Stuhlmann fountain
| Stuhlmann fountain | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Altona, Hamburg, Germany |
| Dedicated | June 3, 1900 |
| Restored | 1978 |
| Sculptor | Paul Türpe |
The Stuhlmann Fountain or Stuhlmannbrunnen is a fountain situated on the Platz der Republik or Square of the Republic in the Altona district of Hamburg, Germany. The sculpture of two centaurs struggling with each other over a big fish caught in a net symbolizes the long rivalry between Altona and Hamburg with regard to which was the biggest fish harbor in Germany. Two tritons are seen spitting water in the direction of the centaurs.[1]
The fountain, by far the biggest in Hamburg, has a very complicated internal support structure of iron bars which carries the main figures. Their copper shell is only 2 cm thick. This led to massive corrosion and instability, and was renovated thoroughly for its hundredth anniversary. The town did not want to finance the project and sought sponsors. Europe's biggest copper smelting plant repaired the shell on their own grounds, and Hamburg Waterworks installed the pumps and pipes at the new site.
History
The founder of the Altonaer Gas- und Wasseranstalt AG or Altona Gas and Waterworks, Günther Ludwig Stuhlmann (1797 -1872), gave his home town a grant of 18,000 marks, equivalent to about €117,000 today, to build a monumental public fountain. 25 years after Stuhlmann's death, the town held a contest which was won by the sculptor Paul Türpe from Berlin. In 1900 the 7.5-m tall sculpture, embedded in a granite basin measuring 20 x 10 m, was inaugurated on the “Kaiserplatz” or Emperor's Place between the town hall and the new railway station.
References
- ↑ Hukka, J. J. & Juuti, P. (2012). Water Fountains in the Worldscape. International Water History Association and KehräMedia Inc. ISBN 978-951-98151-8-3.