Fountains of Europe—Water Becomes Art
Hank Schrader, USMA '71, Europe Destination & Europe River Cruise Expert
We all know water is essential to life. So, it stands to reason that drinking sources of water were important to maintain life. Yet mankind, in its endless quest to make what is functional into something more, started decorating water sources and wells for various reasons.
Some were to display power and wealth to dazzle all in palaces; some were displays of religious significance; some were to replicate their vision of paradise in their gardens; some were to display craftsmanship—pretty much the idea was to enhance this essential element of life.
Don’t expect any real rhyme or reason or great organized method to this collection of pictures—they just caught our eye and we were fascinated seeing them used in the daily lives of Europeans in their public gathering places, or at their palaces.
So, let’s explore together and learn about fountains through our eyes—you won’t be disappointed!
Dramatic Palace Fountains
Let’s begin our journey by the most dramatic fountains, usually found in Palaces.
Perhaps the best known collection of fountains is at Versailles. Water in French gardens has always been important, and there are about 50 fountains on the palace grounds. Here are some photos of these wonderful fountains:
Latona’s fountain depicts the story of Latona, the mother of Apollo and Diana. She pleads with Jupiter to protect her children from the insults of the peasants of Lycia about her children. Jupiter grants her request and turns the folks in Lycia into frogs and lizards.
Apollo’s Fountain may be the best known fountain in Versailles. It shows Apollo, the Sun god, bursting from the water in his chariot ready for his daily flight above the earth. It was a symbol of the power of the Sun King, Louis XIV.
This is the holding basin reservoir and is the supply of water for some of the fountains in Versailles. 2 water jets sent water high in the air so it could be easily seen from the palace.
Next up has to be Peterhof, just outside of St. Petersburg in Russia. Not to be outdone by the magnificence of Versailles, there are 64 fountains. None of these require pumps, as water is supplied from natural springs and by using elevation difference, it creates enough pressure to get the fountains to work.
Here is a picture of the famous Samson Fountain in Peterhof. This symbolizes the defeat of Sweden (the lion was the symbol of Sweden) by Russia on Samson’s Day during Peter the Great’s reign
Samson’s Fountain at Peterhof
Trying to replicate their idea of paradise, the fountains of the Alhambra in Grenada, must also be on this list.
Paseo of the Cypress has been renamed as the Garden of Saint Francis.
The Courtyard of the Lions was built in the 1360’s. This garden was designed to represent the heavenly garden of Islam. The large bowl sits atop 12 lions and 4 water channels stream from this fountain. The 4 channels are symbols of the 4 rivers of paradise. Water also come from the mouth of the lions.
A great photo of one of the water features of the Generalife gardens.
The Alcazar in Seville, has some great fountains in the gardens.
This is the Pond of Mercury in the Alcazar, Seville. The statue in the middle of the pond is of the ancient god Mercury.
The beautiful blue tiles provide a great backdrop for this fountain.
In Bratislava, Solvakia, in the Primate’s Palace this small fountain depicts St. Gorge slaying the dragon.
Famous Fountains
No European fountain list would complete without including Trevi Fountain, in Rome. It is the largest fountain in Rome—86 feet by 161 feet. Before the pandemic, this fountain was visited by 10 million people a year.
The theme of the Trevi Fountain is that water is the source of health and abundance it brings to the earth. The many sculptures are themed around Oceanus, not Neptune, as many visitors think. The fountain source of water dates back to ancient Roman times and the modern fountain was completed by direction of the Pope
Most know the legend from the movies—throw a coin into the fountain and you will come back to Rome.
The ancient Trajan Fountain, in Ephesus, Turkey was built in the 2nd century AD (or the Common Era). The fountain had two stories, with one interior pool of water and one exterior water pool. It was decorated with 10 different statues.
It was built to honor Trajan, a former ruler of Rome—it was quite common to build monuments to Roman Emperors and this carried forward to the Roman colony of Ephesus. This was a massive structure—about 9.5 meters high and 17 meters long and it is hard to realize the true size from the present day ruins.
Our next stop is a little naked guy, who can’t hold his water. Of course, I’m referring to Manneken Pis, located in Brussels. In an effort to hide his naked body, thousands of costumes have been designed to cover him up but they still leave part of him exposed. It has become the symbol of Brussels because it represents for the Belgium people their sense of humor and independent thinking.
This bronze statue was designed by Jerome Duquesnoy in 1619.
He even has a replica in Colmar.
In Antwerp, the Brabo Fountain is another spectacular art work display. It is located in front of the town hall and was dedicated in 1887. The legend is about a Roman soldier who defeated a giant terrorizing the Scheldt River by forcing all to pay tolls. Water of the fountain comes out from the severed wrist of the giant.
Here is a much smaller water well that has great iron works also in Antwerp,
At a place where they always seem to be repairing this fountain, Der Schoene Brunnen ( in English the beautiful fountain) , in Nuremberg, is just stunning.
The fountain is 19 meter high, was built in the 14th century, and is in the shape of a Gothic spire. There are 40 colorful figures on this fountain and represent important ideas and people of the Holy Roman Empire.
We finally got some pictures of this gem—please enjoy.
In Basel, Switzerland, we found two small fountains that were richly decorated with painted figures. My favorite is the statue of Neptune that is really good art work. These small fountains are quite typical of Swiss fountains
Sevogel Fountain in Basel. The statue at the top is Herman Sevogel, the hero of battle of St. Jakob.
Paris, France Fountains
The Fountain Medicis, in the Luxembourg Gardens is an interesting water fountain. It was built around 1630.
The Fountain Saint Michael was built in 1860. It depicts St Michael defeating the devil. There are 2 winged dragons that provide water to the fountain. 9 different sculptors worked on the fountain.
The Fountain Stravinsky, in the Pompidou Center, is a colorful display of 16 different sculptures. These whimsical collection of works are designed to represent the works of the musical composer Igor Stravinsky. This fountain area was created in 1983.
The massive fountains at the Palace de la Concorde are impressive. This is the Fountain of River Commerce and Navigation.
The Fountain of the Rivers represent river navigation, agriculture and industry.
Bordeaux, France
This massive fountain is in a park in Bordeaux.
Along the waterfront, Bordeaux has some amazing fountains. This is the Monument aux Girondins Fountain. Girondists supported the French Revolution and this fountain was built as a memorial to these folks as they became political martyrs and were often killed for their beliefs during the reign of terror.
Baltic Fountains
In Stockholm’s Old town, there is an impressive fountain.
The gargoyles serve as protectors for the water spouts of this still working fountain in old town square in Stockholm.
On the Esplanade in Helsinki, several cool fountains caught our attention. Havis Amanda is recognized as one of the best works of art in Helsinki. Here are 2 pictures of this fountain.
The sculpture is cast in bronze an the water basin is made from granite. The sculpture is a mermaid rising from the water and four sea lions spouting water from their mouths.
A close up view of one of the sea lions.
Water Nymphs Fountain in the Esplanade in Helsinki
Some Fountains of Southern Europe
In Dubrovnik, a huge water supply system, kept the walled city well supplied.
This tiny fountain in Montenegro is more functional than ornamental.
In Pecs, Hungry, this dazzling fountain has always impressed visitors and locals for the detailed tile work. This is the Zsolnay Fountain is an Art Nouveau fountain built in 1912 using tiles from the Zsolnay factory.
In Malta, there are some neat gardens among the heavy fortifications. This is the Upper Barrakka Garden Fountain in Valletta. This garden is located on the upper tier of of the Peter & Paul Bastion and really stands out among the strong defensive walls ,
My Final Thoughts
What a great adventure—European Fountains—just another reason we love the Old World of Europe so much! We hope you enjoyed these pictures as much as we enjoyed seeing them during our travels.
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HANK is a certified Western European Destination Specialist (DS) who has been traveling to Europe for 49 years. He is also an Accredited Cruise Counselor (ACC), conferred by the Cruise Line International Association (CLIA). This recognized expert in cruise and leisure travel is a retired Army Officer, and taught World Geography for 8 years. He is a `71 graduate of West Point and has earned 2 master’s degrees. His other Certifications:
AmaWaterways River Cruise Specialist
Viking River Cruise Specialist
Scenic River Cruise Specialist
Emerald Waterways Specialist
Avalon Waterways Specialist
Brit Agent
