König-Albert-Brunnen

The König-Albert-Brunnen stands on Plauen’s Altmarkt, beside the historic town hall. It is a contemporary fountain created by sculptor Norbert Marten and unveiled in 2007. The design links two dates exactly a century apart, 1907 and 2007, marking the hundred years between the original king’s statue and its modern reinterpretation. The work belongs to the tradition of art in public space and keeps alive the memory of King Albert’s equestrian monument for new generations. The site remains the heart of the city, where markets once gathered and citizens strolled. The fountain commemorates a lost monument that once stood at the same spot. In 1907 the town installed a large bronze statue of King Albert of Saxony on horseback, which survived the Second World War despite heavy bombing. After 1946 the Soviet military administration removed the statue under unclear circumstances, leaving many citizens without a familiar landmark. Later, the Löwel family, who had prospered in West Germany, funded a competition to bring back a public reminder of the old statue. A jury chose Norbert Marten’s design from among proposals nationwide. Visitors find a granite table topped by a bronze chessboard where four figures stand. Two seated kings represent King Albert and Hans Löwel, each on a pedestal of different height. Water jets rise through gaps in the chessboard, letting people block or release streams to change the pattern of force and flow. On the side facing King Albert, solid bronze sections give way to sharp edges and loose fragments, while on Hans Löwel’s side water pours from the seat itself. Around King Albert’s figure, fountains form a protective ring, and a small bronze lady honours Edith Löwel’s career on the stage. The water cascades down the table’s edges and returns underground, completing a continuous cycle.