City fountains (Berner Brunnen) description and photos - Switzerland: Bern (Topic)

City fountains (Berner Brunnen) description and photos - Switzerland: Bern. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Berner Brunnen.

Photo and description

Almost every square and some streets of Bern are decorated with small fountains, created according to the same pattern: a column rises above a small bowl, on which some bright figure is installed. Basically, these characters were made by the famous sculptor Hans Ging in the 16th century.

Fountains, which were fed by natural springs, appeared in Bern in the 13th century. According to the city archives, at the end of the 14th century, the city had five fountains with clean and tasty water available to all residents of Bern. Since then, only one fountain has survived, called the Eternal (Stettbrunner). Until 1520, there were only wooden fountains in Bern. At the beginning of the 16th century, the first stone fountain appeared in the city. In just 4 years - from 1542 to 1546 - the city authorities did a great job, removing all wooden fountains and installing stone ones in their place. The sculptures by Hans Ging, crowning many fountains, date back to this period. Along with the reconstruction of the fountains, a special service was organized at the city administration, the duties of which were to monitor the health and cleanliness of the fountains.

In the 19th century, some fountains built right in the middle of the streets were moved closer to the walls so that they would not obstructed traffic. The renovation of the fountains, carried out in 1925, was made possible by a generous donation from local resident Henry Philip.

Many fountains are associated with urban legends. For example, the inhabitants of Bern believe that the "Eater of Children" fountain is installed over a secret passage between two monasteries - male and female - and symbolizes the slain children, born of sinful relationships. And the Samson fountain, according to the idea of the butchers' guild, which paid for its construction, embodies a representative of their profession.

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Topic: City fountains (Berner Brunnen) description and photos - Switzerland: Bern.