Obeliskbrunnen, Fountain in Schönbrunn Palace Gardens, Hietzing, Vienna, Austria

The Obelisk Fountain stands at the end of the diagonal avenue running southeast from Schönbrunn Palace, near the Meidlinger Tor. Behind a basin of about 160 square metres rises an artificial rock with two grottoes, topped by an obelisk of 27 stone blocks resting on four gilded turtles. An eagle on a gilded sphere crowns the 31.2-metre structure, whose west side facing the palace is covered with hieroglyph-like signs.

The fountain was designed by Johann Ferdinand Hetzendorf von Hohenberg in 1777 with sculptural work by Benedict Henrici, based on designs by Wilhelm Beyer. It reflects the grandeur that the 18th-century court sought to display.

The carved symbols on the obelisk tell a story meant to honor the Habsburg dynasty, though they were created long before anyone truly understood Egyptian writing. They show how people of that time imagined the ancient world, even if the symbols were not authentic.

The fountain sits at the end of the eastern diagonal path of the gardens and is easy to reach by following the main pathways. The water basin is quite shallow, so you can view the structure from multiple angles.

The obelisk's west face, turned toward the palace, carries hieroglyph-like signs along its full height, while the other three sides bear them only on the nine topmost blocks. They were meant to recount Habsburg history up to 1777, yet Egyptian hieroglyphs were not deciphered until later, so the inscription was unreadable when carved.