Fountain of Aivazovsky in Feodosia, Public fountain in Feodosia, Russia

The Fountain of Aivazovsky is a rectangular structure in an Oriental style, built of local shell limestone, with large roof canopies; part of the stone facing survives. In its northern facade are doors leading to a chamber with a water-collection reservoir. The fountain is currently not operating: no water is supplied.

Feodosia suffered chronic water shortages, and in the dry summer of 1887 water was shipped in barrels from Sevastopol. That autumn Ivan Aivazovsky gave the city the Subash springs on his estate near Stary Krym. The foundation stone was laid on 12 September 1887, and a 25 km cast-iron pipeline was built in spring and summer 1888 at a cost of 231,689 roubles. The fountain opened on 1 October 1888, delivering 50,000 buckets of drinking water a day.

The fountain's name honours Ivan Aivazovsky, who donated his Subash springs near Stary Krym to the city. Before the revolution a silver cup stood by it inscribed "For the health of I. K. Aivazovsky and his family". Nearby stood the oriental-style cafe "Fontanchik", with chebureki on one side and shashlik grilled on the other, popular around 1900.

The fountain stands in Yubileyny Park, not by the Aivazovsky gallery. It no longer functions: no water is supplied. Its north facade has doors leading into the reservoir chamber, and the surviving shell-stone facing can be examined up close.

The foundation stone still shows traces of an earlier inscription: before the first letter of "I. K. Aivazovsky" the larger strokes of the letter "И" from "Императора" remain, and after the name the letter "А" from "Александра". The city had the centre of the plaque cut out and a new block inserted because there was no money for a fresh stone.