Ganymede's fountain, Bratislava, Decorative fountain at Hviezdoslavovo Square, Slovakia.
Ganymede's fountain is a decorative fountain at Hviezdoslavovo Square featuring a central statue of Ganymede with three pairs of aquatic animals. The work displays turtles, frogs, and crayfish arranged around its stone basin.
Artist Viktor Tilgner designed this Neo-Baroque fountain in 1888 as a gift from Bratislava's first savings bank to the city administration. The work marked a turning point as the first purely decorative fountain in the city's history.
Child figures around the basin hold four Danube fish species: carp, catfish, sander, and pike, which symbolize the local river fauna. This choice connects the artwork directly to the river's importance for the city.
The fountain sits directly in front of the Slovak National Theatre on Hviezdoslavovo Square and remains accessible throughout the day. Visitors can reach it with wheelchairs and explore the square's surroundings.
Water flows directly through the mouths of the sculpted fish into the basin, a detail that shows the creative engineering of the era. This solution blends function with artistic display in an unusual way.
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