Valenda's wooden fountain
The wooden fountain in Valendas in the Swiss canton of Graubünden is one of the largest wooden fountains in Europe. It dates from 1760 and has been a cantonal monument since 1981.
description
The fountain is the largest of the thirteen fountains in the village of Valendas . It stands in the middle of the village on the road from Ilanz to Versam . The water flows from three metal tubes from the 2.30 meters high fountain Stock in the main basin and then two wooden channels in a 3.50 meters long and 1.30 meters wide basin provided with a saddle roof is covered. The large pool measures 4.80 × 7.80 meters and is 40 centimeters deep. Its capacity is a good 15,000 liters. The fountain was built on wooden beams laid crosswise under the fountain basin. This created a space under the fountain through which air could circulate, which reduced the moisture in the soil.
The wooden painted figure on the fountain stem comes from the time it was built and shows a double-tailed mermaid with a metal Florentine hat . Their origin is unclear. The date 1952 refers to a renovation.
purpose
Until the end of the 19th century the well was the only source of water in the village and thus one of the most important facilities in the village; only around the turn of the century three more wells were built. The well served to supply the surrounding houses with water until the 1930s, when the households were connected to the water supply.
In winter the cattle were brought to water twice a day; often over 100 animals are said to have crowded around the well. The step leading around the fountain was used by sheep and goats as access. The small basin was used for laundry and other cleaning work.
Today the fountain is the symbol of the village. It is used by hikers and cyclists as a place to drink and children as a playground.
history
Nothing is known about the origins of the fountain. It was built around 1760 from larch wood that came from its own forests. It was replaced by a new one in 1850, 1892, 1919, 1952, 1979 and 2011. The larch wood for the current fountain was felled on February 2, 2008 as moon wood when the moon was waning in the local forest and stored for two years. To protect against weathering, it was protected with a coating made of fiberglass and epoxy resin . The fountain figure was restored by Jörg Joos from Andeer .
The renovation was made possible by a contribution from the Ernst and Hanna Hauenstein Foundation
around 1900
Sheep are watered
Fetch water
literature
- Donat Caduff: Appearance in Valendas. Verlag Bündner Monatsblatt, Chur 2005, ISBN 3-905342-32-4 .
- Safiental Tourismus: Booklet Historical Village Tour Valendas.
- Information posters of the exhibition in the stable of the adjacent "Engihaus"
Web links
- Valendas
- Large village fountain at www.graubuendenkultur.ch .