Märchenbrunnen

The Märchenbrunnen stands in the Neustadt quarter of Weißenfels, a town in Saxony-Anhalt. Built in 1911, it is a Jugendstil fountain protected as a monument. The square around it was meant to offer calm in an otherwise industrial area. Plans for a church on this spot were abandoned, and the fountain was funded by local industrialists and residents. The fountain’s centrepiece is a bronze figure of Aschenputtel feeding birds. It sits on a column surrounded by an octagonal basin decorated with plants and birds. Four sides of the basin show further plant and bird reliefs. The paving around the fountain forms part of the original design. After removal between 1984 and 1987, the Aschenputtel figure was returned thanks to local pressure. A small park with benches now surrounds the fountain, rebuilt during street works in 2006. The rebuilt square keeps the spirit of the original plan for a peaceful place in the town.