Pferdeschwemme, Baroque horse fountain in Altstadt, Austria

The Pferdeschwemme stands on Herbert-von-Karajan-Platz, beside the Neutor tunnel and opposite the Great Festival Hall. Its central group by Bernhard Michael Mandl, signed B.M. Mandl MDCLXXXXV, shows a rearing prince-archbishop's horse held by a tamer; the figure is identified as Alexander the Great. A basin lies before a wall whose panels carry frescoes by Franz Anton Ebner, repainted last in 1960.

Built in 1695 during Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach's redesign of the Court Stables, the fountain's horse-tamer group is signed B.M. Mandl MDCLXXXXV; the design may be Fischer's own, echoing antique horse groups known through Bernini's workshop drawings. In 1732 Archbishop Leopold Anton von Firmian gave the basin its present form, turning the sculpture toward the city and adding his coat of arms to a new pedestal.

The horse tamer is Alexander the Great, as the Esperanto source states; the Latin inscription on the base praises the 'ancient beauty restored by wondrous novelty' under Archbishop Leopold Anton von Firmian. The wall frescoes by Franz Anton Ebner were repainted several times, most recently in 1960.

The fountain sits on Herbert von Karajan Square near the Festival Halls and remains accessible year-round for those exploring Salzburg's historic center. As a public monument, it can be viewed freely from outside.

During renovations ordered by Prince Archbishop Firmian, the entire fountain was rotated 90 degrees and his coat of arms along with a commemorative inscription were added. This change transformed the monument into a display of authority and ownership.