Galate fountain (Stuttgart)
The Galateabrunnen (formerly Herzog-Eugen-Brunnen or Eugensbrunnen) is a fountain on a viewing platform on Eugensplatz in Stuttgart-East . It was created in 1890 by the architect and sculptor Otto Rieth and the ore caster Paul Stotz (1850–1899) and is one of the most magnificent fountains in the city.
history
The construction of the fountain was initiated in 1884 by Queen Olga Nikolajewna Romanowa (1822-1892), the wife of King Karl von Württemberg (1823-1891). It was intended to beautify the cityscape and is still one of the most magnificent fountains in Stuttgart today. There was a publicly advertised design competition, from which a joint design by the prominent Stuttgart architects Ludwig Eisenlohr and Carl Weigle and the Munich sculptor Wilhelm von Rümann emerged victorious. This design envisaged a monumental fountain with a triumphal arch , obelisk and columns .
Queen Olga defied the result of the competition and chose the third-placed design by Otto Rieth. It was financed through a collection of money by the Association for the Promotion of Art and a significant donation from the Queen's private fortune. Finally, the gala fountain was inaugurated on April 27, 1890.
The fountain survived the following decades largely unscathed, only in the Second World War were two sphinx figures damaged at the top of the staircase at the fountain. The city had the two figures removed in 1954 on the grounds that they had "no particular artistic value". From the 1990s the Galate fountain was hardly in operation because the water basins and pipes had become dilapidated. From 2005 the well system was completely renovated and put back into operation in 2007.
Today the maintenance and operation of the fountain are financed by the city of Stuttgart, the Stuttgart Brünnele Foundation and so-called fountain sponsors. It is usually in operation from around mid-May to mid-September.
Appearance
The entire fountain system is crowned by the bronze figure of the nereid (sea nymph) Galateia , which stands on a richly decorated stele made of sandstone . Sea waves (also bronze), seaweed and fish and two children ( putti ) play around their feet .
Below the Galatea figure, on the valley side of the stele, there is a bronze water basin, which is bordered by fish bodies and above which is a crowned lion's head that serves as a gargoyle . From there the water flows into another basin made of sandstone below. On the other side of the mountain of the stele there is a bearded mask on the viewing platform that serves as a drinking water dispenser.
The fountain is framed by stairs that lead from Eugensplatz down the mountain towards Stuttgart city center . Water cascades follow below the Galateabrunnens described, followed by the stairs of Eugenstrasse, which is called "Eugenstaffel".
symbolism
The figure of Galatea ( Greek : the milk white ) from Greek mythology offers numerous points of reference to the fountain and its founder, Queen Olga. So Galatea escaped in love with her Cyclops Polyphemus , who had killed her lover Akis , in the shape of a constantly changing wave. The nymph also made a river gush out from under the rock with which Akis was killed.
Galatea is the most beautiful of the Nereids - and Queen Olga was also considered a special beauty. The nereids are also known for protecting drowning people (especially children) - the child figures at the nymph's feet allude to the queen's great social commitment. So she took over the patronage of the Stuttgart sanatorium for children, which was later named after her Olgahospital ("Olgäle").
The crowned lion head on the stele is a symbol of the greatness of the Kingdom of Württemberg .
Oddities
The Berlin shoemaker daughter Anna Sasse , who was a well-known artist's model in her day, served the sculptor Otto Rieth as a model for the Galatea figure . It was also the model for the Berolina statue on Alexanderplatz in Berlin .
After the inauguration of the fountain, some people from Stuttgart expressed their displeasure that the Galatea figure was only scantily clad. Thereupon the angry Queen Olga is said to have threatened to turn the figure 180 degrees and to face the city with the bare bottom.
More detailed photos
Lion head and fish carcass
Drinking water dispenser
Water cascades below the fountain
General view from the west
Individual evidence
- ^ Name of the fountain on picture postcards until at least the 1920s.
- ↑ Werner Skrentny, Rolf Schwenker, Sybille Weitz, Ulrich Weitz (eds.): Stuttgart on foot. 20 Forays into the district through past and present , Silberburg-Verlag, Tübingen 2005, p. 255
- ↑ Jörg Kurz: The Gänsheide. History and culture , Verlag im Ziegelhaus, Stuttgart 2007, p. 47
literature
- Jörg Kurz: The Gänsheide . History and culture , Verlag im Ziegelhaus, Stuttgart 2007, p. 47, ISBN 978-3-925440-16-8 .
- Werner Skrentny, Rolf Schwenker, Sybille Weitz, Ulrich Weitz (eds.): Stuttgart on foot. 20 district forays through past and present , Silberburg-Verlag , Tübingen 2005, pp. 254 f., ISBN 978-3-87407-649-4 .
Web links
- The gala fountain on the homepage of the city of Stuttgart
- The gala fountain on the website "Fountains and Staffeln in Stuttgart"
- The fountain on the homepage of the Stuttgart Brünnele Foundation
- 360 ° panorama picture below the Galate fountain
- The Galate fountain on picture index
Coordinates: 48 ° 46 ′ 40.5 ″ N , 9 ° 11 ′ 24.2 ″ E