Fontaine de la sirène du Danube, Bronze fountain in Palais Ferstel, Vienna, Austria.
The Fontaine de la sirène du Danube sits in the hexagonal courtyard of Palais Ferstel between two main streets. Three female water figures dance around a central column topped by a figure representing the river itself.
Designed by Heinrich von Ferstel, architect of the bank building that became Palais Ferstel, the fountain was unveiled in October 1861 at a cost of 25,000 gulden. Anton Dominik Fernkorn modelled and cast the bronze parts, while stonemason Anton Wasserburger made the Adnet marble basin.
The figures around the basin show a merchant, a shipbuilder, and a fisherman - people who lived from the river. They tell the story of work and life along the water in centuries past.
The fountain sits in a closed courtyard that is easy to reach from the street. The best time to visit is during the regular hours when the building courtyard is open to the public.
Water flows from the mouths of three bronze water birds perched around the basin, acting as gargoyles. These small details show the careful craftsmanship put into every corner of this work.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,839 contributors worldwide.
