A la mujer cordobesa

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Monumento a la mujer cordobesa by José Manuel Belmonte Cortés, 2003
Plaza de Colón
Córdoba, September 2022

“The ‘Monumento a la belleza de la mujer cordobesa’ (Monument to the Beauty of Cordoban Women) is located next to the Merced Gardens, in the Plaza de Colón in the city of Córdoba, province of Córdoba. The work was inaugurated on April 29, 2003, and is the creation of sculptor José Manuel Belmonte Cortés. It stands as a tribute to the women of Córdoba, highlighting their elegance and the symbolism of the city's ancient traditions. The sculpture was conceived to highlight the connection with Córdoba's culture and heritage. The bronze monument depicts two Cordoban women standing on either side of a fountain. One of the figures holds a pitcher on her hip, while the other extends her hand toward the water, the pitcher at her side. Both women wear traditional Cordoban buns and combs, evoking a time of refined beauty. The work is notable for its realism and the detail in their hairstyles and traditional costumes.” (Fuente Monumento a la belleza de la mujer cordobesa, MonumentalNet)

Fuente de la Diosa Pomona

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Fuente de la Diosa Pomona by Juan Bautista Bado, 1864
Plaza de San Francisco
Málaga, March 2025

“The Plaza de San Francisco emerged in the mid-19th century as a result of the urban reforms brought about by the Mendizábal confiscation. The disappearance of the Franciscan convent of San Luis el Real allowed its square to become a public square. Several cultural institutions, such as the Lyceum and the Philharmonic Society, were built in parts of the former monastery, giving the square a cultured and romantic atmosphere as a meeting place for writers, musicians, and artists. It was precisely at this time that a classically inspired fountain was installed in the center of the square's triangular space, crowned by a sculpture of the Etruscan-Roman goddess Pomona, protector of flowers and fruits. This fountain, initially acquired for installation at Porta Nuova, was made of Carrara marble by the sculptor Juan Bautista Bado in the Italian city of Savona. The fountain's pillar rises from a circular marble basin, with a pedestal-like column shaft bearing the date of its execution (1864). The upper half of this shaft is fluted, while the lower half is decorated with four masks (from whose mouths water flows), connected by garlands. The goddess appears dressed in Roman style, wrapped in heavy draperies, and carries a basket of flowers and fruit in her left hand, symbolizing her protection of fruit trees.” (Fountain of the Goddess Pomona, Fuentes de Málaga)

Fuente de Reding

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Fuente de Reding (Reding Fountain), 1675
Paseo de Sancha
Málaga, March 2025

“The Reding Fountain is a historic 17th century fountain located in the Andalusian city of Málaga, Spain. It has been reproduced countless times by local painters. It is located at one end of Príes Avenue and, although it is currently connected to the public water supply network, it previously channeled spring water from Mount Gibralfaro. It is a drinking fountain built in marble and attached to a pediment between pilasters that give it a monumental appearance. At the bottom, above the basin, there is a figurehead in the shape of an imaginary fish surrounded by acanthus and borders, from whose mouth the fountain's single spout flows. Above this figurehead is a marble plaque with an inscription relating to the road renovation that gave rise to the current Paseo de Reding, as well as the completion date of the work. Between the basin and the figurehead is an inscription relating to the construction of Paseo de Reding itself and the restoration of the fountain during the time of Theodore Reding.” (Fuente de Reding, Wikipedia)

Fountain of the Alps

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Fountain of the Alps, 1975
Piazza Bra
Verona, May 2025

“The Fountain of the Alps is the fountain located in the center of Piazza Bra and symbolizes the close union between the cities of Verona and Munich. Donated to the city in 1975 by the German city on the occasion of the twinning between the two cities, a copy of the Statue of Juliet, which currently resides inside the Town Hall, was sent in exchange. With its particular shape, it is jokingly called by the Veronese ‘strucca limoni’, because its shape reminds a citrus squeezer. Another sign of the twinning between the two cities is next to the fountain, where a memorial plaque is erected in memory of Italian deportees to German concentration camps.” (Fountain of the Alps, VisitVerona)

Dionysos-Brunnen

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Dionysos-Brunnen (Dionysus Fountain) by Karl Burgeff, 1973
Am Domhof
Cologne, September 2024

“Somewhat hidden, in front of the tunnel entrance Am Domhof under the east side of the Domplatte, the bronze sculpture of the Greek god Dionysus graces the concrete-heavy surroundings. Created by Karl Burgeff in 1973, the curvaceously shaped god of festivities and wine is in a contorted position that is half sitting, half reclining, and directs his gaze up to the sky, lost in thought. The god depicted here as a sculpture is a modern counterpart to the mosaic in the Roman-Germanic Museum. There, Dionysus is the central motif of the mosaic of the same name around which the museum building was erected. Even if there is no direct connection, it is somewhere fitting that homage is paid to the ancient deity in Cologne, since to a certain extent the bacchanalia of ancient Rome continued in today's carnival.” (Dionysus Fountain, Cologne Tourist Board)

Merkur-Brunnen

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Merkur-Brunnen (Mercury Fountain) by Hugo Lederer, 1916
Ludwig-Erhard-Anlage
Frankfurt, September 2024

“The Mercury Fountain was donated in 1909 by banker Anton L.A. Hahn, but not completed until 1916 by his sons Louis Alfred and Ludwig Arnold Hahn in memory of their father. Initially erected on Komödienplatz (later Rathenauplatz), it was relocated around 1954 to the grounds in front of the main entrance to the exhibition center. Its decor is perfectly suited to this location, as the Roman god Mercury was believed to protect trade and commerce. A bronze figure of Mercury stands on a stone fountain post with a stepped double ring decorated with rams' heads. The figure is life-size, nude, and wears the typical winged hat; its upper body slightly turned away, it weighs a bag of gold pieces in its hands. The basin of this neoclassical ornamental fountain is a monolithic granite bowl. The water runs over its scaled ring and cascades through a concealed gap into the depths. The basin stands on four spheres above a surface of two octagonal steps.” (Merkur-Brunnen, Kunst im öffentlichen Raum Frankfurt)

Fontana dei bambini

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“L'altalena” (The Swing) by Nereo Cagliato, 1984
aka “Fontana dei bambini” (Children's fountain)
Stradella dei Tre Scalini
Vicenza, May 2025

“The Children's Fountain, next to the Post Office, is certainly nice, but nothing more. It was built in 1984 based on a design by the architect Vittorio Veller thanks to funding from some citizens and donated to the Municipality in exchange for authorization to open windows on the front of the building behind. Restored and reactivated in July 2020, it is already dry. Quagliato's bronze sculpture softens the fountain, but the low system of communicating basins that underlies it lacks any monumentality. A vertical structure with a wall-mounted water jet would have been much more suitable in the same place. It would at least distract the gaze from the looming red and white mass of the Royal Post and Telegraph building” (Quattro fontane in tutto, ViPiù)

Dinglingerbrunnen

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Dinglingerbrunnen by Matthäus Daniel Pöppelmann, 1718
(restored by Werner Hepel in 1966)
Gewandhausstraße
Leipzig, September 2024

“The Dinglinger Fountain is a listed Baroque fountain in Dresden. It is considered the oldest surviving court fountain in the Saxon capital. It is named after Johann Melchior Dinglinger, court jeweler and goldsmith to Augustus the Strong, who had it constructed for himself. The Dinglinger Fountain is located at the northern end of the west façade of the New Gewandhaus, now the Gewandhaus Hotel, in Dresden's inner old town. It stands along a footpath and is attached directly to the building's outer wall, framing a barred window. The entire work is made of Elbe sandstone. The fountain basin rests on a double-tailed, fish-like creature. Just above this basin, an open shell, flanked by two putti with cornucopias, forms a smaller basin. Embedded in the upright shell is a head – Jochen Hänsch explains it as the head of Triton, Stefan Hertzig writes only of a ‘male mask’. Around the fountain basin rises a portal-like frame, also around a window in its original location. On each side there is a pilaster, from whose console a putti grows. Above this are volutes with dolphins. The keystone shows the head of Bacchus. Above this lies a double-open shell with a gilded pearl, framed by four putti.” (Dinglingerbrunnen, Wikipedia)

Aqua viva

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“Aqua viva” by Stanislav Hanzík, 1992
Františkánská zahrada (Franciscan Garden)
Vodičkova, Nové Město
Prague, September 2024

“The garden is located next to the former Franciscan monastery at the Church of Our Lady of the Snows, which can be entered from Vodičkova Street, Wenceslas Square and Jungmann Square. Originally there was a fish tank here and in the recent past a concrete fire tank. Currently, a metal sculpture of a boy has been newly placed here, with water flowing down from a conch shell that the boy is holding above him. The sculpture was created by Stanislav Hanzík (he called it ‘Aqua viva’) in 1992 and also serves as a drinking fountain.” (Drinking bottle with a sculpture of a boy, Pražské kašny a fontány)

Schauspielhausbrunnen

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Märchenbrunnen (Fairy Tale Fountain) by Friedrich Christoph Hausmann, 1910
Untermainanlage
Frankfurt, September 2024

“The Fairytale Fountain or Schauspielhaus Fountain in Frankfurt am Main is located on the Untermainanlage next to the Frankfurt Municipal Theater. It is an Art Nouveau fountain that was completed in 1910. The construction of the fountain was initiated and financed by the art patron Leo Gans, who, as director of the Cassella works in Fechenheim, founded an art fund at the turn of the century and spent 150,000 marks (around 1.3 million euros in today's purchasing power) on the project. The sculptor Friedrich Christoph Hausmann was commissioned to create the fountain figure from white Tyrolean marble, a nymph (popularly known as the ‘Mainweibchen’). In the house of the city's well-known Jewish aristocratic family Carl and Arthur von Weinberg, where many social events took place, the choice fell on a young, pretty laundress from Niederrad who worked there: Margarete Endres, the later wife of the organist Eduard Gelbart. She was the daughter of a rubber mixer from Lower Franconia - not, as is often mistakenly believed, a baker. In 1906 (she was 19 years old at the time) she posed as a model for Städel professor Friedrich Hausmann.” (Märchenbrunnen, Wikipedia)

Märchenbrunnen

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Märchenbrunnen (Fairy Tale Fountain) by Josef Mágr, 1906
(New bronze figures by Elfriede Ducke and Hanna Studnitzka, 1965)
Dittrichring
Leipzig, September 2024

“The Fairy Tale Fountain in the promenade on Dittrichring was created by Josef Mágr in 1906. In the grotto of the central section, life-size bronze figures of the fairy tale characters Hansel and Gretel are mounted on a pedestal. Above them is a stone relief of a witch and a raven. Above the benches on either side of the central section are two bronze reliefs depicting key scenes from the fairy tale (Getting Lost in the Forest, Discovering the Gingerbread 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 adorned with new figures designed by Leipzig artists Elfriede Ducke and Hanna Studnitzka.” (Fountain in Leipzig, Wikipedia)

Friedensbrunnen

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Friedensbrunnen (Peace Fountain) by Johann Friedrich Steger, 1616
Jüdenhof
Dresden, September 2024

“The Friedensbrunnen (Peace Fountain) or Türkenbrunnen (Turkish Fountain) is located in Dresden's old town and is one of the oldest fountains in the city. The fountain stands in the Jüdenhof, west of the Neumarkt in front of the entrance to the Johanneum, which houses the Dresden Transport Museum. The sandstone fountain consists of an octagonal fountain basin with a floor plan of 4.5 by 4.5 meters. The eight sides of the basin are decorated with three eight-pointed rosettes. The basin is surrounded by a granite walkway. The fountain is 1.4 meters deep. In the center of the pool stands an octagonal column with a square pedestal, on which stands a water-spouting mask. The column's sides are decorated with oval, slightly arched reliefs bearing Latin inscriptions. On the pedestal stands a sculpture of the war goddess Bellona. At the back of the fountain basin there is an outlet pipe and below it a flat, round depression in the granite riser for the water to drain away.” (Friedensbrunnen, Wikipedia)

Fountain of Madonna Verona

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Fountain of Madonna Verona, 1368
Piazza delle Erbe
Verona, May 2025

“The square's most ancient monument is the fountain (built in 1368 by Cansignorio della Scala), surmounted by a statue called Madonna Verona, which is however a Roman sculpture dating to 380 AD. Also historical is the capitello, dating to the 13th century, during which it was used for several ceremonies, including the oath of investment of the city's medieval podestà and pretors. Towards Via Cappello is another column, with a 14th-century aedicula with reliefs of the Virgin and the Saints Zeno, Peter and Christopher.” (Piazza delle Erbe, Wikipedia)

Rathausbrunnen

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Rathausbrunnen (Town Hall Fountain) by Georg Wrba, 1908
Burgplatz
Leipzig, September 2024

“On Burgplatz, in front of the entrance to the Ratskeller, is the Town Hall Fountain, which was dedicated on October 7, 1908, the third anniversary of the inauguration of the New Town Hall. Since the completion of its complete renovation in 1999, the fountain has been in operation again after a five-year hiatus. The Town Hall Fountain was financed by Leipzig citizens and designed by the Dresden sculptor Georg Wrba (1872–1939). It consists of an octagonal water basin made of shell limestone, with a round column at its center. Attached to this column is the ‘Fairytale Wreath’, decorated with small figures from German fairy tales. Atop the column stands a group of bronze figures consisting of a life-size youth playing the flute and two boys playing at his feet. This makes the fairytale of the Pied Piper of Hamelin the central motif of the fountain, which is why it is also called the ‘Pied Piper Fountain’.” (Fountain in Leipzig, Wikipedia)

Löwenbrunnen

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Löwenbrunnen (Lions Fountain)
Naschmarkt
Leipzig, September 2024

“The Löwenbrunnen (Lions Fountain) located on the Naschmarkt opposite the main entrance of the Mädler Passage dates back to 1918. Several previous fountains had existed on the same site since 1690. The first fountain is known to have been surrounded by three steps and decorated with mythical maritime creatures and sandstone reliefs. Atop the painted copper cap was a pyramid crowned by a golden sun. Around 1820, the two iron lions and the pump handles, which still exist today, were cast in Lauchhammer according to designs by the Berlin sculptor Johann Gottfried Schadow. Their arrangement was adopted in 1918, when the Löwenbrunnen received its present appearance according to plans by Leipzig's chief building inspector Hugo Licht. This is commemorated in gold-colored capital letters on the back of the fountain: ‘In the last year of the war, 1918, this fountain was rebuilt by the council in its original form with its wooden casing by the architect Dr. Ing. Hugo Licht. The funds for this were donated by Commercial Councillor Hugo Haschke’.” (Fountain in Leipzig, Wikipedia)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)