Fischbrunnen (Munich)

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Fish fountain
Fish fountain
place Munich , Bavaria
country Germany Germany
use Fountain
construction time 1954
architect Josef Henselmann
Technical specifications
Building material Nagelfluh , bronze
Coordinates
location Coordinates: 48 ° 8 ′ 14.1 "  N , 11 ° 34 ′ 34.3"  E 48 ° 8 ′ 14.1 "  N , 11 ° 34 ′ 34.3"  E
View of the fish fountain (1865–1944); Image from before 1890

The Fischbrunnen is a fountain in the center of Munich , the history of which can be traced back to the Middle Ages. Josef Henselmann created the fountain in its current form in 1954, using parts of the neo-Gothic predecessor fountain by Konrad Knoll that was destroyed in the Second World War .

location

The Fischbrunnen stands in front of the main entrance of the New Town Hall on Marienplatz in Munich's old town.

history

There is evidence of a fountain on Schrannenplatz, today's Marienplatz, as early as 1318, but its exact location can no longer be determined. In 1343 a "citizen's fountain" is mentioned, later also referred to as a market fountain, which was located in the northeastern area of ​​the square, that is, at the site of today's fish fountain. These wells were still scoop or draw wells that reached down to the groundwater that was found at a relatively shallow depth below Munich's inner city.

After the completion of the first aqueduct, which transported water from springs outside the city at that time to the city center, from 1471 the fountain on Marienplatz was the first and for a long time the only fountain that was connected to the new system and consisted of four brass pipes with constantly flowing water delivered.

The predecessor of today's fish fountain was designed by Konrad Knoll from 1862 to 1865 and put into operation on September 19, 1866. The bronze sculptures of the neo-Gothic fountain were cast in the royal ore foundry Ferdinand von Millers . In the fish fountain itself there were four butcher boys who poured water in buckets into the fountain. Four children playing music stood above them, and at the very top there was an elderly man with a raised mug.

Since July 29, 1884, water has been flowing from the fish well from the Mangfall Valley . The year 1884 carved in the pool edge also relates to this .

After it was almost completely destroyed during the war in 1944, Josef Henselmann redesigned the fountain in 1954 using three remaining butcher figures. Three musicians from the Knoll fountain, which have also been preserved, are now at Karlstor .

Today the fountain consists of a Nagelfluh basin, the central column of which is crowned by a bronze fish by Henselmann's student Otto Kallenbach . This fish is reminiscent of the time when Marienplatz still served as the central marketplace and the fishmongers hung their still living goods in baskets in the fresh well water. Three butcher boys let the water flow into the basin from their buckets. The group of figures alludes to the “ butcher's jump ” (see below ).

As part of a thorough renovation in 1991, the fountain was again equipped with a near-ground drinking point for the Munich " Zamperl ". During the last renovation for the time being in autumn 2011, the joints in the pool were re-sealed and the bronze figures were decalcified and preserved.

Traditions at the fish fountain

Butcher jump

At the Fischbrunnen the butcher apprentices were acquitted on Shrove Monday until the Second World War , which today corresponds to the handover of the journeyman's certificate as the completion of butcher's training. Up until the 19th century, the “ butcher's jump ” was carried out, during which the apprentices jumped into the water of the fountain and were also submerged. When they surfaced, they threw apples, nuts and coins under the audience and doused them with water. The butcher's jump was probably a kind of baptism, since the apprentices were then free from their sins of youth (the sins of youth).

In 1793, Elector Karl Theodor forbade the custom, which King Maximilian II revived more than half a century later. In the 20th century the tradition was only sporadically maintained. The city chronicle records a re-performance of the historic butcher's jump on February 20, 1928 after a 32-year break. The unexpectedly large crowd led to panic-like scenes in which several people broke ribs and required 174 first aid missions. The next butcher's jump took place again in 1954 on the occasion of the unveiling of the Henselmann fish fountain. The butcher's jump planned for the city's 800th anniversary in 1958 was canceled due to upset in the wake of a food scandal.

The butcher's jump has been taking place regularly since 1995, albeit only every three years, most recently on September 8, 2019 and before that on September 11, 2016.

Wallet washing

On Ash Wednesday , the Mayor of Munich, usually together with the city treasurer, washes the empty city bag in the water of the fish fountain. This is to ensure that it is filled again next year.

The purse washing , the origins of which can be traced back to the 15th century, was a practice of the poorer classes. Especially in the 19th century, messengers and assistants made it clear with him that an increase in salary was necessary in view of an empty purse of money. In the 1950s, Mayor Thomas Wimmer transferred the tradition to the city's wallet.

meeting point

The Fischbrunnen is one of the most popular meeting places in Munich, especially for people from the Munich area.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f Josef H. Biller, Hans-Peter Rasp: Munich Art & Culture. Munich 2003, ISBN 3-7787-5125-5 , p. 233.
  2. ^ A b c Otto Bistritzki: Fountain in Munich, Living water in a large city. Munich 1980, ISBN 3-7667-0504-0 , p. 9.
  3. ↑ a b Christine Rädlinger : History of the Munich city brooks. Munich 2004, ISBN 3-9809147-2-0 , p. 37.
  4. ↑ a b messages . Renovation of the fish fountain at Marienplatz. In: Press and Information Office of the City of Munich (Hrsg.): Rathaus Umschau . No.  187 . Munich September 30, 2011, p. 10 ( muenchen.info [PDF; 950 kB ; accessed on January 9, 2015]).
  5. ↑ Vivian Würf: The fish fountain is being renewed . This is what the construction site looks like. In: Munich evening newspaper . October 26, 2011 ( online [accessed December 13, 2011]).
  6. ↑ a b The history of the Munich butcher's jump ( Memento of the original from August 9, 2017 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . Website of the butchers' guild Munich. Retrieved January 9, 2015. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / metzgerinnung-muenchen.de
  7. ↑ a b c Brigitte Huber (Ed.): Diary of the City of Munich. The official records of the city chroniclers 1818–2000. Dölling and Galitz, Ebenhausen 2004, ISBN 3-937904-01-8 , p. 110f.
  8. ↑ a b Fish fountain rebuilt - celebration only for celebrities . In: Stadtchronik 1954. Remarkable, curious and everyday things . muenchen.de, the official city portal. Retrieved November 12, 2011.
  9. ↑ on July 18
  10. ↑ A meat scandal and its consequences . In: Stadtchronik 1958. Remarkable, curious and everyday things . muenchen.de, the official city portal. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
  11. ↑ butchers' guild Munich (ed.): Folder Metzger jump Munich 2010 . Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  12. ↑ Hope for a full city bag. Süddeutsche Zeitung of February 6, 2008 ( online ).

literature

  • Heinrich Habel, Johannes Hallinger, Timm Weski: State capital Munich - center (= Bavarian State Office for Monument Preservation [Hrsg.]: Monuments in Bavaria . Volume I.2 / 1 ). Karl M. Lipp Verlag, Munich 2009, ISBN 978-3-87490-586-2 , p. 554 .
  • Klaus Gallas : Munich. From the Guelph foundation of Henry the Lion to the present: art, culture, history . DuMont, Cologne 1979, ISBN 3-7701-1094-3 (DuMont documents: DuMont art travel guide).
  • Friedrich Panzer: water bird. The butcher's jump in the Fischbrunnen in Munich. In: Bavarian legends and customs. Contribution to German mythology. Volume 1, Christian Kaiser, Munich 1848, p. 226. (Google books)

Web links

Commons : Fish Fountain  - Collection of Images