Faunbrunnen

The Faunbrunnen stands in Magdeburg’s old town, at the heart of a widened stretch of the pedestrianised Leiterstraße. Created by local sculptor Heinrich Apel, the bronze basin sits on a circular brick platform reached by a few steps. The work was cast in 1986 in Rostock and assembled by a Magdeburg building combine, before being unveiled at a fountain festival in June that year. The fountain is worth the journey for its playful mix of twenty-two bronze figures arranged around the rim. Two boys wrestle, a pair of women dry each other, and a seated woman turns away from a young man; nearby a cat, tortoise, dog and various mythical creatures add to the scene. A ladder on the platform leads to the rim, where a Faun with a water bucket stands beside a man plunging headfirst into the basin, perhaps lured by the Siren figures. Visitors find a lively tableau of naked bodies, animals and hybrid creatures spouting water. In the centre a tall column rises, coiled by a snake and topped by two doves. The humour and symbolism—love, desire and urban life—echo the spirit of medieval town fountains while offering a modern, mischievous twist.