Singing Fountain, Zierbrunnen in Tschechien

The Singing Fountain stands in the giardinetto of the Royal Garden at Prague Castle, in front of the Queen Anne's Summer Palace. Cast in 1568 by bell-founder Tomáš Jaroš from a design by Francesco Terzi, the 5,121 kg fountain is made of soft bronze (94% copper, 6% tin). Two shell-shaped basins are joined by a column decorated with figures of mythical beings and topped by a bagpiper statue.

The fountain was cast in the 1560s by metalworker Tomáš Jaroš, who also created the largest bell for St. Vitus Cathedral. The design was drawn by court painter Francesco Terzio and demonstrates the craftsmanship of the Renaissance period.

The name comes from the sound of water falling on the bronze disc; placing an ear under the bronze bowl reveals a resonance around the note "a", and the falling water is said to resemble the distant ringing of all Prague's bells. The fountain appears in the song Praha 1581 by the Eben Brothers.

The fountain stands in the giardinetto, the small garden in front of the Letohrádek královny Anny (Queen Anne's Summer Palace) in the Royal Garden at Prague Castle. To hear the tone, put your ear under the bronze bowl rather than beside the jets. Water reached the fountain only in 1574.

The fountain appears in the song "Praha 1581" on the album Malé písně do tmy by the Eben Brothers. The water falling on the bronze disc sounds like the very distant ringing of all Prague's bells, and an ear held under the bronze bowl should catch a resonance around the note "a".