Rübezahlbrunnen

The Rübezahlbrunnen stands in Hannover’s Mittelfeld district, a post-war housing estate built for refugees after the Second World War. It sits on the Rübezahlplatz, a square planned as a market place in the early 1950s. The sculpture itself was carved from Kirchheim shell-lime stone by the sculptor Kurt Lehmann. In 1954 it was placed on the square and has been a protected monument ever since. The fountain commemorates Rübezahl, the mountain spirit of Silesia, whose legend followed thousands of Silesian refugees to Hannover. After the war the city received a large influx of displaced people, many settling in Mittelfeld near the new Exportmesse grounds. The Constructa-Siedlung, built in 1951, provided homes for around three thousand families. Naming the square after Rübezahl gave the newcomers a link to their lost homeland. Visitors find a broad square surrounded by low postwar buildings. At its centre rises the tall stone figure of Rübezahl, water trickling from the base like a mountain spring. The sculpture’s height and the quiet sound of water recall the Riesengebirge where the spirit was said to dwell. The place remains a calm spot in the city, a quiet reminder of the past.