Duve-Brunnen, Monumental fountain in Mitte district of Hannover, Germany

The Duve-Brunnen, also called Sämann-Brunnen, stands on the central reservation of the Leibnizufer in Hanover's Calenberger Neustadt. Sculptor Georg Herting's 1916 sower figure rises above a stone shaft bearing a portrait of Johann Duve, with a flattened bowl from which water spills over the rim. The sower faces the fountain's original site on the Neustädter Markt.

A committee began raising funds for a Duve monument in January 1903, and Georg Herting won the 1913 competition with his design "Und er ging aus, zu säen". The foundation stone was laid on the Neustädter Markt in 1913, but the First World War delayed the unveiling until August 1916. During the Second World War the sower figure was taken to Hamburg for melting down and survived there; it returned for the fountain's re-inauguration on 30 April 1953 at the Leibnizufers.

The sower is not a portrait of Johann Duve; his likeness appears on the stone shaft. The figure illustrates the motto of Georg Herting's winning design, "Und er ging aus, zu säen" (And he went out to sow), presenting Duve's grain donations as a blessing for citizens. Since 1906 the committee also held Duve festivals.

The fountain sits directly on the Leibnizufer promenade and is easy to reach on foot from the city center. It operates throughout the day with regular water flow and serves as a convenient stopping point while exploring the riverside.

During World War II the sower was taken to Hamburg as part of metal collections for melting down, but it survived there. After the air raids on Hanover and the relaying of the Leibnizufer, the figure was brought back from Hamburg together with three putti that had originally adorned the fountain. The putti were not reinstalled because they no longer matched contemporary taste.