Imagine strong arms lifting you towards the sky. Those arms belong to the mighty stier at Arnswalder Platz. This park has a hidden history. It was once a nameless place. Later it became a symbol of art. It is a green space for the people of Prenzlauer Berg.
Arnswalder Platz began as just Platz A. It was part of the Hobrecht-Plan of 1862. Around 1902 it gained the name Arnswalder Platz. This was after the town of Arnswalde in Pommern. Today that town is Choszczno. For a time the Nazis renamed it Hellmannplatz in 1937. Then from 1974 to 1995 it had no name at all. In 1995 it became Arnswalder Platz again.
The park’s layout came from Hermann Mächtig. He designed it between 1900 and 1904. Later in 1933 and 1934 Richard Ermisch redesigned it. His design centered on a special fountain.
That fountain is the Stierbrunnen. It means bull fountain. It is also known as the Fruchtbarkeitsbrunnen. That means fertility fountain. Hugo Lederer designed it. He originally planned it for Buenos Aires. But Berlin bought the design in 1927.
The city wanted to put it on Baltenplatz. That is now Bersarinplatz. But the ground was not strong enough. So the fountain came to Arnswalder Platz. In 1934 the stones arrived in Berlin. The fountain is made of red Rochlitzer Porphyrtuff.
The Stierbrunnen has a large bowl. Water flows over a mushroom-shaped stone. On each side stands a five-meter-high bull. Figures sit at the feet of these bulls. A woman harvests grain. A fisherman holds a net. A shepherd has a ram. A mother holds her child. These figures show fertility.
In 1959 workers renovated the fountain. They added underwater lights. By 1990 the fountain was falling apart. It was covered in graffiti. In 2007 the city began to fix it. They finished in 2010. Now the Stierbrunnen works again.
Arnswalder Platz is more than just a fountain. It has a playground. It has a play area for ball games. People can sit on benches under old chestnut trees. There is even an old-fashioned water pump.
After World War II the park changed. Workers built a rubble railway. It carried debris to Volkspark Friedrichshain. They used the rubble to build two hills. Locals called them Mont Klamott.
In 2012 locals started a garden group. They wanted to improve the park. They cleaned up weeds and trash. Now they meet nine times a year. They call it Public Gardening. They care for this special place.
Arnswalder Platz is now a protected site. It shows how nature and art can combine. The Stierbrunnen is its heart. It reminds us of Berlin’s history. It also shows the community’s spirit. It is a place for everyone to enjoy.