Tag: Zurich

Most of the fountains I encounter in Zürich – and most of those I’ve shared here – are constructed from concrete or metal, or sculpted from stone, to form pillars or bowls or human figures. But there is another fascinating trend in fountains, most often visible along the forested trails of Zürichberg or Uetliberg, the hills that straddle the Zürichsee valley. These natural fountains, made from boulders or logs, can be plain and functional, or playfully elaborate, or almost zen-like in their simplicity. Here are a few examples; see 19 photos in the gallery, beginning here.

I often pass this fountain, built into a hillside near the top of the Rigiblick Seilbahn, as it is one of my preferred routes down from Zürichberg. One warm spring day I was planning to photograph the fountain from across the street when this boy came pedaling up the steep street, and stopped for a drink. An old woman stood a few meters away – in this era of social distancing – waiting her turn to approach the fountain. A middle-aged man came by, and refilled his water bottle. All in a matter of minutes! I eventually got the photo I came for – of the fountain with no people – but I actually like this one better.

For the other photo, see the gallery. And, for that matter, 16 other new fountains, of various designs, none worthy of its own blog post.

Although most of the fountains you’ve seen me highlight, thus far, have been of a classical design, you’ve also seen a few with a more contemporary style – like the Münsterhof fountain so enjoyed by that dog late last week. Today I thought I’d highlight a few more of the contemporary designs I’ve found… all quite different!

As usual, I show only a few photos here, and only at a small size; these and eight other photos were added to the gallery today, starting here.

PS. It turns out other bloggers have highlighted Zurich’s fountains, including Annette’s bucket-list journey (I’ve found almost of of those she photographed), Anita’s sane travel blog (same!), and Tall Stories 33, a 5-minute audio blog, which claims Zürich has more fountains than any other city in the world, approximately 1,200. The latter provides some interesting historic background. Indeed, I’ve noticed many fountains labeled with dates from the early 1700s.

Bahnhofstrasse could perhaps be perceived as the “Main Street” of Zürich, leading directly out from the main train station HauptBahnhof to the lakefront, passing the most luxurious shops on the most expensive commercial real estate in town. It begins at the Escher fountain in Bahnhofplatz and passes the Wallace fountain in Pestalozzianlage, and very close to the courtyard with the ornate fountain that began my fountain tour.

There are three other wonderful fountains along this strasse. First is a rather heroic male figure atop a pillar at the corner of Rennweg, who I always thinks looks rather silly with pidgeon spikes on his shoulders; the fountain, though, has a lovely flower planter above its pool.

Next is a female figure atop a pillar in Zughusplatz, with her peacock, next to the Hérmes store.

Finally, near the end of the road at Berkliplatz, is an elaborate fountain; here is a close-up of its spout.

I encourage you to visit the gallery here to see a few more shots of each of these fountains, especially the last. It has an inscription: “DA LIEF IHR DER KNECHT ENTGEGEN, UND SPRACH: LASS MICH EIN WENIG WASSER AUS DEINEM KRUGE TRINKEN. UND SIE SPRACH: TRINKE. MEIN HERR: UND EILEND LIESS SIE DEN KRUG HERNIEDER AUF IHRE HAND UND GAB IHM ZU TRINKEN.” Google Translate says that is, roughly, “Then the servant ran towards her and said: let me drink a little water from your pitcher. and she said: drink. my lord: and hurriedly she dropped the jug on her hand and gave it to drink.”

Unfortunately I do not know the story (if any) behind these fountains.

The large fountain anchoring the west corner of the Münsterhof plaza – in the shadow of Fraumünster church – is one of the most elegant contemporary fountains I have found in Zürich, and one of the largest. Its elegant spout arcs high over a large bowl to create a pool that refreshes one’s spirit – and a side spout pours into a smaller bowl to quench one’s thirst. I’ve visited this fountain many times; the gallery contains a few of my favorite shots from three very different settings.

I stopped by early on Easter morning, when the sun was still rising over Zürichberg to the east, and explored different ways to capture the sunlight as it played with this fountain. The first shot in the gallery may be the most fun.

Yesterday, now that restaurants have re-opened and all the plazas like Münsterhof are scattered with tables and happy couples dining in the late-spring sunshine, we went for lunch at a restaurant near the fountain. Suddenly, a woman and her dog approached the fountain, and the dog decided to get a drink from the middle of the large pool! He spent about 20 minutes walking around the rim of the pool, walking through the pool, drinking from the falling water, and very nearly shaking off his coat as he passed some neighboring diners. More photos in the gallery.

I’ve encountered this model in four places. At first I saw it as just a pillar with some geometric carvings. But I’ve come to see it as a face, which somehow makes me think of a stereotypical robot. The particular example below is only two blocks from our flat, and has grown a crown of thorns thanks to the neighbor’s rose bush. The others in the gallery give you a clearer look at the carvings.