Couvenwandbrunnen

The Couvenwandbrunnen is a wall fountain in Burtscheid, a district of Aachen. It stands on the Abteiplatz near St. Johann church. The fountain was designed by Jakob Couven, a local Baroque master builder, for the courtyard of the Wespienhaus. Later research showed it was not his father Johann Joseph Couven who created it in 1737. After the Second World War the fountain was moved behind St. Johann church. The fountain survived two wars and several relocations. In the early 20th century the Wespienhaus was sold and its contents auctioned, but the city saved the fountain. It was later moved to the courtyard of Haus Fey for the first Couven Museum in 1928. After Haus Fey was destroyed in a 1943 air raid the fountain was stored safely. In 1993 it was finally placed at its present site on the Abteiplatz. Visitors find the Couvenwandbrunnen mounted on the wall below St. Johann church. A plaque once wrongly credited the work to the father, Johann Joseph Couven. The fountain’s curved basin and ornamental spout reflect the Baroque style of Jakob Couven. The Abteiplatz itself is a quiet square in Burtscheid, surrounded by older buildings. The church tower and nearby houses frame the scene, giving a sense of the district’s history.