Neptunbrunnen, Water well in Mitte, Germany.
Neptunbrunnen is a water fountain in Mitte where a central figure of Neptune stands on a shell, flanked by tritons and various sea creatures in bronze. The entire composition displays detailed work in the figures and their arrangement around the water basin.
The bronze and granite fountain was set up on Bremen's Domshof in 1991, created by sculptor Waldemar Otto. In 1990 Bremen residents voted on three submitted designs, and the work was financed by donations and the Stiftung Wohnliche Stadt. Since 2025 it has been protected as part of the "Platzanlage Domshof" ensemble.
The bronze group shows Neptune on a two-horse chariot, with Triton blowing a shell, the old Nereus at the basin rim and Proteus half hidden by a half-cylinder. Bremen residents chose the design in a 1990 vote among three drafts and could record opinions in a book.
The fountain stands on the Domshof in Bremen's centre, between the cathedral and the town hall, and faces the Haus der Bürgerschaft. Its base rises three steps above the surrounding pavement, and two granite blocks on the long sides serve as benches.
The bronze Neptune and Proteus are hollow shells: seen from the front they look massive, but from another angle they open like bowls, and Neptune reveals an inner framework of metal struts resembling a skeleton. The two horses spout water from their nostrils now and then.
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