German Fountain (Istanbul)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The front of the German fountain.

The German Fountain ( Turkish Alman Çeşmesi ; German also "Kaiser Wilhelm Fountain", Turkish originally II. Wilhelm Çeşmesi , "Wilhelm II. Fountain") is a pavilion-like fountain at the northern end of the hippodrome in the Turkish city ​​of Istanbul , opposite the mausoleum of Sultan Ahmed I.

The fountain was a present for Sultan Abdülhamid II and was built in 1900 in memory of the visit of the German Emperor Wilhelm II to Istanbul in 1898. It was made in Germany and sent in individual parts to Istanbul to be assembled there in its current location. The neo-Byzantine octagonal dome is supported by eight marble columns. The inside of the dome is decorated with golden mosaics .

history

Historical view.
Photograph of the opening ceremony on January 27, 1901 (Turkish and German flags can be seen around the square as a sign of German-Turkish friendship)

During his reign, Wilhelm II, German Emperor and King of Prussia, paid a visit to several countries in Europe and the Middle East. His journey began on October 18, 1898 in Istanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire under Sultan Abdülhamid II. To commemorate the visit, the German government commissioned the construction of the well. The German architects Max Spitta , Schoele and Carlitzik as well as the Italian Joseph Anthony were involved in the design and construction of the fountain, which was originally to be called Wilhelm Çeşmesi ("Wilhelms-Brunnen") . The cost was about 200,000 marks.

According to an Ottoman inscription on the fountain, construction of the fountain began in the Islamic year 1319 (1898–1899). The inauguration of the fountain was planned for September 1, 1900, the 25th anniversary of Abdülhamid II's accession to the throne. Delays in the construction meant that the inauguration of the fountain , which had meanwhile been renamed Alman Çeşmesi ("German Fountain") by the Istanbul residents , was postponed to January 27, 1901, the birthday of Wilhelm II. More extensive renovations were carried out in 1921 (under Kemal Ataturk ) and 1980 (under Kenan Evren ). During cleaning work on February 5, 2011, inscriptions and decorations on the fountain were damaged. The fountain was completely restored in 2013 and the damage repaired.

architecture

Interior view of the dome.
German-language inscription on the fountain.
Kaiser Wilhelm II in Ottoman field marshal uniform

The neo-Byzantine octagonal pavilion-like well construction consists of a dome , which is supported by eight columns made of green porphyry , which sit on a marble , carved pedestal. Eight steps lead up to the southwest side of the dais; the remaining seven sides are each provided with a brass water dispenser. The dome is covered with copper .

A bronze plaque attached to the fountain bears the following text:

WILHELM II GERMAN EMPEROR FOUNDED THIS FOUNTAIN IN GRATEFUL MEMORIES OF HIS VISIT TO THE EMPEROR OF THE OSMANN ABDUL HAMID II IN THE AUTUMN OF 1898.

An Ottoman inscription in eight verses tells of the construction of the fountain in memory of the visit of the German emperor.

The 40 cubic meter well shaft is (as of 1985) supplied with spring water by tank trucks.

Mosaics

The inside is provided with a golden mosaic. Eight medallions worked into the ends of the columns alternately show the Tughra Abdülhamids II and Wilhelm II's monogram four times .

The golden mosaic in the neo-Byzantine style is one of the most famous works by the church painter, mosaic designer and “emperor artist” Professor August Oetkens (1868–1951) from Oldenburg / Oldb. and was carried out by the company Puhl & Wagner Berlin.

Double symbolism

The gift of a well with free clean water for the people was, according to the Middle Eastern mentality, a particularly meritorious benefit and was intended to increase and secure the fame of the generous benefactor, the Emperor of the German Empire.

literature

  • Oetken, August . In: Hans Vollmer (Hrsg.): General lexicon of fine artists from antiquity to the present . Founded by Ulrich Thieme and Felix Becker . tape 25 : Moehring – Olivié . EA Seemann, Leipzig 1931, p. 575-576 .
  • Helmut Geisert, Elisabeth Moortgat (Red.): Walls made of colored glass. The archive of the United Workshops for Mosaic and Glass Painting Puhl & Wagner, Gottfried Heinersdorff. Berlinische Galerie, Berlin 1989, ISBN 3-927873-01-2 (catalog for the exhibition from December 8, 1989– January 21, 1990 in the Martin-Gropius-Bau Berlin; Contemporary Museum . No. 9), pp. 125 ff.
  • Lorenz Korn: The “German Fountain” in Istanbul: Object of Transfer in the Age of Historicism and Diplomacy. In: Islam . Volume 95, Issue 2, 2018, pp. 549-595, doi: 10.1515 / islam-2018-0034 .
  • Gerold Schmidt: The church painter and mosaic artist of historicism Prof. August Oetken (1868–1951). In: Stefan Rhein, Gerhard Schwinge (Ed.): The Melanchthon House in Bretten. An example of the Reformation commemoration at the turn of the century. Verlag Regionalkultur, Ubstadt-Weiher 1997, ISBN 3-929366-63-0 , pp. 167–212, illustrations pp. 140–142.

Web links

Commons : Deutscher Brunnen  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ for example in Hürriyet . dated January 1, 1984.
  2. ↑ Ali Vicdani Doyum: Alfred Kantorowicz with special reference to his work in İstanbul (A contribution to the history of modern dentistry). Medical dissertation, Würzburg 1985, p. 17 f. and 60.
  3. ↑ Berliner Tageblatt. dated July 26, 1900.
  4. ↑ a b Ali Vicdani Doyum: Alfred Kantorowicz with special consideration of his work in İstanbul. 1985, p. 18.
  5. ↑ holidaycheck.de
  6. ↑ Sultanahmet Meydanı'nın simgelerinden Alman Çeşmesi tazyikli suyla yıkanınca üzerinde ağır hasar meydana geldi
  7. ↑ Ali Vicdani Doyum: Alfred Kantorowicz with special reference to his work in İstanbul. 1985, p. 17 f. ("Made of green Somaki marble").

Coordinates: 41 ° 0 ′ 25.5 ″  N , 28 ° 58 ′ 36 ″  E