Berlin drinking fountain

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Berlin drinking fountain type 1, also called Kaiser-Brunnen , location of the Gardens of the World
park

The Berlin drinking fountains are about one meter high metal drinking fountains in the city of Berlin , from which free drinking water gushes for everyone . In August 2019, the Berliner Wasserbetriebe (BWB) announced that they operate 96 drinking fountains in the entire Berlin area. They are fed by the central Berlin drinking water network and operated and maintained by the BWB and have been installed in busy locations within the city since the 1980s. In contrast to constructions in other cities, these fountains, which are available in two different design variants (as of summer 2019), constantly have a small fountain that rises in a slight arc. The remaining water runs into the central waste water pipe.

Embodiments of the drinking fountain in Berlin

General

The drinking fountains are financed from state funds, while Berliner Wasserbetriebe is responsible for planning and construction . The city supplier had developed two types of drinking fountains between 1985 and the 2010s and set them up in public places, preferably in heavily frequented areas, throughout Berlin. At the end of 2016, a map showed 32 installation locations. In August 2018, a number of 48 was already given, but these are very unevenly distributed across the districts. In coordination with the district administrations, new installation locations for drinking fountains without operating elements are constantly being sought. The wells installed on the streets and squares are only operated between May and October due to the risk of frost. In 2017, around 350,000 liters of drinking water were provided through these wells, the operating costs were around 3500  euros each . The construction of new drinking water wells costs between 12,000 and 15,000 euros, depending on the complexity of the pipe installations and their length. They bubble continuously between May and October and deliver fresh drinking water from the tap for drinking and bottling. There is an overview of the location on the map of the water companies. As of 2020, there are 120 drinking fountains in the city area. Around 100 more drinking fountains are planned for Berlin by 2022, but the budget has to be decided on.

In addition to the drinking fountains, which were manufactured in small series from the late 1980s, other shapes have also survived from the history of the city, which were mostly built together with fountains . Originally, these fountains were intended for net flushing, but they have become a contribution to the quality of life in the city. In addition to the public drinking fountains, there were water dispensers in 1989, around a hundred of them in public buildings, 67 in schools and the rest in companies, medical practices and other facilities.

To supply the population with water in emergencies, there have also been drinking water emergency wells since the 18th century . These cannot be used continuously and the water has no guaranteed drinking water quality. Each of these emergency road wells is supplied with groundwater from its own deep borehole.

The drinking fountains are available in two versions: bright blue and subtle silver-gray.

Type 1, also Kaiser-Brunnen

Berlin drinking fountain, type 1, detailed view of the permanent water source with covered drip tray, location Berlin-Wilmersdorf

These fountains are named after the architect Siegfried Kaiser . The approximately one meter high well columns with a diameter of around 40 centimeters are made of cast iron . “The design idea was to show the path of the water from the depths of the earth to the consumer on the fountain column. On five pipe sections lying on top of each other, pictorial representations show the layers of the earth with a groundwater well, the aeration of the water in the waterworks, the filtering and treatment of the water, the drinking water container and the pump, the pipeline network, gate valve and hydrant as well as the water circuit. "Most of the well columns are blue on the outside lacquered, the water outlet, mounted on the side edge, has the shape of a sphere that is either bronze-colored or made of stainless steel. A small jet of water constantly emerges from it. The grid-like cover of the drip tray is shaped like a moving wave. In the upper part there is the - deliberately chosen - ambiguous inscription "Drink water". The water bowl corresponds to the top segment of the column and is designed like a handle basket . Technical measures inside the column guarantee the best drinking water quality. The drinking fountains are manufactured by the Ludwig Frischhut iron foundry from Pfarrkirchen . Other Berlin drinking fountains of the Kaiser model are also in Bochum, Munich, Zurich, Linz, Vienna and Luxembourg.

Type 2, also known as the Botsch fountain

Berlin drinking fountain type 2, called Botsch-Brunnen , location Charlottenburg, Kurfürstendamm 225

The 1.05 m high pillars, cast from aluminum , are visually subdivided into five equally high segments by cross markings and have a slightly oval cross-section: the Berlin designer Marcus Botsch designed the shape. On one side of the upper edge is a flat bowl with a diameter of 50 centimeters, from the center of which a fine jet of water also rises steadily. This type, also known as the Berlin drinking fountain, has no ornaments, but looks extremely elegant and is also suitable for installation in closed rooms.

Type 3, barrier-free in planning

A third model is in the works that will be barrier-free .

Viennese drinking fountain in Berlin

Viennese drinking fountain since 1994 in Berlin-Charlottenburg , designed by Hans Muhr

Since 1994 there has been a model of the nationally known Viennese drinking fountain by Hans Muhr in Berlin-Charlottenburg, dedicated to “The thirsty of the city of Berlin”, a gift from Siemens Vienna and the Berlin water company.

Drinking water wells in other large cities

  • The administration of larger cities had provided free drinking water for centuries.
  • The first public drinking water fountain is recorded for Paris in the 13th century. In 1499 17 were already registered and in November 2019 the number was 1,114 drinking fountains. The Wallace Fountains are some of the more famous ones in Paris .
  • In New York there are around 3,500 outdoor drinking fountains (as of 2019) on public streets, squares and in parks.
  • In Rome there are currently around 2500 public drinking water fountains called "Nasoni" (big noses). Around 220 of them adorn the historic city center. The mayor at the time had decided in 1874 that water should be free for everyone - including pets.

In June 2019, 1000 drinking fountains were counted in Vienna, including the mobile drinking fountains in the summer months, which are connected to hydrants in heavily frequented locations.

Blue Community Berlin initiative

The increase in Berlin drinking water fountains is related to the accession of the city of Berlin to the Blue Community initiative on March 22, 2018. This initiative was launched in 2011 by the Council of Canadians . This initiative is chaired by Maude Barlow . Members of this community have been campaigning for free access to drinking water worldwide since the end of the 20th century. The aim is to protect drinking water "as a public good". As a result, the General Assembly of the United Nations passed a resolution on July 28, 2010, describing access to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as “an indispensable right to life”.

Web links

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Sparkling refreshment . In: Berliner Zeitung , August 13, 2019, p. 10.
  2. ↑ Water March through Action Program. Berlin gets 100 more drinking fountains . Der Tagesspiegel , July 26, 2019, accessed on November 16, 2019 .
  3. ↑ Drinking water fountain, Senate initiative. rbb24, July 2019, accessed November 16, 2019 .
  4. ↑ Free drinking water throughout the city
  5. ^ According to the answer from the Senate Department for the Environment to a request from SPD politician Sven Kohlmeier in the House of Representatives. Berlin wants to install 100 more drinking fountains . RBB24, July 26, 2019.
  6. ^ Locations of the drinking fountains of the Berliner Wasserbetriebe
  7. ↑ As of today, Berlin water gushes from 100 drinking fountains . Press release, Senator for the Environment, Transport and Climate Protection, September 18, 2019, accessed May 8, 2020.
  8. ↑ a b c Berliner Trinkbrunnen (1985) , artibeau.de accessed on November 15, 2019.
  9. ↑ Information from the water company on the Kaiser-Brunnen . The first models were created in 1985.
  10. ↑ The Berlin drinking fountain on www.bwb.de; accessed on January 29, 2017.
  11. ↑ The defective drinking fountain on Zingster Straße should soon be bubbling again. Berlin Week, 2019, accessed on November 15, 2019 .
  12. ^ Fountain in the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district. District Office Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, 2018, accessed on November 15, 2019 .
  13. ↑ Livret Fontaines ( fresh water -Fontänen ). 2012, accessed November 15, 2019 .
  14. ^ Cartes des Fontaines ( map with the locations of the drinking fountains ). 2019, accessed November 15, 2019 .
  15. ^ Health and Safety Guide. Retrieved November 16, 2019 .
  16. ↑ Rome partially closes its famous water dispensers. Retrieved November 16, 2019 .
  17. ^ Roman Fountains: 2000 Fountains in Rome: a Complete Collection , Marvin Pulvers, Publisher: L'Erma di Bretschneider, Rome, 2000.
  18. ^ Too few drinking fountains - Berlin trailed behind Rome and Paris , BZ, August 1, 2018.
  19. ↑ Drinking fountains provide water for thirsty people in Vienna. www.vienna.at, accessed on November 16, 2019 .
  20. ↑ Lea Luna Holzinger: Interactive map with all 900 Viennese drinking fountains , accessed on September 11, 2018.
  21. ↑ What does Blue Community stand for? bluecommunityberlin.de, accessed on November 16, 2019 .
  22. ↑ Maude Barlow: Our Right to Water , Report , accessed September 11, 2018.