Fountain in Weimar

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The fountains in Weimar have been supplying the residents of the city of Weimar with water from the spring areas outside of the city via an independent "tube drive system" since the 17th century. Today the cityscape is still characterized by around 30 historical and modern fountains .

history

For the water supply of the wells in the city several springs were found in three higher positions to the city center in the 17th century : in the "Wallendorfer Grund" (two springs), in the "Kirschbachtal" (two springs) and in the " Rabenwäldchen " (three springs) . The springs were enclosed with natural stones so that a certain level of water could form in them. The collection basins for spring water built in this way were called “ well rooms ”, of which there were a total of seven outside the city. The collected spring water was conveyed from the wells through a so-called "tube drive system" with the help of kilometer-long tubes made of hollowed-out spruce trunks (later made of clay and cast iron, today drinking water pipes made of PE pipes) using the natural gradient to the individual running wells. The amount of water in the well pipes could be regulated using the receiving water and gate valves. It was therefore possible to set up a fountain at any location along the “tube rides”.

The most important donor to Weimarer Brunnen was the Grand Duchess Maria Pawlowna . In the years from 1847/48 it made it possible to build six fountains, some of which can be recognized by the monogram “MP”. According to the Weimar. Lexicon on the city history of the "shell fountain", the "dolphin fountain", the "lion fountain", the "fountain at Frau von Stein's house ", the "theater fountain and the" escort fountain ". In addition, Hans-Joachim Leithner uses the" "city wall fountain = formerly Bankstrasse Fountain "ascribed to her foundation, while he does not explicitly ascribe the Muschelbrunnen to her foundation. Mention should be made of the Berka stonemason Carl Dornberger , who created many Weimar fountains. He created all of the fountains that Maria Pavlovna donated herself, which suggests a contractual agreement between the donor and Dornberger. It is therefore quite possible that other fountains from this time, which Dornberger created for Weimar, go back to the foundation of Maria Pawlowna. One should at least think of the ground well , which, however, according to other information, Adam Gleim created in 1856. However, Hans Joachim Leithner also assigned this fountain to Carl Dornberger. In 1858 the total length of the well pipes was already 12.5 kilometers. In 1864 the animal lover and pharmacist “Lüdde” arranged for a low drinking basin for dogs to be set up in front of several Weimar fountains in addition to the large water basin.

With the appointment of the city of Weimar as European Capital of Culture in 1999, the financial means were available to revive the fountains that had already disappeared over the years. According to old documents, the “Wielandbrunnen”, the “Theaterbrunnen” and the “Brunnen am Brühl” could be reconstructed.

layout

Many of the Weimar fountains are adorned with dolphins, flowers, columns and vases. The design of the gargoyles was of particular importance; they were often designed in the form of lions' heads based on the city's heraldic animal . Often grimace-like faces can also be found, which should drive the evil spirits away from the vital water dispenser. The oval water basins and columns are mostly made of sandstone . The two fountains based on designs by Clemens Wenzeslaus Coudray on Frauenplan (“Goethebrunnen”) and Herderplatz (“Herderbrunnen”) are the exception here, they are octagonal and are made entirely of cast iron .

Weimar fountain

The Neptune Fountain on the market square, behind it the court pharmacy

Fountain of Neptune

The large fountain on the northern edge of the Weimar market square directly in front of the court pharmacy is known today as the "Neptune fountain" due to the Neptune figure by court sculptor Martin Gottlieb Klauer . It is the oldest well in Weimar and stands where water was once drawn from a draw well, first mentioned in 1540 . Around five decades later, this had to give way to a representative fountain, which was adorned with a stone lion as Weimar's heraldic animal. Jacob Schröter (1529–1613), who directed the fortunes of the city of Weimar for 41 years and built his house on the market (at that time already a pharmacy building), was the initiator of the Weimarer Marktbrunnen. It was not until 1774 that the lion was replaced by the figure of Neptune created by court sculptor Klauer as the god of the sea with a trident, dolphin and boy. The water basin is octagonal and made of sandstone. The water trickles from the central column through the open mouth of the dolphin. Underneath, the words " OUOS EGO " ("I will be ...") are carved into the stone. Today's Neptune figure is the third replica.

The Ildefonso fountain with two young men in front of the Yellow Castle at the Neue Wache

Ildefonso fountain

In front of the Yellow Castle at the "Neue Wache" in Weimar stands the "Ildefonso Fountain", which, based on the design motif, could be described as the only "classic" fountain in Weimar. The Ildefonso Group is a copy of a late antique marble original that was located in the palace gardens of La Granja de San Ildefonso north of present-day Madrid from 1724 to 1839 and can now be viewed in the Museo del Prado . The Ildefonso fountain in Weimar was originally made on behalf of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe for his house on Frauenplan . He called the youth group " Kastor and Pollux ". Alternatively, the young man on the left with his head bowed and looking into a mirror pane could represent sleep, while the young man on the right with his torch placed on the ancient altar would then be interpreted as death. In the background is a small ancient earth goddess with a fruit in her hand. The fountain basin itself is leaned against an antique sarcophagus with the handles on the sides . On the side in front of the well there are two additional settling stones in the shape of a cylinder. Only in 1824 was the fountain moved to its current location. The figures were cast in Lauchhammer in 1793 .

The Donndorfbrunnen with the mother group and spitting lions

Donndorfbrunnen

At the corner of Rittergasse and Geleitstrasse is the "Donndorfbrunnen", which was inaugurated in 1895 and replaced the more modest Adele-Brunnen in the same place. The bronze sculpture on the central granite pillar was dedicated by the sculptor Adolf von Donndorf to his hometown Weimar, giving the fountain its name. The larger-than-life group of figures shows a mother fetching water with her two children. On the front of the pillar the inscription “Dedicated to my hometown with love and gratitude” can be read and on the back the number “1895” was carved into the granite . The two bronze lion heads on the flanking sides of the pillar function as gargoyles that draw their water from the springs of the raven grove and whose stream pours into a semicircular basin below. The bronze group "Mother and Child" is a replica of the "James Fountain" in Union Square in New York City , which Donndorf had created in 1881. In 1991/1992 the fountain was extensively restored.

The goose man fountain in Schillerstrasse

Goose man fountain

The "Gänsemännchenbrunnen" is located in Schillerstrasse directly opposite Schiller's house . It is a scaled-down copy of the Nuremberg Goose Man Fountain , which was once created by Pankraz Labenwolf in 1550 . The suggestion probably goes back to Goethe , who received such a cast in 1814. The construction of the fountain could also have been suggested in 1827 by Johann Heinrich Meyer . Grand Duchess Maria Pavlovna received a cast of this figure in 1846. The cast by Goethe was probably no longer preserved or its quality was unsuitable for a cast, so the cast by the Grand Duchess was used as a template. This is cast in bronze . It is one of the most popular fountains in Weimar. After Maria Pavlovna's death in 1859, the residents asked, as the Grand Duchess wished, to erect the goose man's fountain, which was finally built in 1863/64. The fountain ensemble consists of a goose boy who is standing on a fountain bowl with two geese under his arms, below which four swans are grouped. The lower well basin is made of travertine .

The Goethe fountain on the Frauenplan

Goethe fountain

In the center of the Weimar Frauenplan, across from Goethe's house , is the octagonal cast iron “Goethe Fountain”. It was erected in 1822 in place of a wooden well that had been there until then. The fountain was designed by Clemens Wenzeslaus Coudray , the senior construction director in the Grand Duchy of Saxony-Weimar-Eisenach . Because of its location, it is one of the most famous fountains in Weimar. In Weimar it is the first cast-iron fountain system. This fountain was commissioned from a foundry in Ilmenau . It bears the initials "CA" for Carl August on the obelisk from which the water pours into the fountain. In addition, a dolphin protrudes from it , which acts as a gargoyle . The obelisk is crowned by a typical classical vessel, a crater . The eight rectangular iron plates are each decorated with a rosette border and present in the middle a wreath with a snake biting into a sacrificial bread.

Other wells (selection)

The cast iron "Herder Fountain" by CW Coudray on Herderplatz
The drinking water game "Spitting and Swallowing" by sculptor Walter Sachs (installed in 2007)

Water features

literature

  • Paul Hemmann; Günther Golling; Gisela Hemmann: The fountains in Weimar: history and stories about the emergence, the partial decay and the restart of the running fountains. Weimar: Stadtmuseum Weimar, 1990, (tradition and present, Weimar writings; 38).
  • Hans Joachim Leithner : From well rooms, tube rides and water pipes, the historical and younger wells in Weimar , published by Hans-Joachim Leithner in 2018, Gutenberg Druckerei Weimar (WeimarWissen, Der Weimarer Brunnenschatz).

Web links

Commons : Brunnen in Weimar  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Gitta Günther , Wolfram Huschke , Walter Steiner (eds.): Weimar. Lexicon on city history. Hermann Böhlaus successor, Weimar 1998, p. 57 f .; P. 83; P. 131; P. 283; P. 315 and p. 444.
  2. ↑ Hans Joachim Leithner : Von Brunnenstuben, Röhrenfahrten und Wasserlinien, the historical and younger fountains in Weimar , published by Hans-Joachim Leithner in 2018, Gutenberg Druckerei Weimar (WeimarWissen, Der Weimarer Brunnenschatz), p. 201 ff. And p. 241 f.
  3. ↑ http://docplayer.org/30470400-Der-sandstein-und-seine-bedeutung-fuer-unsere-stadt.html
  4. ↑ Hans Joachim Leithner : From well rooms, tube trips and water pipes, the historical and younger fountains in Weimar , published by Hans-Joachim Leithner in 2018, Gutenberg Druckerei Weimar (WeimarWissen, Der Weimarer Brunnenschatz), pp. 90-93. In a book published in 1990 about the Weimar fountains, it is not mentioned as a Bodebrunnen, but as a Brunnen am Brühl under the heading "Disappeared Fountains" and among those that were to be rebuilt as Brunnen am Brühl. -Paul Hemmann; Günther Golling; Gisela Hemmann: The fountains in Weimar: history and stories about the emergence, the partial decay and the restart of the running fountains. Weimar: Stadtmuseum Weimar, 1990. (Tradition and Present, Weimarer Schriften; 38), p. 36 and p. 80.
  5. ↑ Leithner, p. 175 ff.
  6. ↑ Leithner, p. 122 ff.
  7. ↑ Leithner, p. 143 ff.
  8. ↑ https://www.weimar-lese.de/index.php?article_id=555
  9. ↑ Leithner, p. 134 ff. And p. 156.
  10. ↑ http://www.grupello.de/daten/C-137-Weimar-Q.pdf