Suddenly gnomes are holding basins. These basins sit at the base of the Kopfwaschbrunnen. This ornate fountain whispers tales of health and fortune. It is located at Postplatz. Let me tell you its story.
The Kopfwaschbrunnen has a unique design. It features two interwoven motifs. First there is a pointed column that rises like a pyramid. Second there is a raised sacrarium. This is like those found in wayside shrines. The sacrarium is stone and stands almost three feet high.
Four figures stand at the four sides of the Kopfwaschbrunnen. Saint Boniface is to the east. He was an apostle to the Germans. John the Baptist is to the south. Saint Elizabeth of Thuringia is to the west. Widukind is to the north. He was the first Saxon prince to be baptized. Biblical verses are beneath the figures. Water was viewed as a symbolic force. It could heal the body and soul.
The Kopfwaschbrunnen has a column at its heart. The column rises about 52 feet. It sits in the middle of an octagonal granite basin. This basin is about 22 feet in diameter. A two-tiered finial surmounts the column.
The sculptor Karl-Moritz Seelig used Cotta sandstone when the monument was built in 1843. This stone was easy to work with. Sadly it weathered quickly. Restoration work was needed as early as 1869. Some wanted to switch to bronze. Prof. Constantin Lipsius rejected this idea. He was one of Semper’s pupils. He did not want his master’s monument distorted.
The Kopfwaschbrunnen was fully refurbished between 1889 and 1891. The sculptor Franz Schramm led this work. Hard Weser sandstone replaced the old stone. Silesian sandstone was used for the figural area. The fountain was also moved eastwards during this work.
In 1927 traffic increased. The Kopfwaschbrunnen was relocated. It moved from Postplatz. It went to the corner of Sophienstrasse and Kleine Brüderstrasse.
Though right in the city center the Kopfwaschbrunnen escaped the 1945 bombings. It sustained only minor damage. Parts that had fallen off were recovered. These included the finial. This allowed restoration in the 1960s. The fountain was refurbished again between 1996 and 1997. This dealt with vandalism and weathering.
The Kopfwaschbrunnen stands as a gift to Dresden. It commemorates the city’s escape from cholera in the early 1840s. Gutschmid donated the fountain. It was to mark the gracious providence of Heaven. Dresden avoided the epidemic. The epidemic was near. It was approaching from the Oder River and the lower Elbe. Dresden had experience from a plague outbreak in 1680. The city council created its first Plague Order. This helped fight epidemics by enforcing hygiene rules.
Gutschmid wanted Semper to design the fountain. He wrote that he wanted to exploit the fortunate circumstance. Dresden had an artist whose works earned him acclaim. Semper was appointed to the Chair of Architecture at the Royal Saxon Academy of the Arts in 1834. He had already designed other Dresden buildings. These included the Villa Rosa and the old Royal Court Theatre.
There was discussion about the fountain’s location. Semper preferred the square west of the city center. This was originally Wilsdruffer Tor-Platz. It became Postplatz in 1865. Postplatz offered a good view of the monument. The soil conditions and water supply also played a role.
The Kopfwaschbrunnen reminds us of Dresden’s resilience. It also shows the city’s artistic heritage. This beautiful fountain continues to spout water. It serves as a daily reminder of the city’s good fortune. It whispers thanks for a danger averted long ago. Next we will…