St. Johanner Marktbrunnen, Baroque water well at St. Johanner Markt, Saarbrücken, Germany.
St. Johanner Marktbrunnen is a Baroque fountain with symmetrical design featuring a central obelisk adorned with vine ornaments and a crowning vase. Four masks direct water into outer basins below, with the entire structure resting on a three-step platform.
A fountain on the market is documented as early as 1556, when the mayor's office of St. Johann paid the sculptor Wolf Schroppen for stonework; Heinrich Kempter replaced it with a new fountain in 1602. The present structure was built in 1759/60 after a competition, from designs by Ignatius Bischof and Friedrich Joachim Stengel, with sculpture by Johann Philipp Mihm and the wrought-iron grille by Sontag Bückelmann. Around 1880 the four large basins replaced the original shells and were renewed in 1930; the fountain was moved several times in the 20th century before returning to its original spot on a stepped base, and it was restored in 1930, 1994 and 2012.
The fountain's name comes from the St. Johann district, and its basin rim carries a wrought-iron grille made by Sontag Bückelmann. The four outer basins replaced original shell-shaped basins around 1880 and were renewed in 1930. The fountain is a protected individual monument.
The fountain sits centrally on St. Johanner Market and is easy to reach and view from various angles. Visitors can approach it from all sides to study the details of its Baroque ornamentation.
The fountain was moved several times in the 20th century to suit changing traffic routing; after the market became a pedestrian zone it was returned to its original spot where the sight lines of St. Johanner Markt, Obertorstraße and Saarstraße meet, and set on a stepped base.
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