Power on Land, Monumental fountain at Michaelerplatz, Innere Stadt, Austria.
Power on Land is a monumental fountain at Michaelerplatz featuring a central nude figure holding a sword. The work combines Laas marble and Uddevalla red granite with additional figures arranged throughout its sculptural composition.
The fountain was unveiled in 1897, designed by sculptor Edmund von Hellmer for the facade of the Michaelertrakt of the Hofburg, the palace wing that closes Michaelerplatz. It faces the Macht zur See fountain on the opposite side of the square, and both are protected monuments. Unlike its counterpart, it carries no inscription naming the artist or the year.
The fountain's name, Macht zu Lande (Power on Land), pairs it with the Macht zur See (Power at Sea) fountain on the opposite side of Michaelerplatz. Unlike its counterpart, this basin carries no inscription naming the artist or the year of unveiling, so the 1897 date and Edmund von Hellmer's authorship come from other records.
The fountain sits in a wall niche of the Michaelertrakt on Michaelerplatz, facing the matching Macht zur See fountain across the square. The basin is red Uddevalla granite, the pavement Bohemian granite, the rocks Lindabrunn conglomerate and the figures Laas marble. There is no inscription naming the artist or the year, unlike its counterpart.
Between 2001 and 2003, restorers used historical photographs and plaster models to repair water damage and reconstruct missing sections. This careful work allowed the fountain to be returned to its earlier appearance.
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