Basilisk fountain
A basilisk fountain is a green fountain with a basilisk in the Swiss city of Basel , which, along with other Basel fountains, are numerous throughout the city.
history
By 1850, the water supply of the city of Basel, with its wells, some of which went back to the Middle Ages, had long since reached its limits. In 1865/66 a new pipeline system was set up. Water could be obtained from Grellingen and from the Bruderholz . Fountains with large troughs were set up everywhere in the city, which until now had to cover the water supply of the population and the thirst of the horses. However, as more and more households have been provided with their own water connection in recent years and the traffic in the city center increased, the now too large wells became more and more disturbing. Solutions were sought. Smaller wells were sufficient for the households, also in the outlying quarters. After various attempts, a design competition for a city fountain was announced in 1884 by the Basel gas and water works . Wilhelm Bubeck won this with his model, which shows a basilisk as a fountain figure, shown as a shield holder for the Basel coat of arms . According to his idea, 19 basilisk fountains were made and installed in Basel. Over time another 30 pieces followed. Some have disappeared again, so that today you can still find around 25 such fountains in the city of Basel.
Some of the Baslerbrunnen have left their hometown as gifts in recent years. A basilisk fountain has been found in the center of Zurich since 1983. There are other fountains in Alsace , southern Germany , northwestern Switzerland , Shanghai , Vienna and Moscow .
Almost all basilisk fountains in the city of Basel point in the direction of the Rhine. At least one fountain on the Kleinbasel side on the Upper Rheinweg opposite the cathedral, however, faces the Rhine with its back. This so that the tourists who take a photo of the minster from the riverside do not have the back of the basilisk in the photo, but his head.
description
The basilisk with the city's coat of arms is made of bronze and the rest of cast iron. The water flows from the basilisk's beak into the round basin, which is decorated on the outside with various patterns. The foot of the fountain is urn-shaped. At the bottom of the foot there is a dainty drinking bowl for dogs (or other animals).
See also
literature
- C. Manasse, D. Tréfás, "Wilhelm Bubeck, the creator of the basilisk fountain", section "The history of water supply", published in Vernetzt, Versorgungs, Verbunden, Basel, 2006, page 121
Remarks
- ^ Bubeck was director of the Basel industrial museum
- ↑ The water basin, the fountain base and the dog trough
