Mussel minna
| Mussel minna | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| place | Goerlitz , Saxony |
| country |
 Germany
|
| use | Art fountain |
| construction time | 1879 to 1887 |
| architect | Robert Toberentz |
| Technical specifications | |
| height | 8.3 m |
| diameter | 14.5 m |
| Building material | Bronze and marble |
| Coordinates | |
| location | Coordinates: 51 ° 9 ′ 7 ″ N , 14 ° 59 ′ 10 ″ E 51 ° 9 ′ 7 ″ N , 14 ° 59 ′ 10 ″ E |
The Muschelminna , also called Toberentzbrunnen after its architect Robert Toberentz , is a fountain built in 1887 on the Postplatz in the city of Görlitz . The name arose from the vernacular that described the bronze statue standing on the marble plinth . The statue was melted down during World War II . A true-to-original replica has been on display on the fountain since 1994.
history
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The first post office in the city of Görlitz was built in 1855 on the old cattle market. In 1865, the new district court building was built on the opposite side of what is now the so-called Postplatz . The space between the two buildings was planted. When the Prussian Interior Minister Robert Viktor von Puttkamer visited the city in 1877, he recommended that the square be upgraded with an artificial fountain and thus make it more attractive . Together with Mayor Johannes Gobbin , he tried to raise the necessary funds. In 1878 the Prussian minister of education, Adalbert Falk, approved 75,000 marks from state funds . 30,000 marks were raised from the city budget and a further 15,000 marks through donations. In 1885 the Prussian government approved a grant of 15,000 marks, to which city funds of 10,200 marks were added.
In 1879 the city of Görlitz signed a contract with the Breslau sculptor Robert Toberentz , which envisaged the completion of the fountain within the next six years. The Berlin sculptor Franz Ochs made the base in marble based on designs and models by Toberentz . The bronze figure that was to be mounted on the marble base was created in the Lauchhammer ironworks . The fountain was only inaugurated on November 12, 1887, two years later than agreed. The incumbent Lord Mayor of Görlitz, Clemens Theodor Reichert , described it as “the most beautiful fountain in Silesia ”. The bronze figure was popularly known as the shell minna , which it still bears today. The fountain was originally surrounded by a lattice fence. Water was only allowed to flow out of the statue's shell on special occasions. Otherwise, the sensitive marble figures could have been permanently damaged by the falling water.
In 1889 four star-shaped paths were laid out across the square to the fountain and the fountain was expanded to include a basin . In 1937 these routes had to give way to the new tram line . From then on, an oval of lawn surrounded the fountain. In the summer of 1942, most of the monuments and church bells in Görlitz were melted down for war purposes . This also included the bronze statue of the fountain, which was dismantled on July 15th. The Dresden sculptor Werner Hempel made a marble bowl to crown the fountain.
During the GDR era, the shell minna plinth was decorated as a Christmas pyramid in winter . In the turmoil of the turnaround , the individual parts of the Görlitz wagon construction and dismantled by the decoration department of the town hall were lost.
During the GDR era, Friedemann Klos from Dresden received the order in 1987 to create a new cast model based on historical images of the original shell minna. It took five years to create the clay model. The 1.4 ton statue was cast again in Lauchhammer in 1993 and erected on May 1, 1994 in the presence of around 500 people from Görlitz and guests. One of the main sponsors was the Shell company , whose trademark is the shell. Since 1996, the “Mussel Minnafest” has been held every first weekend in May.
Restoration work was carried out on the statue from 2007 to February 2008. Experts from Leipzig freed them of limescale and provided them with a protective wax layer.
layout
The fountain consists of a massive marble base, which is occupied by four figures in turn. The four marble figures were regarded as fishermen , hunters , nymphs and mermaids , but were also interpreted as the embodiment of romance, utility, changeability and power. A 3.44 m tall bronze female figure sits enthroned on this base. This wears a water-donating shell over her head. She is considered to be the embodiment of nature , which the four marble figures make use of and represents the Roman goddess of nature Flora . Between the figures, masks are carved into the stone, from whose mouths the water flows. At that time there were small cast zinc swans in the basin, whose beaks also splashed water. These disappeared in the course of the numerous renovations.
literature
- The ornamental fountain on the Postplatz in Görlitz . In: The Gazebo . Issue 8, 1888, pp. 131 ( full text [ Wikisource ]).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Chronicle of the Postplatz fountain. (No longer available online.) Action group for Görlitz e. V., archived from the original on August 19, 2014 ; Retrieved August 18, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b Matthias Klaus: Only the candles are left. In: Saxon newspaper. September 24, 2015, accessed April 19, 2016 .
- ^ Beauty treatment for mussel minna . In: Stadt Görlitz (Ed.): Official Gazette of the District-Free City of Görlitz . 6 (Volume 17), March 11, 2008, p. 12 ( qucosa.de [PDF; 1.4 MB ; accessed on August 18, 2014]).
- ↑ Mussel Minna. (No longer available online.) In: goerlitz.de. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014 ; Retrieved August 18, 2014 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Mussel Minna. In: goerlitz-tourist.de. Retrieved May 4, 2019 .
