Alsterfontaine, Water fountain in Hamburg-Altstadt, Germany
The Alsterfontaine is a fountain on the Binnenalster in Hamburg, a single jet rising from a platform in the water. A 70 kW pump pushes about 180,000 litres per hour up to 40 metres, and the plume averages 60 metres high, its top fanning into spray. The platform carries spotlights for evening illumination and is removed each November.
Carlheinz Hollmann conceived the fountain in 1986 after seeing Geneva's Jet d'eau from a plane. He convinced building senator Eugen Wagner using a bent pipe cleaner as a model, and sponsors such as Blohm + Voss were found. The fountain has sprayed since 18 April 1987 at 12 noon; early on, many residents rejected it because the Binnenalster had always been Hamburg's plain landmark.
The fountain shapes the Jungfernstieg throughout the year and is replaced by a Christmas tree from November to March, transforming the waterfront's appearance. This seasonal shift reflects how the city marks the passage of time and celebrates different periods.
The fountain runs daily from March to November, spraying from 9:00 to 24:00, and its jet is limited in height by Hamburg's windy weather. In early November the platform is dismantled and stored for maintenance; around Advent it is replaced by a platform carrying a large illuminated Christmas tree on the sometimes frozen Alster.
The fountain was the idea of journalist Carlheinz Hollmann, who in 1986 saw Geneva's Jet d'Eau from a plane. He convinced Hamburg's building senator Eugen Wagner by bending a pipe cleaner into the shape of the jet. The pump lifts about 180,000 litres per hour to 40 metres, and the spray's aeration has measurably improved the Alster's water quality.
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