Löwenbrunnen

The Löwenbrunnen stands on the northern forecourt of the Katharinenkirche in Braunschweig, Niedersachsen. It was created in either 1822 or 1842 to honour soldiers who fell in the wars against Napoleon. The design came from architect Peter Joseph Krahe, while sculptor Johann Gottfried Schadow provided the model for the iron lions. The bronze lion on the fountain was cast in the Fürstlichen Braunschweigischen Hüttenwerke in Zorge/Harz. A second lion was later ordered by Carl Theodor Ottmer for the Katharinengemeinde after the original set left the foundry. The fountain served as a watering place for horses and a drinking spot for market traders on the nearby Hagenmarkt. Water was piped from the Hägener Jödebrunnen about one kilometre away. During the Second World War the fountain survived the bombing of the city centre largely unharmed. It remained in place until 2003 when building work on the church forecourt led to its removal to a municipal yard for storage. Today the Löwenbrunnen has been returned to its original position beside the Katharinenkirche. The bronze lion rests on a roughly hewn stone pedestal, and the surrounding square is paved with cobblestones. The four Schadow lions from the Löwenwall stand nearby on their tall plinths. Visitors can walk around the fountain and read the inscription on the pedestal that recalls the fallen soldiers.