Fastnachtsbrunnen
Fastnachtsbrunnen stands on Schillerplatz in Mainz, where a nearly nine-metre bronze fountain rises above a red sandstone basin. The basin frames the square with the Schiller Monument. Old trees, large flower beds, and smaller carnival artworks fill the surrounding space, which is wheelchair accessible.
Blasius Spreng created the figures with Mainz architect Helmut Gräf for a carnival monument unveiled in 1967. Eckes AG funded the work after Mainz requested a new landmark in 1963. More than 200 bronze figures and allegories climb through the fountain’s narrowing form. Their arrangement reflects the precarious world of jesters and the city’s enduring joy.
Father Rhine, a monk, a jester, and a harlequin appear among the figures. Grape vines and the local trio Weck, Worscht un Woi connect the sculpture to Mainz life. One man rides backwards on a donkey while holding its tail, recalling an old public punishment. From the western side, the composition appears to turn Mainz Cathedral upside down during carnival.
- City
- Mainz
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Spots like this one are the stops myTuur strings into tours through Mainz. In the app, each story begins where you stand: walk up to a spot and it starts, read it on screen or listen as you go, then follow the route to the next one.
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myTuur is a free city-guide app. Its tours are built from spots, and each spot carries a story that starts when you get there, to read or to listen to as you like.