Anna-Seiler-Brunnen, Renaissance fountain at Marktgasse, Bern, Switzerland
Anna-Seiler-Brunnen is a limestone fountain in Bern's old town featuring a statue of a woman in a blue dress pouring water into a basin for visitors to drink. The figure stands on a Roman column that once supported structures in an ancient Swiss settlement.
The fountain was built in 1545 to honor a woman who founded the city's first hospital in the 1300s. The column beneath it comes from a Roman settlement that existed long before Bern was established.
The fountain features Anna Seiler, a medieval saint still honored at this location today. Passersby stop to admire the blue statue and flowing water, which transforms her into a symbol of the city.
The fountain sits on Marktgasse, a busy shopping street in the old town that is easy to reach on foot. The water is clean and drinkable, though it flows only during the warmer months from May through October.
The Roman column beneath the statue comes from Aventicum, a forgotten ancient city about 30 kilometers away. This reuse connects a thousand years of Bernese history in a single object.
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