Marcus Curtius Hole
The Marcus Curtius Hole was a circular hole in the middle of the Lugeck in Vienna .
It was named for a joke after the Roman soldier Marcus Curtius, who, according to a legend handed down by Titus Livius, sacrificed himself and his horse by jumping into a crevice in order to reconcile the gods and thus set an example of bravery and self-sacrifice (mythological origin of Lacus Curtius in Rome). The naming is traced back to students at the nearby university .
The name appeared on Augustin Hirschvogel's city map from 1547. It only disappeared when the square was paved in 1788.
It is believed that the hole was the remainder of a well that was mentioned as early as the late 14th century and existed at least until 1516. The fountain is probably connected with the meat market, which was located there until the beginning of the 16th century (and then moved to the meat market , which is still called today ). When the market was closed, the fountain also disappeared, but the shaft was probably only insufficiently filled and the edge was marked by a stone setting.
Since the hole persisted for several centuries, all kinds of legends quickly grew up around it. The most popular interpretation speaks of a mold for casting a bell (even the old Pummerin is sometimes associated with it). The hole was also interpreted as the remains of an execution site or a Roman cult site. There was even the assumption that it was a student joke overall.
The monument to Johannes Gutenberg has been located around this point since 1900 .
literature
- Felix Czeike: Historisches Lexikon Wien, Wien, Kremayr & Scheriau, 1992-2004, Volume 4, p. 153
Web links
- Bilder aus der Heimath , a book from 1853 that passed on the bell-casting legend.
Coordinates: 48 ° 12 ′ 35.5 ″ N , 16 ° 22 ′ 29.1 ″ E