Schoner Brunnen "The Beautiful Fountain", Nuremberg, Germany
Schoner Brunner - Circa 1385 - 1396
The Schoner Brunnen fountain or "Beautiful fountain" is located in the main marketplace of Nuremberg and is said to be one of Nuremberg’s favorite Landmarks. It was built by stonemason Heinrich Beheim, sometime between 1385 and 1396.
The original fountain was replaced by a replica in 1912, with bits of the the original Schoner Brunner being moved to the German National Museum. As with many of the revered artistic monuments and landscape fountains throughout Europe, the Schoner Brunnen fountain, survived a war-torn Germany. The extraordinariness of something as beautiful as this fountain landscape surviving the atrocities and destruction of war makes this large outdoor fountain something to be admired, respected and revered.
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Schoner Brunnen Fountain Characteristics
Unlike many large water fountains this fountain is not typical of formal fountain landscaping designs as it has been designed as a dry monument, without the fantastic water displays associated with later renaissance and baroque period fountains. The Schoner Brunnen fountain however has magic of it's own: A 62 foot spire placed into an octagonal pool is ornamented with various statues of famous philosophers, evangelists, religious heads of churches and Jewish and Christian heroes immortalized forever.
The Myth of the Glücksbringer or Gold Ring
Set into the decorative railings is the famous "Golden Ring, not part of the original fountain, but later added by Albert Leopold in 1902, as he was fixing the railing. This “Glücksbringer" or good luck charm has a legend attached to it. Legend has it that if visitors turn the golden ring 360 degrees, three times their wishes will come true. Turning the lucky charm called “Glücksring im Gitter” or “lucky brass ring”) is also supposed to bring love your way.
A History of The Beautiful Fountain
The protective railing surrounding the Schoner Brunnen’s basin wasn't part of the original German architecture, but was later created by Paulus Kühn of Augsburg in 1587. As detailed above the legendary "Golden ring" wasn't added until 1902; more than likely as a marketing gimmick to draw tourists and to improve the notoriety of this highly decorative fountain. The original sandstone figures were also replaced by shell lime statues between 1897 and 1902.
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