Lederstrumpfbrunnen, Public drinking fountain in Edenkoben, Germany.
Lederstrumpfbrunnen is a fountain in central Edenkoben with three main bronze figures: the frontiersman Johann Adam Hartmann as a hunter holding a rifle with a dog at his side and a shot capercaillie, the Mohican chief Chingachgook, and the painter Max Slevogt. It was designed by sculptor Gernot Rumpf between 1987 and 1990 and donated by the local savings bank.
The fountain was designed by sculptor Gernot Rumpf between 1987 and 1990 and donated by the local savings bank. It recalls Johann Adam Hartmann (1748–1836), born in Edenkoben, who emigrated to North America in 1764, worked as a trapper and fought in the American Revolutionary War from 1775 to 1783. Some consider him a model for Natty Bumppo in James Fenimore Cooper's Leatherstocking Tales.
The fountain's figures tie Edenkoben to James Fenimore Cooper's novels: Johann Adam Hartmann, born here in 1748, is shown as a hunter with rifle and dog, beside the Mohican chief Chingachgook. The third figure is the painter Max Slevogt (1868–1932), who illustrated the Leatherstocking Tales and lived in the Palatinate for years.
The fountain stands at the Goldenes Eck in the centre of Edenkoben, within walking distance of the town's other sights. The sources do not mention drinking water, so treat it as a landmark to view rather than a water stop. The surrounding sculptures can be walked around and viewed from all sides.
The fountain's figures include not only Hartmann and Chingachgook but also the painter Max Slevogt (1868–1932), who illustrated Leatherstocking editions and lived for years in the Palatinate. His bronze stands in front of the two literary figures, a detail many visitors walk past.
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