Hygieia fountain (Hamburg)

The Hygieia fountain.

Hygieia with a small bowl and kite at her feet.

The Hygieia fountain is located in the inner courtyard of the Hamburg City Hall . It was built in 1895/96, designed by the sculptor Joseph von Kramer (1841–1908) from Munich, a brother of the architect Theodor von Kramer . The fountain was built as a reminder of the cholera epidemic of 1892 , in which over 8,000 Hamburgers died. It is designated as a cultural monument with the object ID 12066.

Original planning

Originally, the fountain was intended to represent the sea trade of the port city of Hamburg. The commercial god Mercury was intended as the central figure . In view of the drama of the cholera epidemic, the decision was made and the focus was on Hygieia , the Greek goddess of health and namesake of hygiene.

description

The basic structure of the fountain has three floors. Above is a bronze fountain bowl, from which the overflowing water falls into a ring-shaped basin below. From there it gushes over gargoyles into an also ring-shaped lower collecting basin.

In the center - above the fountain bowl - is the bronze statue of Hygieia. She holds up a small bowl, which is inclined so that when the fountain is in operation, the overflowing water falls into the fountain bowl. A dragon can be seen at the feet of the goddess, symbolic of the defeated cholera.

Around the middle basin, with their feet almost in the water of the lower basin, sit six bronze figures (see gallery below), which are intended to illustrate the benefits and uses of the water.

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  Man with ship

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  Woman with wreath

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  Man with fish

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  Woman with mug

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  Faun with shell

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  Woman with mirror

Technical importance

Opening for air conditioning

In the base of the fountain there are arched openings with decorative grilles. This is where the air is sucked in, with which the interior of the Hamburg City Hall is air-conditioned. The cooling effect of the moving well water is used.

See also

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

• List of cultural monuments in Hamburg's old town

literature

• Ralf Lange : Architecture in Hamburg, Junius Verlag 2008, ISBN 978-3-88506-586-9 .
• Georg Dehio , Handbook of German Art Monuments, Hamburg, Schleswig-Holstein, edited by Johannes Habich, 1971, ISBN 3-422-00329-0 .

Remarks

1. ↑ according to § 6 paragraph 1 Hamburg Monument Protection Act of April 5, 2013, (HmbGVBl p. 142), as of October 29, 2012.

Coordinates: 53 ° 33 ′ 0.9 ″  N , 9 ° 59 ′ 31 ″  E