Guggemusik fills the air. Helau-Rufe echo through the square. We are standing at the Narrenbrunnen. This isn’t just any fountain. It’s a monument to Karlsruher Fastnacht, or Carnival.
The Narrenbrunnen has been here on the northern Kronenplatz since November 11, 1997. The location is significant. The first Karlsruher Fastnachtsverein, the “Narrenverein von Pfannenstielhausen,” was founded in the former Dörfle nearby in 1843. Every year, on the 11th of November at 11:11 am, the storming of the Karlsruhe Rathaus for the key handover starts here.
Günther Rüssel from the CDU city council suggested building a Narrenbrunnen for Karlsruhe in 1983. Jürgen Olm, the new president of the Festausschuss Karlsruher Fastnacht, pushed the project forward from 1987 to 1997. Olm laid the “foundation” with an initial donation of 111 DM soon after being elected FKF President in September 1987.
Over the next decade, the Festausschuss raised half of the 300,000 DM needed through donations. This persuaded the city to contribute the other half. Markus Lüpertz, a well-known artist, was hired for the artistic design.
Lüpertz collaborated with the Karlsruhe architectural firm Schmidt & Schmidt and the Eppelheim-based terrazzo company Fiorentini. He designed a six-meter-diameter blue terrazzo bowl for the fountain basin. A harlequin sits on a pedestal made of stacked blocks on the northwest edge. His legs are crossed. His torso and cap face forward. His face is in profile. The harlequin’s red and green costume features the typical diamond pattern on the cap and wide collar.
The bronze figure rests on a square base of red-brown terrazzo. Two nozzles in the base fill the basin with water. Twenty-seven majolica tiles are mounted on a metal railing on the northwest edge of the basin. They show the city’s coat of arms and two FKF symbols. Emblems of all Karlsruher Fastnachtsvereine are also present.
The Narrenbrunnen isn’t just for show. It’s a working fountain. However, after 25 years, the Narrenbrunnen needed work. In 2022, the fountain marked its 25th anniversary. The European Fountain Society, headquartered in Karlsruhe, gave the FKF a sponsorship certificate for the Narrenbrunnen. A foundation was created with assistance from the Sparkasse from the estate of Ilse Völter to assist finance the restoration.
Even before the official restoration, the Fastnacht celebrated its Narrenbrunnen. Vereinspräsidenten cleaned the fountain in a crazy cleaning campaign armed with cleaning rags, brooms, and rubber boots. Bernd Lindorf from KG Fidelio, who plays the Narrenfigur at Fastnacht, even cleaned the face of the Narrenfigur with care.
Markus Lüpertz created the figure of the fool. There is hope that he will give it a new coat of paint as part of the refurbishment. The Narrenbrunnen stands as a symbol. It embodies the spirit of Karlsruher Fastnacht. Its traditions come alive.