Bristol Hannover Council

Hello again,
Today I will invite you for part 3 of our fountain sightseeing tour. The walk is leading us to different places at the outskirts of Hannover.

After the 2nd World War, expellees from Silesia (now Poland) came to Hannover to find a new home here. Flats for these people were built in Hannover-Mittelfeld, many streets get names of towns from Silesia. In the biggest mountain of Silesia, the Riesengebirge (Giant’s mountains), lived the legendary giant “Rübezahl”. He was the keeper of the mountains, the nature and the people. In memory of Silesia 1954 the “Rübezahl” was created by Kurt Lehmann, the figure is made of limestone, 3.20m (10 feet) high with a weight of 4000 kg (4 long tons).

One of the most attractive fountains is situated near the Döhrener Tower beside the foothpath in the direction to the Maschsee. The “Springenden Lachse” (jumping salmons) are a masterpiece of Ludwig Vierthaler, he was 90 years old when he made the sculptures in 1965. The water shoots in a very strong stream out of the mouths of the three fishes.

The next fountain “Frauen am Brunnen im Gespräch” (women talking at the well) shows the essential function of the wells in the past, the water supply. People took their water from here in a jug or bucket and used the place for a chat (in German : Schwatz), the old form of social communication. This fountain decorates the inner courtyard of the Birkenhof (a home for seniors) in Kirchrode.

A really spectacular fountain we will find in the western outskirt Mühlenberg (a windmill gave the name for this residential district). The sculpture shows “Anna Blume”, half woman, half flower. The artist and poet Kurt Schwitters wrote in one of his poems “Anna Blume, tropfes Tier, ich liebe Dir” (Anna Blume, droping animal, I love you).

There is an interesting connection Kurt Schwitters has to England. For the Nazis Schwitters was a degenerate artist and so he immigrated to Norway. When the German Army occupied Norway in 1940 he went to England. In 1948 he died in Kendal, Cumbria, North England, were he was burried. 1970 he got his last rest in a grave at the Engesohnder Cemetry in Hannover. On his gravestone we can read a remark of Schwitters “Man kann ja nie wissen” (You’ll never know).

 

The last fountain for this part is the “Nachtwächter” (night watchman), situated on the market place in Hannover-Linden. He had to walk through the streets of Linden at night, today we would say he was a security officer. He is armed with a spear, a lantern gave a little source of light, with the horn he could sound “alarm (for example fire)”, his dog at his side. And when there is a festivity on the market place he comes down from his pedestal for observing the bustle (do you identify the person in the uniform?)

   

So it’s enough for this time, in April I will show you some more fountains.
Have a good time and “Always look at the bright side of life”.

Your fountain sightseeing guide , Hans

For contact : hajo.grunze@psychoborg.org

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