Ryfflibrunnen, Renaissance fountain with statue in Old City of Bern, Switzerland.
The Ryfflibrunnen is a Renaissance fountain featuring a statue of a marksman with a crossbow mounted on a stone column beside Aarbergergasse in Bern's Old City. Water still flows from the structure and remains available for drinking.
The fountain was built in 1545 and replaced an earlier wooden structure that had stood at the same location. Its current name was established in 1666, reflecting how the city updated its infrastructure over time.
The figure represents a legendary Bernese marksman from regional stories who played a role in medieval conflicts. The statue with crossbow remains a symbol of the shooting culture that has long been important to the city.
The fountain is located in the Red Quarter and provides drinking water for visitors to the Old City. It is easily accessible and open to the public like all of Bern's public fountains.
The fountain holds the status of a Class A Swiss cultural property of national importance and displays craftsmanship from the 16th century. The combination of water, stone, and metalwork shows how practical water management was united with artistic purpose.
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