Water art Wismar
The Wismarer Wasserkunst is located on the one hectare market square in Wismar and is one of the city's landmarks . It is a building based on plans by the Utrecht builder Philipp Brandin and functioned on the principle of the fountain . The implementation of these plans lasted from around 1579 to 1602. The dodecagon building in delicate stone work was built in the style of the Dutch Renaissance . There is a copper dome with a hexagonal lantern on the corners made of limestone .
history
In the 16th century, the city fathers had to organize the drinking water supply. Initially, small wells were sufficient for the water supply. In 1563 a water art fed by the mill pond was built. As the demand increased, water was drawn from the Metelsdorf springs. The spring water was led through wooden pipes to a collecting basin, a wooden fountain in Altwismarstrasse. In 1595 the collecting basin was moved to the market.
When the wooden fountain became brittle and no longer met the demands of the growing city, Philipp Brandin took over the construction planning for a star box in 1579 and designed plans for the stone water art. For this work he received a deposit of 200 thalers . He wanted to have the stones for the new water art delivered from Gotland .
Because of disputes between the Council and the citizenry no funds were asked to complete more of the building available, then threatened Brandin if he can not get more funding and can not begin to demand compensation.
In 1581 no stone was set. Unsuccessful negotiations were held about the further development of the water art. In 1590 Brandin was ready to give up the stones that were not yet available as a replacement for the 200 thalers that had been paid to him. In 1594 the citizens' committee approved the construction, the cost of which was estimated at 600 thalers. The then mayor Hinrich Schabbell , however, reckoned with around 1000 thalers, as the stones were not yet available. When the community gave 100 thalers to the construction, complaints came from the population, who suspected that the water art was only for decoration and not useful. However, construction continued anyway.
Around 1600 the council decided to leave the water art incomplete, as the remaining stones that were needed could not be burned in the required quality. In September 1600 there was a meeting between the council and an unnamed stonemason about the further course of construction. Since Philipp Brandin died in 1594, he was no longer an option. The city's accounts show that it was the Lübeck master Heinrich Dammert, who completed the building in 1602.
The Wismar archivist Friedrich Techen (1859–1936) doubts whether the building can really be ascribed to Brandin.
monument
Around 220 houses and 16 public draw-off points were continuously replenished with spring water through a pipe system.
On the east side of the water art there were two bronze figures as water conductors. They were called Nix and Nixe and popularly Adam and Eve . What weighed particularly heavily, however, was the fact that the vernacular also said "woman and man hole" . With that the measure of the Wismar superiors was full. The figures were later removed out of shame and taken to the Schabbellhaus city museum .
In 1685 the Wismar Council built a new water tower in a defensive tower - the old water tower - in order not to become dependent in times of war. The old water tower was connected to the water art on the market in 1715 by wooden pipes
When the system fell apart and the water tank became too small, a comprehensive reconstruction was carried out in 1861 based on plans by Heinrich Thormann . He had the substructure enlarged and decorated with lawn. The wooden piping system in the city center was replaced by cast iron pipes. Above and below the grid, around the water art, there is a Latin inscription, which describes the drinking water supply in the past. During the restoration, the inscription was translated into German and placed next to it.
“Wells, water sold in tons, and a pipe running along the pit did not meet the needs of the city, so in 1571 fresh spring water from Metelsdorf was brought to the market through pipes. Due to war distress, the pumping station was set up in 1682, which brought river water from the mill ditch and combined both water after the siege of 1715. Because of the damage and smallness of the container, the old art was taken down to the ground and newly furnished, enlarged and rebuilt in the years 1861. May, through the grace of the merciful God, the diligence and loyalty of the rulers for a long time to come to preserve this work of our city, which is dedicated to health, cleanliness and public safety. "
In 1897 water art was replaced by a new type of water supply.
Because the Wismar water art is a building worth protecting and of high artistic standing, the Schwerin Institute for Monument Preservation supported the extensive restoration from 1966 to 1976. The master sculptor Rolf Lange from Schwerin supervised the stone work. His family members had helped. A master plumber from Schwerin, a wood sculptor from Güstrow, the Wismar master blacksmith Heinrich Schoknecht and many other specialists did the work.
1998 was the last repair of the water art. A copy of the Nix and Mermaid was set up again. In December 2005, triggered by the electrical system, it burned in the water art during the Christmas market. The cable fire did not cause any damage to the structure.
literature
- Friedrich Techen : The Wismarsche water art and master Heinrich Dammert. In: Communications of the Association for Lübeck History and Archeology. 1919, pp. 60-67.
- Qualification and development company Wismar mbH (Hrsg.): History of the water arts Wismar . Qualification and Development Society Wismar mbH, Wismar, 1995.
- Siegfried Berndt: From Wismar's water arts . In: Wismar contributions; Booklet 8. Hanse Druck, Wismar, 1992, pp. 4-11.
- Bernd Herrmann, Christine Dahlke (ed.): Schauplätze der Umweltgeschichte Workshop report , Graduate College 1024 Interdisciplinary Environmental History , University Press Göttingen 2008, pp. 196–197.
Web links
Coordinates: 53 ° 53 ′ 28.2 " N , 11 ° 27 ′ 59" E