Onofrio fountain, Renaissance fountain at entrance of Old Town, Dubrovnik, Croatia.
Onofrio fountain is a Renaissance structure with a polygonal form located at the Old Town entrance. The fountain features sixteen carved stone masks with water spouts beneath an ornate stone cupola near Pile Gate.
Italian architect Onofrio della Cava built the fountain in 1438 as part of a large-scale water supply system. This project represented a major engineering achievement for the medieval city and its infrastructure.
The fountain appears in Renaissance playwright Marin Držić's comedy, where characters gather around its waters at night. This literary connection shows how central the structure was to the city's social life.
Visitors can drink fresh water directly from any of the sixteen functioning spouts, which work just as they have for centuries. The fountain is easily accessible and serves as a convenient stop at the Old Town entrance.
After restoration in 2016, a stone dog statue known locally as 'kuchak' was reinstalled atop the fountain walls. This small, often overlooked detail is a charming element of the site's history.
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