Taubenbrunnen, Cultural heritage fountain near Cologne Cathedral, Germany
The Taubenbrunnen is a fountain made from basalt, copper, and mosaic in Cologne's old town. The structure features a large oval mosaic field framed by iron bars with a circular trough where water flows through a spiral pattern before draining at the center.
Sculptor Ewald Mataré designed the fountain in 1950 as a drinking spot for the cathedral pigeons; it was Cologne's first newly built fountain after World War II and its first abstract one. The Bank für Gemeinwirtschaft funded it and influenced its siting before its own building at Domplatz, completed in 1953. The foundation stone was laid in late July 1953 with a marzipan pigeon buried beneath it, and the fountain was inaugurated on 4 August 1953.
The fountain's name refers to the cathedral pigeons it was meant to water. At the 1953 inauguration, no pigeons appeared, though they were then widely seen as a peace symbol. A ground plaque names Ewald Mataré (1887–1965) and the Bank für Gemeinwirtschaft, which funded the work.
The fountain sits at Kardinal-Höffner-Platz in front of Cologne Cathedral and is easy to reach from the old town center. Water flows continuously through the spiral channel, making any time of day a good moment to visit.
At the laying of the foundation stone in late July 1953, a marzipan "unknown pigeon" was buried in the ground, and a document signed by all those present was placed in the fountain's base. According to several reports, no real pigeons attended the inauguration on 4 August 1953.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,732 contributors worldwide.
