Augustusbrunnen, Renaissance fountain in Rathausplatz, Augsburg, Germany.
Augustusbrunnen is a Renaissance fountain on Rathausplatz in Augsburg, topped by a central bronze statue of Emperor Augustus and surrounded at the base by four bronze river deity figures. The figures visible today are high-quality copies, as the original sculptures were moved to the Maximilianmuseum for conservation.
The fountain was created between 1589 and 1594 by sculptor Hubert Gerhard, who had trained in Florence under the influence of Giambologna. Placing Emperor Augustus at the center was a deliberate reference to the city's Roman origins, as Augsburg was founded as a Roman colony.
The four river figures around the basin each carry objects like oars or water jugs that hint at the role those waterways played in daily life. Looking closely at these details gives a sense of how water shaped the city's identity long before modern infrastructure.
The fountain stands in the center of Rathausplatz, right in front of Augsburg's town hall, and is easy to reach on foot from the main shopping street. The surrounding cobblestones can be slippery when wet, so take care after rain.
The iron grill encircling the fountain was made in 1564 by blacksmith Georg Scheff, nearly 30 years before the fountain itself was completed. This means the grill is actually the oldest element of the whole ensemble still visible on site.
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