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Drink deep at these historical wonders
Switzerland’s stunningly beautiful fountains that showcase not just Swiss craftsmanship but also its pristine waters aren’t celebrated enough
The game is getting intense. The two chess players are pacing up and down the giant board placed on the Lindenhof Hill, one of the oldest neighbourhoods and gardens in Zurich, Switzerland. An onlooker can no longer contain his excitement. He steps onto the playing field and offers some advice to the old man on the black side. Our gamer nods, moves a pawn, and the small audience applauds the move.
Our advisor heaves a sigh of relief, walks away and pours himself a drink from the Hedwig fountain across the chessboard.
Built in 1912, the fountain has a beautiful statue of a Swiss woman wearing a helmet and chain mail, bearing a spear, flag and sword. The powerful sculpture that looks quite real commemorates the women who defended the city by duping Duke Albert I’s army during the siege of Zurich in 1292. While their men were busy campaigning at Winterthur, they dressed up in full battle gear to trick the Habsburg soldiers into believing that the city was well protected. It’s said that the women’s leader was called Hedwig ab Burghalden. And the statue, a creation of Swiss artist Gusrav Siber (1864 to 1927), is named after her.
All around Switzerland, several such fountains, old and new, celebrate the art, history, heritage and culture of the Alpine country. It is one of the largest, open-to-sky galleries of beautiful fountains in the world, which, interestingly, also celebrates the pristine water of the Alps.
While companies across the world sell bottled water from the Alps at a premium, these fountains supply treated and spring water round the clock for free.
Hardly anyone in Switzerland carries bottled water, not even joggers. They carry a mug or an empty metal bottle to have a drink wherever and whenever they want as these fountains are everywhere. “When our government wants to celebrate any milestone, it builds a new fountain, and we couldn’t be happier,” says Elisabeth, a tourist guide in Zurich.
Even the old ones are taken great care of and, when need be, restored and/or painstakingly upgraded. One such is the Aquaretum, which has become synonymous with Zurich’s landscape. The Zurich Insurance Group gifted it to the city in 1998. But after 22 years, it reached end of its life and was declared unfixable.
In 2019, a new, more impressive fountain was revealed, which would respond to major seismic events of the earth, shaking vibrantly or spilling out of its usual formation when the earth is expecting large movement in its belly. Floating on the Zurich lake, it features 12 spherical stainless steel water nozzles. They are tilted towards the centre of the circle and spray glass-clear jets in three different heights to a maximum of 35 metres, forming water arches and domes. It is a visual treat to watch the water rise and fall in a perfect rhythm, unless the earth shakes!
Another imposing fountain in Switzerland’s largest city is Alfred Escher’s, which stands proud at Bahnhofplatz. Built in 1889, the bronze statue by Swiss sculptor Richard Kissling, honours the prominent Swiss banker and railway pioneer. Indeed, banks and trains are what the world thinks of when it thinks of Switzerland. Elisabeth tells me that Zurich’s roads are built on underground bank vaults so everyone is really walking on millions of dollars of wealth. A lot of it belongs to many Indians too. But to return to the Escher fountain. It is a life-size bronze statue on a granite base that functions as a fountain, and has smaller sculptures showing a dragon.
Like in Zurich, there are fountains everywhere in the gorgeous Stein am Rhein. A pretty town with stunning frescoes covering most of its buildings in the midst of which is the Rathausplatz fountain. A place for the locals to socialise and catch up with one another, it was once where the women of the town would gather to wash clothes. Today, there are tourists in the mix too, taking pictures, posing and refilling their water bottles. The limestone fountain dates back to the 16th century, and was called Marktbrunnen. On top of the fountain stands the statue of Steiner Kriegsmann or a Steiner war man, symbolic of the Swiss defence system. It’s also called Eidgenoss, which means ally of the Swiss. He wears a breastplate, greaves (leg protection) and a helmet, and holds a long lance in one hand. He carries a shield too, which bears the emblem of Stein am Rhein, suggesting that the figure is not just an ordinary soldier, but the symbolic protector of the town. The reliefs on the base depict local history, the granting of rights, and other civic events.
These are the common features in many Swiss fountains, and so are emblems of Christianity. Chur, the oldest city in Switzerland that dates back to the Paleolithic period when hunter-gatherers lived in the area, is the next stop of my fountain trail. The lovely St Martins fountain stands in the centre of this charming, small city whose cobblestone roads are lined with pretty museums, cafes and churches.
The fountain was built in 1556 features a statue of Saint Martins of Tours and is right outside St Martins church, Chur’s oldest parish that dates back to the 8th Century AD. A Gothic architectural structure, it is known for its slender bell tower. The fountain opposite it is made with locally-sourced Scalära stone, and its basin is decorated with reliefs of the 12 zodiac signs.
There are also many older fountains in the country. Like the Zähringerbrunnen fountain in Bern. Switzerland’s most recognisable Renaissance monument that was built in 1535 is part of a UNESCO heritage site. This memorial to Berthold V, the duke of Zähringen, features a bear in full armour and a bear cub too at his feet. Legend has it that the bear is the same one that Berthold shot on the Aare peninsula as he was searching for a site to build a city. The armoured bear carries a shield and a banner, both emblazoned with the Zähringen lion.
The fountain of justice or Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen, built in 1543, depicts Lady Justice standing atop a tall, fluted column. She holds a sword of justice in her right hand, a weighing scale in her left, and is blindfolded. Her feet are in sandals, her dress reveals her right knee, and the decorative golden suit of armour on her chest is adorned with bas-relief arabesques. At her feet are the busts of a pope, an emperor, a sultan and a schultheiss (A medieval German official). Their eyes are closed, showing submission, and portraying that justice is above all. This powerful sculpture created by Hans Gieng (1525 – 1562) became so popular that it was replicated at several places across Switzerland. Today, seven such similar fountains are found across the country.
All of these fountains are an integral part of the daily lives of the Swiss. Still in use and greatly cherished they are a great example of preserved heritage – something that visiting Indians are sure to appreciate.
Riddhi Doshi is an independent journalist.
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