, work times, and the hours of the day, and the larger one, called Rengo, used to summon the population to arms or to convene the city's councils. It was used for this purpose during the revolt called Veronese Easter in 1797.” (Torre dei Lamberti, Wikipedia)

Schillerdenkmal

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Schillerdenkmal (Schiller Monument) by Selmar Werner, 1914
Hauptstraße
Dresden, September 2024

“Dresden 's Schiller Monument stands southwest of Albertplatz, between the beginning of Hauptstraße and Königstraße in the Innere Neustadt district. It is a work by Selmar Werner, with architecture by Oswin Hempel. On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of Friedrich Schiller's death, a committee was founded in 1905 to erect a Schiller monument in Dresden. While the city of Dresden agreed to provide the site — an open space south of Albertplatz — free of charge, collecting private donations for the estimated construction costs of 30,000 marks proved considerably more difficult. In 1908, the sum had not yet been raised, and an artistic competition was held, but the results could not be implemented. It wasn't until 1913, also as part of the sculptural and artistic reform efforts in Dresden, that Selmar Werner was recruited. Werner came from the school of Robert Diez , who in turn had already created numerous works of art in Dresden, such as the twin fountains ‘Stille Wasser’ and ‘Stürmische Wogen’ on Albertplatz, as well as the ‘Gänsethiebbrunnen’ (Goose Thief Fountain). Werner's concept—which was realized—envisioned Schiller with faithfully portrayed features as a purely spiritual, ideal poetic figure, dressed in Greek costume and surrounded by his most important works.” (Schillerdenkmal, Wikipedia)

Loggia Valmarana

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Loggia Valmarana
Giardini Salvi
Corso SS. Felice e Fortunato
Vicenza, May 2025

“The Loggia Valmarana located inside the Salvi gardens, also called Valmarana Salvi gardens, was probably built in 1591 by a student of Andrea Palladio by the will of Gian Luigi Valmarana himself, who wanted this place become a meeting point between intellectuals and academics. Since 1994 it is part of the City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto forming the World Heritage Site of the Unesco. The gardens were opened in 1592 by Leonardo Valmarana (date and name are displayed in the Loggia Valmarana) and covered the area bounded by the extension of the Corso Palladio and the course of the Seriola Canal, ditch that since the opening was equipped with a bridge of wood that would allow crossing. Open to the public at the behest of Leonardo, they were later closed for a couple of centuries.” (Loggia Valmarana, Wikipedia)

Palladium fountain

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Fountain sculpture by Pavel Roučka, 2007
Na Poříčí, Nové Město
Prague, September 2024

“The Palladium shopping centre was opened to the public on 25 October 2007 after a two-year reconstruction of the former barracks. Pavel Roučka created a fountain sculpture for the small courtyard adjacent to the buildings at the Church of St. Joseph, which opens onto Na Poříčí Street. Its appearance is inspired by the rough stone masonry of the adjacent wall from the 17th century and horse troughs from the 19th century. This created an interesting water cascade, complemented by a modern sheet metal plate, over which the water flows into the sewer grate. On the adjacent reconstructed wall, the artist created a bas-relief with the motif of a horse's head.” (Fountain sculpture in the Equestrian Courtyard of the Palladium Shopping Center, Pražské kašny a fontány)

Madonna Addolorata al Torresino

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Madonna Addolorata al Torresino
Via Memmo
Padua, May 2025

“The Madonna Addolorata al Torresino, also called the Santa Maria del Pianto or Santa Maria del Torresino is a Roman Catholic parish church located in the city of Padua, region of Veneto, Italy. An oratory was present at the site adjacent to a torresino (turret) of fortifications. By the 1450s, an icon of the Virgin, painted on a wall by an Antonio dal Santo, was said to fulfill miracles. The present church was built in 1718-1726 using designs by Girolamo Frigimelica Roberti, and completed by Sante Bonato. The church is presently still called ‘Torresino’ due to the tower that crowns the dome, designed by Frigimelica.” (Madonna Addolorata al Torresino, Wikipedia)

Fischweiberbrunnen

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Fischweiberbrunnen (Fishwives Fountain) by Rainer Walk, 1986
Am Leystapel
Cologne, September 2024

“The Fischweiberbrunnen (Fishwives' Fountain) is located in the heart of the old town, in front of the historic colourful houses. It was designed by Rainer Walk in 1986 for the 100th anniversary of the district craftsmen's association. It is a reminder of the fish market that used to be located here and was first mentioned in the 12th century. At that time, Cologne was an important centre for the fish trade and, with the Stapelhaus, also offered the possibility of preserving and storing fish.” (Fishwives Fountain, Cologne Tourist Board)

L’attesa

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“L'attesa” by Marco Lodola, 2024
Piazza Duomo
Florence, December 2024

Justitia-Brunnen

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Justitia-Brunnen (Fountain of Justice) by Friedrich Schierholz, 1887
Römerberg, Altstadt
Frankfurt, September 2024

“The Fountain of Justice (also known as the Justitia Fountain) is a fountain on the Römerberg in Frankfurt am Main and one of the city's landmarks. It dates back to a previous building on the same site in 1543 and was built in its present form in 1611. During the time of the Holy Roman Empire, it played a special, albeit short-lived, role as a wine fountain for the emperor during the coronation ceremony, and later also for the people. The fountain currently on display is a largely faithful copy from 1887, financed by the Frankfurt wine merchant Gustav D. Manskopf.” (Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen, Wikipedia)

Berto Barbarani

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Berto Barbarani by Novello Finotti, 2004
Via Cappello
Verona, May 2025

“Roberto Tiberio Barbarani was born in the city on 3 December 1872 and died here on 27 January 1945. He was one of the greatest 20th century Italian language and dialect poets. Roberto, known as Berto, was born in the city centre, near the Ponte Nuovo bridge over the Adige river, to a modest family who ran an ironmongers shops. Despite having to drop out of college after his father’s death to help his mother in the shop, the young Barbarani continued with his studies, until enrolling to read law at Padua university. His time at university did not last long but it offered an environment where he could begin to share his talent for poetry, by contributing to the student newspaper, which published a few of his poems that were later included in his first collection El Rosario del Cor, in 1895. He wrote for many local daily papers such as L’Arena and the Gazzetino. His poems represented the spirit and feelings of the Veronese people, thanks in part to his skilful use of the Verona dialect. His verses are alive with the locations and the characters of daily Verona life in the first half of the twentieth century, full of its joys and sorrows. The loves, affections and fleeting moments of happiness in the lives of Verona people punctuate his verses, which are, however, dominated by a melancholy tone and an awareness of the precariousness of life, particularly towards the end of his days, which coincided with the second world war. In the city, we can find a statue of our beloved Berto in Piazza Erbe, at the entrance to Via Cappello, gazing wistfully towards another statue, the symbol of the city, Madonna di Verona.” (Berto Barbarani, VisitVerona)

Mendelssohn-Denkmal

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Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy by Werner Stein, 1892
(Replica by Christian Schulze, 2008) Dittrichring
Leipzig, September 2024

“The Mendelssohn Memorial, located near the west portal of St. Thomas Church in Leipzig, honors the composer and former Leipzig Gewandhaus Kapellmeister and founder of the Conservatory of Music, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy. It was erected in 2008 as a faithful replica of the monument that stood from 1892 to 1936 in front of the second Gewandhaus, known as the Neues Concerthaus, in the Music Quarter. Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy stands as a 2.8-meter-tall bronze ‘Gründerzeit figure with a toga’ on a stepped granite base. The upper part of the base is made of red Meissen granite, the two lower steps are made of gray granite. The total height of the monument is 6.8 meters. Mendelssohn holds a roll of music in his left hand and, standing in front of a music stand, a baton in his right, an indication that he was the first conductor in the modern sense. At Mendelssohn's feet, the muse of music, Euterpe, sits on the steps, leaning on a lyre. Two angels playing music are grouped on either side, the one on the left singing, the one on the right playing the flute and violin. The pedestal bears the composer's name on the front and the inscription ‘Only the noblest thing can proclaim the language of tones’ on the back. On the left side of the pedestal, an organ in a bronze medallion symbolizes sacred music; on the right side, masks, a vase with a dance scene, flutes, and a sword represent secular music.” (Mendelssohn Memorial, Wikipedia)

Giardini Salvi

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Giardini Salvi
Corso SS. Felice e Fortunato
Vicenza, May 2025

“The Salvi gardens (or Salvi garden, also called Valmarana Salvi gardens) are a public garden located in the historic centre of Vicenza, adjacent to the walls of Piazza Castello, in Piazzale De Gasperi. Inaugurated in 1592 by Leonardo Valmarana, the gardens were soon closed and reopened to the public only in 1909. They are, among the green areas for public use in the city, one of the least extensive; they host statues and two loggias in Palladian style.” (Giardini Salvi, Wikipedia)

Gänsediebbrunnen

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Gänsediebbrunnen (Goose Thief Fountain) by Robert Diez, 1878
Weißen Gasse
Dresden, September 2024

“The Goose Thief Fountain is a fountain in the Weiße Gasse in the inner old town of Dresden. It consists of a bronze figure on a stone base in a water basin. The bronze figure was created as a statue by Robert Diez in 1878. The architects Paul Weidner and Giese collaborated on the design of the fountain parts, which are made of Lusatian granite . The bronze casting is the work of the Dresden foundry C. Albert Bierling . It depicts a young man stealing two geese. This sculpture shows Thomas Platter (1499–1582), later a printer and rector of the Latin school in Basel, stealing two geese. In 1512, while on his travels as a traveling student, Platter visited the Kreuzschule in Dresden. He stole two geese for his farewell dinner with the schoolmaster. On the base above a collecting basin supported by four pillars are two more geese and two florally decorated volutes.” (Gänsediebbrunnen, Wikipedia)

Great Italian Synagogue

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Great Italian Synagogue
Via San Martino e Solferino
Padua, May 2025

“The Padua Synagogue, also called the Great Italian Synagogue in Padua (Sinagoga di Padova di rito italiano), is an Orthodox Jewish congregation and synagogue, that is located at San Martino e Solferino 9, in Padua, Veneto, Italy. Completed in 1548, it is the only synagogue still in use of the several that flourished in the university town of Padua from the Renaissance through World War II. The Italian Synagogue was built in 1548. The synagogue underwent renovation and/or restoration in 1581, 1631, 1830, and 1865. It was closed in 1892 when the community built a modern synagogue, but reopened after the war because in 1943 fascists burned the modern synagogue. The synagogue is located at 9 Via San Martino and Solferino in the historic ghetto. It is in the same building as the offices of the Jewish community of Padua. Students visiting the university are welcome to pray with the congregation. Visitors can see the synagogue by contacting the Jewish community.” (Padua Synagogue, Wikipedia)

Kašna Terezka

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Kašna Terezka (Teresa Fountain) by Václav Prachner, 1812
Mariánské náměstí, Staré Město
Prague, September 2024

“The Fountain with the Allegorical Statue of the Vltava River, also called the Teresa Fountain, is a fountain with a statue of a young girl by sculptor Václav Prachner, designed by Josef Bergler. Since 1812, it has been located on the south side of Mariánské náměstí in the wall of the Clam-Gallas Palace in the Old Town of Prague. The Church of Our Lady of the Pond stood on its site until 1791. The seated girl holds two jugs. Water flows from the vessel in her right hand into a fountain, while in her left hand is a larger vessel with a stream of water, allegorically symbolizing the Vltava River with five stars reminiscent of the legend of the Czech saint John of Nepomuk, who was thrown from the Charles Bridge into the river. The people of Prague became very fond of this fountain and began to call the statue ‘Terezka’, perhaps after the pretty girl who supposedly once came here to fetch water. The fountain was very popular and was damaged and subsequently repaired several times. Since 1953, when it was last reconstructed, a sandstone copy of it has been placed here, the original being kept in the depository of the National Gallery. Several Prague stories and legends are also associated with the fountain.” (Fountain with an allegorical statue of the Vltava River, Wikipedia)

Saturday afternoon

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Saturday afternoon
Piazza del Duomo
Florence, December 2024