Aldegrever-Brunnen

The Aldegrever-Brunnen is a bronze fountain in Soest, standing on the southern forecourt of St Petri church. Created by sculptor Kord Winter, it was unveiled in 1989. The design draws on a print by Heinrich Aldegrever, a 16th-century engraver and painter from the town. Three musicians appear on the basin, two flautists and a trombonist, taken from Aldegrever’s series The Great Wedding Dancers. The fountain also marks the approximate spot of the artist’s grave, once located on the southern part of the Petri churchyard.

The work links Soest’s present to its Renaissance past through Aldegrever’s art and legacy. Karel van Mander, the 16th-century biographer, recorded that the master’s burial place lay here. Beyond the fountain, Soest keeps his memory alive in street names and a 1525 altarpiece in St Maria zur Wiese. These traces show how the town still recognises one of its most notable sons.

Visitors find a quiet square framed by the church’s old walls and the fountain’s basin. The musicians stand in low relief around the water, their figures clear against the bronze surface. The surrounding streets bear Aldegrever’s name, guiding visitors to other reminders of his work. Inside St Maria zur Wiese, the 1525 Marienaltar carries his influence. From the square, the spire of St Petri rises above the town, linking past and present in a single view.