Erbsenbrunnen, Mineral water fountain in Bad Cannstatt, Germany

The Erbsenbrunnen is a mineral water fountain in Bad Cannstatt featuring a statue of a boy holding a pitcher above a large pea-shaped stone sphere with water flowing through four pipes into a hexagonal basin. The mineral water comes from the Kellerbrunnenquelle and travels through a ring pipeline system.

Fritz von Graevenitz created this travertine fountain in 1929 to replace an earlier iron fountain that had served the community. The fountain was destroyed and rebuilt in 1948, with the boy's statue redesigned for the reconstruction.

The name refers to the water's low hardness, which was said to make it especially good for soaking pulses such as beans and peas. The jug held by the boy and the oversized pea under his feet recall that the water was once fetched here for cooking. The original spring was cut off during the Neckar regulation of the 1920s; the fountain now runs on water from the Kellerbrunnenquelle.

The fountain stands on Marktstraße in Bad Cannstatt, on the site of an older iron fountain. Its mineral water is drinkable, so bring a bottle. The figure was badly damaged on the evening of 5 June 2024 and removed by the fire brigade, so check whether the boy is back before making the trip.

Richard von Weizsäcker, later President of Germany, recalled in 1990 that he had modelled for the boy; eyewitnesses place him instead at Graevenitz's Faunbrunnen. The pea-shaped sphere under the figure carries the year 1929. In June 2024 the statue was badly damaged and removed by the fire brigade.