The role of fountains in the urban space of Habsburg Silesia in modern times

Bogna Ludwig

doi:10.37190/arc210201

Abstract

The subject of the presented publication are fountains which appeared in the market squares of Lower Silesian towns in modern times. Apart from several 17th century and Renaissance water fountains, all of them were created at the turn of the 18th century until the 1830s. during the period of reconstruction after the damage caused by the Thirty Years’ War. The aim of this article was to determine, on the basis of analyses of forms and iconographic programmes of Silesian fountains, in comparison with analogous European examples, their role in shaping the urban composition of town squares and market squares and their commemorative message. As a result of the study, it was observed that initially, with the introduction of water features, spatial effects were arranged in a Renaissance manner, creating small concentrically composed units. Subsequently, Baroque layouts were introduced. First with short viewing axes forming urban interiors and finally with long composition axes running out of the depths of the streets and including numerous decorative views in shortened perspectives. Decorative fountains were included in the system of ordering and decorating the entire city. Dates, initials and sometimes whole surnames were used on fountains to commemorate benefactors, founders and caretakers of reconstructions of buildings and public facilities and waterworks. With the symbolism of depictions of the biblical dove and the mythological figures of Neptune, Triton and Atlas, like their European counterparts they became monuments of peace and signs of loyalty to the monarchy. Most of these investments can be linked to the two most prominent representatives of power in this period, Prince Elector Franz Ludwig von Pfalz-Neuburg and Johann Anton Gotthard Schaffgotsch.

Keywords:
article
fountains
modern-urbanism
baroque
silesia

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2021

2(66)

DOI: 10.37190/arc210201

Bogna Ludwig*

The role of fountains in the urban space

of Habsburg Silesia in modern times

Introduction

The representational dimension of space in the interiors

of Silesian market squares began to be given a new mean-

ing from the Renaissance onwards, while comprehensive

measures to this end were taken in the Baroque, alongside

the restoration of stability after the Thirty Years’ War. The

culmination of these works, which expressed a particular

proclamation of the return of prosperity, was the founda-

tion of fountains. They had a commemorative character

and were of particular importance in shaping the Baroque

spatial arrangements in the most important urban spaces.

The rst preserved fountains in Silesian towns were

built as early as in the beginning of the 17

century (only

two examples have survived to the present day, as to oth-

ers from that period, e.g., in Legnica we only have refer-

ences). They became a common feature of market squares

and other squares in the Baroque period. A dozen or so of

them were founded; most of them had elaborate sculptur-

al forms with gural representations. Being important for

the appearance and history of the town, the monuments

were protected and have survived until the present day

The regulation of the arrangement of houses, restora-

tion or introduction of paving

, construction of waterworks

and erection of monuments and fountains are mentioned

* ORCID: 0000-0002-7755-5835. Faculty of Architecture, Wro cław

University of Science and Technology, e-mail: bogna.ludwig@pwr.edu.pl

Probably largely due to their secular character, they were saved

from devastation after the World War II. (Only the Neptune Fountain

in Wrocław was ruined, destroyed during a bombardment). No water

fountains of simple forms have survived, the exception being two bowl-

shaped fountains in Świdnica.

For example, the market square and streets of Nysa were proba-

bly paved before 1532 (conrmed for Koński Targ) [1, p. 45]. In many

Silesian towns the paving appeared already in the Middle Ages, e.g.,

Wrocław, Kłodzko [2, p. 17].

in books discussing the history of individual Silesian

towns from the oldest chronicles [3]–[6] and rst histori-

cal works [7]–[10] to publications written after the World

War II (e.g., [1], [2], [11]–[13]). Most of the foun

tains

have been described in monument catalogues. The sculp-

tures of the Świdnica fountains and the Neptune Foun tain

in Wrocław have been discussed as works by well-

known

artists

. Basic information is provided in studies carried

out for the needs of conservation; when planning and un-

dertaking restoration works [15], [16]. Problems of the

iconographic programme of fountains are referred to in ar-

ticles by local historians [17], [18]. The Neptune Fountain

in Wrocław is also mentioned in detail in an article on the

historical transformation of Nowy Targ [19]. How

ever,

there is a lack of cross-sectional studies presenting the

role of fountains in the urban interiors of Silesian cities,

where they have become symbols of progress.

History of modern fountains and water intakes

of Silesian cities

In the late Renaissance and Baroque, eorts were made

to transform medieval market squares into representative

town squares. An example of a simple but very eective

method of transformation was the replacement of wells

with appropriately placed fountains. The rst fountains

began to appear in the place of former water intakes af-

ter the erection of water towers guaranteeing satisfactory

pressure. In most towns, the traditional form of the well

was still retained for economic reasons. Basins with archi-

tectural enclosures were also established. One of the two

preserved Renaissance town fountains is the fountain with

First of all, the study by K. Kalinowski [14]; there the older litera-

ture is also extensively described.

4 Bogna Ludwig

dolphins in the market square at the corner of the town hall

in Złotoryja from 1604, which was renovated at that time

(Fig. 1). It was founded by the mayor, founder of a patri-

cian family, from 1593 the rector of Złotoryja gymansium

Johannes Feige (1556–1617), humanist, master of philos-

ophy at Leipzig University [11]. It was the last of the mu-

nicipal water intakes in the market square of Złotoryja,

put into operation at the beginning of the 17

century after

the construction of the water supply system (1578–1579),

which took the form of a fountain, modern for those times.

Perhaps it was inspired by the Goldener Brunnen on the

market square in Leipzig (transformed in 1581–1582),

which Feige must have seen during his studies.

A similar Renaissance fountain has been preserved in

the market square in Szprotawa. The Dolphin Fountain,

later known as the Whale Fountain (Walschbrunnen) was

recorded in 1654; it must have been created similarly to

the one in Złotoryja before the Thirty Years’ War. In Leg-

nica, in 1626, the water supply from the water tower on

the Młynówka was rebuilt, and the well dating from 1588

in the southern part of the market square was replaced by

a water fountain with the image of the goddess Ceres. In

the same year the town hall was rebuilt. The decoration of

the square did not exist long, destroyed in 1648 by the fall

of the church tower [8], [9].

Half a century after the end of the Thirty Years’ War,

the towns achieved a certain prosperity. During this time

functional needs were secured, destroyed houses were re-

built, and it was possible to start decorating city streets and

squares. In Prudnik, revived after the war res, the mayor

and ve councillors founded a fountain in 1696, which

stood in the north-western corner of the town square, re-

placing the medieval well [5]. The fountain with the lion

Fig. 2. The Triton Fountain

in Nysa. View towards

the Market Square

(photo by B. Ludwig)

Il. 2. Fontanna Trytona w Nysie.

Widok w stronę rynku

(fot. B. Ludwig)

Fig. 1. The Dolphin Fountain in the Market Square in Złotoryja

(photo by B. Ludwig)

Il. 1. Fontanna Delfinów na rynku w Złotoryi (fot. B. Ludwig)

 TheroleoffountainsintheurbanspaceofHabsburgSilesiainmoderntimes 5

Fig. 4. Column of St. Maternus in Lubomierz (photo by B. Ludwig)

Il. 4. Kolumna św. Maternusa w Lubomierzu (fot. B. Ludwig)

in front of the town hall in Kłodzko was built at the turn

of the 18

century on the site of an earlier well from the

mid-16

century, supplied from the above-mentioned wa-

terworks. It was an urban supplement to the renovation of

the town hall carried out in 1696, rebuilt in new forms just

after the Thirty Years’ War (1653–1654) [2, pp. 17, 20,

108, 117], [20].

The Triton Fountain in Nysa, located at the junction of

Bracka and Celna Streets, in the vicinity of the southern

corner of the market square, was the rst fully Baroque

structure [1, p. 246]. The inscription “SPQN 1701” placed

under the coat of arms of Nysa indicates the founders – the

town council and inhabitants – and the date of its con-

struction (Fig. 2).

The market square of Lwówek Śląski in the Baroque

period was decorated with four water intakes, two of them

were given gural decorations. Of the Baroque sculptures

crowning the shafts of the fountains only one survived,

i.e., the gure of a lion. The fountain with the lion, which

replaced the well in 1711, surrounded by a late-Baroque

basin (1772), is located in the vicinity of the town hall

on the western side of the square (Fig. 3). The fountain

of St. Maternus in Lubomierz, created in 1712, is in fact

a column with a statue of the patron saint of the temple in

Lubomierz, and at the same time of the town (Fig. 4).

A similar arrangement of the market square with

fountains as in Lwówek Śląski was given to Świdnica.

However, the nal eect due to the quality of the sculp-

tural works was denitely more impressive. It was not

until the end of the 17

century that the Świdnica mar-

ket square started to be enriched with numerous Baroque

objects of small architecture. The rst one was the Holy

Trinity Column (or rather the Throne of Grace) found-

ed by J.J.M. Sinzendorf and erected in 1693, which was

a testimony to the founder’s faith. Then, after the re of

1716, in which the town hall also suered, the brewers’

guild paid for the construction of a new water supply

system from the springs in Witoszów, ending with a wa-

ter intake in the square. It was given the form of the Atlas

Fig. 3. Column with a lion

in Lwówek Śląski

(photo by B. Ludwig)

Il. 3. Kolumna z lwem

w Lwówku Śląskim

(fot. B. Ludwig)

Fountain. The sandstone sculpture was ordered by the

stallholders’ guild from the local artist Georg Leonhard

Weber

[6], [7] (Fig. 5). Subsequently, the urban layout

Georg Leonhard Weber (c. 1670–1675–1732) settled in Świdnica

at the end of the 17

century and gained town citizenship in 1699. At

rst, he created stone sculptures drawing mainly on mythological

themes; statues of Jupiter and Hercules in Bolesławiec in 1701 and gar-

den sculptures decorating former swimming pools in Henryków in 1702,

6 Bogna Ludwig

Fig. 5. The figure of Atlas from the fountain in the Market Square

in Świdnica (photo by B. Ludwig)

Il. 5. Figura Atlasa z fontanny na rynku w Świdnicy

(fot. B. Ludwig)

Fig. 6. Neptune’s Fountain in the Market Square in Świdnica

in a frontal view (photo by B. Ludwig)

Il. 6. Fontanna Neptuna na rynku w Świdnicy w widoku frontalnym

(fot. B. Ludwig)

of the market square was complemented with a Nep-

tune Fountain, erected in the north-western corner of the

square at the place of a Renaissance fountain with an

analogous representation [6], [7], also the work of Weber

completed in 1723

(Fig. 6). The rst of them was a stat-

ue of St. John of Nepomuk and St. Florian at the corners

of the town hall and the mid-market block. After seve ral

years, in 1740 and 1744, the next two water intakes at the

corners of Świdnica’s market square received new Ba-

roque forms (one of them had already been transformed

into a wooden fountain with a two-headed eagle) [7].

The oldest Baroque fountain in Wrocław was created at

from 1703 he cooperated with Riedel on decorating the Jesuit church in

Świdnica. Then he made sandstone sculptures: Atlas in 1716, the statue

of St. John Nepomuk in 1718, Florian in 1720; his last works were the

composition of Neptune’s well in 1732 and the sculptural decoration of

the palace of the Krzeszów abbots in Świdnica (the portal and a group

of abbot busts). In 1723–1725 he also completed the main altar of the

parish church in Bolesławiec, and for over 20 years, from 1711 to 1730,

he made sculptures for the chapel of Blessed Czesław at the Dominican

church in Wrocław [14, pp. 179, 180], [21].

Date from the chronogram. It is not 1732, as stated by most studies

after Ostowska and Kalinowski [21], [14, p. 180]. The basin of the foun-

tain, on the other hand, was made, according to the inscription, in 1727.

the beginning of the 18

century, commissioned by the

Premonstratensians to decorate the surroundings of the

monastery rebuilt in the years 1684–1695 according to

the plans of H. Fröhlich [22]. The fountain, which deco-

rated the courtyard in 1729 [23, p. 224], [4, p. 126]

was made in the workshop of J.A. Karinger

. It was soon

destroyed or moved

. Another fountain in Wrocław – the

At that time, as noted by Zimmermann, the statue of the Virgin

Mary and the portal (the gate to the courtyard) decorated with statues

were made [4].

Johann Adam Karinger (c. 1690–1742) came from Lower Austria

and in 1716 made this masterpiece in Breslau and was granted citizen-

ship. As a stonemason and supplier he worked on the stonework and

sculptural decorations of the Jesuit churches in Breslau and Głogów, the

Elector’s Chapel, and later at the University. In 1724 he undertook the

decoration of the Hochberg chapel in the St. Vincent church. Togeth-

er with sculptor J.G. Urbansky he also made the statue of St. John of

Nepomuk in St. Cross Square in Wrocław. The altar of Jasna Gora is also

his work [24], [14, pp. 143–145].

It is no longer visible on Endler’s plan from the beginning of the

century or on lithographs by Mattis or Grossmann from 1830. We

can nd information about it only on Wernher’s engravings and docu-

ments concerning orders of the stone workshop. It had a basin with

a four-leaved outline and a shaft in the form of a bowl with a decoration,

probably with statues (Triton?), typical of Lower Silesia [14, p. 145].

 TheroleoffountainsintheurbanspaceofHabsburgSilesiainmoderntimes 7

Fig. 7. Neptune’s figure from the fountain in Legnica

(photo by B. Ludwig)

Il. 7. Figura Neptuna z legnickiej fontanny (fot. B. Ludwig)

Fig. 8. The Siren Fountain in the Market Square in Legnica (photo by B. Ludwig)

Il. 8. Fontanna Syrenki na rynku w Legnicy (fot. B. Ludwig)

Neptune Fountain – was placed in the centre of Nowy

Targ [17], [19]. Thanks to that, the square acquired the

features of a representative urban interior. It was locat-

ed in the place of an older water reservoir, functioning

since 1592 [4]. It was supplied by a water pipe from the

so-called Kacerska Wieża Ciśnień (Heretics’ Water Tow-

er), supplied from the St. Mathew’s craftsman’s shop,

which had an additional pump and reservoir set up for

this purpose. Its construction was commissioned by the

town council. It was made of sandstone by stonema-

son J.A. Karinger and sculptor Johann Jakob Bauer, the

most prominent Wrocław craftsmen, and its decorative

elements were forged by stonemason Johann Baptista

Lembergerg [25]. In Legnica, at the same time, in 1731,

the Neptune Fountain was erected between the Cathedral

and the Town Hall, in the place of the destroyed Ceres

Fountain (Fig. 7), and the second Siren Fountain, in the

place of the medieval intake at Targ Rybny (Fish Mar-

ket), the north part of the Market Square (Fig. 8).

In the Baroque period, no more fountains were built in

Silesian cities. Another one, also with the gure of Nep-

tune, was built in the classicist period (1794) in Gliwice.

Design and form

Silesian fountains were modelled on those of Western

Europe, probably to a large extent thanks to richly illus-

trated publications reaching Silesia. Particularly important

for the popularisation of water fountains was an album

of fountains of Rome and Frascati published in 1685 by

8 Bogna Ludwig

Froberg in Nuremberg

[26]. Böckler’s work on the con-

struction of hydraulic systems and numerous examples

of implementation [27] was also familiar. In the compo-

sition of Silesian fountains and the form of sculptures, we

usually observe creative combinations of elements taken

from various models.

All Silesian urban fountains of the Renaissance and

Baroque periods were made of stone; it was sandstone, ex-

cept for the fountain in Nysa which was carved in Sławnio-

wice marble, from a quarry close to the town. They are of

comparable size, with the height tting the ground oor

of the buildings, from about 3 to 5 m. Only the Wro cław

fountain was twice as big, as was the column of St. Ma-

ternus in Lubomierz.

From the beginning, the two most common forms of

fountains were used alternately. The one with a shaft sup-

porting a canopy was used in Złotoryja, Prudnik, Kłodzko,

Nysa and in the last two simple fountains in Świdnica. The

candelabra shafts were decorated with images of dolphins

(Złotoryja, Kłodzko) modelled on the fountain del Trullo

(1572) – the oldest modern fountains in Rome, replicated

in Böckler’s designs [27, V. 3, vol. 96, 110, 111, 119] – or

of atlantes (Prudnik), the likes of which we can see on

the fountain dei Tritoni in Piazza della Bocca della Verità

[27, V. 3, vol. 86, 99]. In the simplest solutions it was only

covered with ornamental decoration (Neptune’s Fountain,

Świdnica). The Świdnica Atlas Fountain stands out, hav-

ing a gure supporting a bowl set on a high pedestal. Only

the largest fountain in Wrocław uses a more ornamented

and elaborate form, referring to arrangements with a can-

delabra body, possibly inspired by the Salzburg fountain

(Residenzbrunnen), the earliest Renaissance fountains of

Orion in Messina by Montorsola or Neptune in Naples, or

illustrations by H.V. de Vries. The shaft of the Wrocław

fountain had a base decorated with representations of at-

lantes, nereids and caryatids carrying a bowl, in which

a three-storey pedestal was inserted, impost of a pillar,

decorated with dolphins (and other animals?) under the

main gure

. All fountain bowls were shaped quite sim-

ilarly as stylised shells such as a section of a sphere with

a grooved surface, sometimes topped with a circumfer-

ential ring (Złotoryja, Kłodzko). Though the Nysa Triton

Fountain was based on a Roman design, it did not include

the naturalistic version of two shells.

The second solution consisted in placing a single sculp-

ture or a group of sculptures on a pedestal in the middle

of the basin, in which water outlets were installed. The

pedestal could be low, concealed behind the frame of the

basin, as in the Florentine Neptune Fountain (Szprotawa,

both fountains in Legnica). Böckler’s work shows such

solutions on examples of garden fountains [27, V. 2, ta-

bles 41–50]. High pedestals were also used, reminiscent

of solutions from Augsburg fountains (Świdnica – At-

las and Neptune Fountain [27, V. 3, tables 90, 105 and

106]), sometimes even in the form of a column (Lwówek,

Several copies have been preserved in Wrocław’s libraries.

No buttresses were used in the form of a grottarusticaas in the

solutions of the Rezidenzbrunnen fountains in Salzburg and Parnas in

Brno.

Lubomierz). Such fountains in the form of columns were

rare in those times in Central Europe, an example being

the Renaissance Jupiter column in Linz.

The basins were given a quadrilateral outline, a square

with added semicircles known from the pattern of H.V. de

Vries [28] and Böckler [27, V. 2, Table 69, 68, 74]. The

earliest ones, from Złotoryja and Szprotawa, had simpler

octagonal outlines. In Lubomierz and the Neptune Foun-

tain in Wrocław and Świdnica this simple shape was re-

tained. The latest basin in Lwówek Śląski, modied after

the middle of the 18

century, was also geometrised. Only

the one in Nysa was a more sophisticated, i.e., the origi-

nally designed outline with concave curves. The linings

of the basins had varied forms, from simple walls with

a protruding sill to richly proled ones with a raned sar-

cophagus cross-section (Nysa).

Hydraulic systems were probably relatively simple

They used concentrated streams of water directed upwards

or sideways in various directions, sometimes slightly an-

gled downwards. The layout probably was based on the

ideas taken from Böckler’s work [27, V. 1, vol. 1, 5, 6].

Water was most often ejected from various types of taps

placed in the mouths of mascarons (Złotoryja, Prudnik,

Kłodzko) (Figs. 9, 10), mouths of dolphins (Złotoryja?,

Kłodzko, Nysa, Legnica, Wrocław) and directly installed

in the walls of pedestals (Lubomierz, Świdnica). The water

then owed o the edges of the conches. Nozzles eject-

ing water in a single stream were also located in the main

sculptures crowning the fountains – in the mouths of the

lions in Kłodzko and Lwówek Śląski, in the mouths of the

triton and siren in Nysa and Legnica

, and in the beak of

a dove with an olive branch in Prudnik

, or in the mid-

dle of the upper bowl (Atlas Fountain). There were also

problems with obtaining the appropriate pressure, as men-

tioned by Zimmermann in relation to the Neptune Foun-

tain in Wrocław [4]. This probably also limited the eects

achieved by the fountains.

Emphasis was laid on the decorativeness of the foun-

tain-cum-monument ornamented with streams of water.

Attention was paid to the quality of the sculpture. They

were ordered in sculpture (e.g., G.L. Weber in Świdnica)

(Figs. 5, 6, 10) and stone workshops (J.A. Karinger) that

were the best in the neighbourhood. In spite of that, none of

the makers put their signature on these works (in contrast

to, e.g., the sculptor from Gdansk, Michael Mandik in Olo-

mouc). The most modest are the sculptures of heraldic an-

imals – lions, made as typical shield holders. The

statue of

St. Maternus from the fountain in Lubomierz, un-worked

from the back side, may suggest a sculpture made for

church decoration. Weber’s sculptures present the highest

level. The more than life-size monumental gure of Atlas

(approx. 2.5 m) [27, V. 3, vol. 93] is characterised by rea-

lism and expression; the highly decorative drapery sur-

rounding the sculpture ensures the impressive form of the

All were altered in the 19

century.

The water features of Neptune’s trident in Wrocław and Legnica

were probably installed in the 19

century.

In 1853, the imperial eagle was inserted. In the 1960s it was

removed. After a restoration in 1995, it returned in the nial [15].

 TheroleoffountainsintheurbanspaceofHabsburgSilesiainmoderntimes 9

monument when viewed from all sides. Representations

of Neptune from Świdnica and Legnica present a similar-

ly high artistic quality. In the case of Neptune fountains

built in Lower Silesia, connections with the illustrations in

“Architectura nova” can be found. The Świdnica fountain

was probably partly inspired by Table 8 from the last book

on grottos and gardens [27]. It resembles both the statue

of Neptune depicted there, with his trident set aside and

his hand supported on his hip, and the whole thematic ar-

rangement of the fountain, with a gure on a barge pulled

by sea horses [27, V. 3, vol. 86, 113, 114] (Fig. 10). The

iconographic cycle approaches in part the idea of the main

group of the Fountain Neptune in Florence, which features

Scylla, Charybdis and sea horses in the sea god’s compa-

ny. The gure of Triton with a conch may evoke Bernini’s

ideas

and recall a scene from Ovid’s transformations: al-

though Neptune has not yet put down his trident, Triton is

already proclaiming the end of the Flood. In the Neptune

Fountain in Wrocław, the gure

known from one pho-

tograph [25] is somewhat reminiscent of the one depicted

by Böckler [27, V. 3, vol. 90], and the sculptures of sirens

have analogies to those shown in Table 113. The gure of

Neptune from the Legnica water fountain is clearly mo-

delled on the depiction of Neptune in Table 111. The mas-

sive, muscular gure of the god of the seas from Legnica

is reminiscent of representations of holy mystics. Some

analogies with the sculptures of Neptune by Weber from

Świdnica and Bolesławiec are indicated [14, p. 204], [21].

The contrapposto of the gure and the draperies shroud-

As in G.L. Bernini’s group (c. 1621, London, Victoria-Albert

Museum) and in the decoration modelled on it on the Trevi Fountain.

It was replaced by a sculpture by Albert Rachner in 1872–1874,

probably modelled on the more dynamic and massive statue from

Świdnica.

ing it give the character of the transience of the moment

captured in the sculpture (Fig. 7).

The Triton Fountain in Nysa in its overall form is very

similar to the Bernini prototype, and perhaps even more so

to its depiction in Böckler [27, Table 97]. The arched bod-

ies of the four dolphins are similar. The sculpture of Tri-

ton more closely resembles that of the Salzburg fountain:

a kneeling gure with arms raised higher and a deli cate,

almost hermaphroditic musculature. However, the sculp-

tor creatively developed the gesture, the arrangement of

the musculature, the surface textures and the details of the

representation. The geometrised form of the shell – bowl

and basin – was copied from the model (Fig. 2). The si-

ren from the Legnica fountain, an equivalent of the tri-

ton (which also appears in combinations of triton-ne reid,

triton-siren as, e.g., on the portal of the manor house in

Płakowice), is depicted in a similar way.

Fountains as monuments

in Silesian cities

The erection of fountains was usually the nal act of

modernising the water supply system, tidying up the square

space or rebuilding the town hall. Starting with the oldest

preserved fountain in Złotoryja, generous founders wrote

their names on foundation plaques on fountain shafts and

the encasing of basins. The Renaissance humanist Joannes

Feigivs used an anagram of the rst and last name “SE/

FIGENS/IN/IOVA”. Sometimes whole surnames were

carved (Prudnik, Świdnica), often initials were sucient

(“Sub I.C.V. Corpus/W.H. de L./ P.I.N./R.P.W./ I.H.S./

I.A.S.” Lubomierz). The fact that the donors or founda-

tion caretakers were city ocials is usually addi tio nally

indicated by the placement of the city coat of arms (Prud-

nik, Nysa, Kłodzko, Lwówek Śląski, Świdnica: Neptune’s

Fig. 9. Head of a dolphin with

a spout on a fountain in Kłodzko

(photo by B. Ludwig)

Il. 9. Głowa delfina z wylewem na kłodzkiej fontannie

(fot. B. Ludwig)

Fig. 10. A sculptural group of Neptune

– a figure of Triton from the fountain in Świdnica

(photo by B. Ludwig)

Il. 10. Grupa rzeźbiarska Neptuna

– postać Trytona z fontanny w Świdnicy (fot. B. Ludwig)

10 Bogna Ludwig

Fountain, both fountains in Legnica). In Nysa, a Bolognese

inscription referring to Roman foundation tablets was para-

phrased. Two fountains feature depictions of ducal coats of

arms (Kłodzko, Świdnica). The basin of Neptune’s Foun -

tain in Świdnica features a full set of coats of arms of the

province of Silesia – the Piast coat of arms, the coat of arms

of the Kingdom of Bohemia and the imperial coat of arms,

as well as the Schagotschs’ coat of arms (baron’s coat of

arms) of Christoph Leopold, the chairman of the Silesian

Chamber and starost of the Świdnica-Jawor Principality,

the father of the starost of Świdnica-Jawor, from 1719 Jo-

hann Anton Gotthard, governor of Silesia [18]. A reference

to the emblem of the kingdom is probably also the lion on

the fountain in Kłodzko.

Most often the date of construction is engraved, either

directly (Lwówek on the shaft of a column, Nysa on a car-

touche, Lubomierz on the basin’s shaft, Legnica on the

shaft of a siren’s fountain) or recorded with a chrono graph

(Legnica, non-existent Ceres Fountain “HaeC saLIentIs

aqVae noVa ConCeptaCVLa perstent/ Et LIgIo pros-

Int fLVMIne grata foro” – 1626 [7], Prudnik „HoC opVs

eVLgens

posVerVnt praeses/ et IstI proMoto qV0 stant

orDIne qVInqVe VIrI” oraz “SVb IoVIs aVstrIaCI pennIs

gens patrIa VIVe/ et fraVs hostILIs non MetVenDa tIbI”

– 1696 [5], Lubomierz “Nota/Stat/ DeCIMa seXta/aCIes”

– 1712 (Fig. 11), Świdnica „

SVB/ CON. ET PROCONSV/

LATV IGNATII HE/NTZSHEL AVGVSTINI/ RIHERSBERG

CARL/ NATVS PRAESIDIO IOSE /PHI WEIGEL SENATO/

RIBVS IN VIVISSTANTI/SVS GOTERI DO REH/LER JOANNE

HEN/ET JOANNE ANTONIO/RESCHEL” – 1723 (Fig. 12) and

“SVMPTI / CIVITAT Is [HIC] EDIFI/ CAT VS ET ORNATVS/

EST/FONSISTE” – 1727). This conrms the commemora-

tive signicance of the foundation. The column of St. Ma-

ternus probably commemorates the sixtieth anniversary of

the imperial certication of the Benedictine monastery’s

rights granted to Lubomierz and the surrounding area,

veried by a document issued by J.A. Schagotsch in

1709, who may have co-founded the monument (I.A.S.

in the inscription). The inscription on the Neptune Foun-

tain in Świdnica pro bably mentioned Christoph Leopold

Schagotsch on the 20

anniversary of his death. Oth-

er dates are currently not so clear. The foundation of the

Atlas Fountain in Świdnica may have had something to

do with the establishment of the Commercial College in

Wrocław in the same year, 1716, which dealt with man-

ufacturing and trade in the province. Its activities were

Fig. 11. The inscription cartouche

of the fountain in Lubomierz

(photo by B. Ludwig)

Il. 11. Kartusz inskrypcyjny fontanny w Lubomierzu

(fot. B. Ludwig)

Fig. 12. Foundation plaque on the shaft

of Neptune’s Fountain in Świdnica

(photo by B. Ludwig)

Il. 12. Tablica fundacyjna na trzonie fontanny Neptuna w Świdnicy

(fot. B. Ludwig)

 TheroleoffountainsintheurbanspaceofHabsburgSilesiainmoderntimes 11

also related to the imperial aspirations for deep-sea trade

(the East and India Company), which were also supported

by Silesian cities. Ironically, these monuments were erect-

ed in the year of their demise (1727).

At the same time as fountains dedicated to Neptune

were being erected in Silesia, between 1721 and 1730,

a competition was held in Rome for the Trevi Fountain,

nally completed in 1731. The theme was a sculptural

group with the main gure of Ocean (Neptune). Earlier

attempts, among them Bernini’s original design of about

1640, may have been known, at least in Rome [29]. The

founding of fountains can be linked to the activity of

J.A. Gott hard Schagotsch, the most important imperial

courtier in Silesia at that time. He was a co-founder of

the fountain in Świdnica, commemorating his father, ear-

lier perhaps also of the column of St. Maternus in Lubo-

mierz. He knew the role and symbolism of Italian foun-

tains from his youthful trip to Italy and his stay in Rome,

at the papal court. He was connected with Legnica, rst

as the starost of the principality from 1702. After 1708,

he was the successor of the extinct line of the Piast dukes,

established by an imperial decision, from 1719 onwards.

As the starost general of Silesia, chairman of the ducal

assembly and director of the Superior Oce, he was the

most important representative of the authorities in Silesia,

and thus in its capital Breslau. He could inuence the de-

cisions of the city councils of both cities.

The importance of fountains in the representative

spaces of towns in Habsburg Silesia

Decoratively sculptured and rich in meaning, small ar-

chitectural objects replaced medieval furnishings in town

markets. The former, often wooden wells took the form

of fountains. Some were placed in new places in order

to complement the medieval layout, giving it represent-

ative features, typical of the modern composition of pub-

lic spaces. In most Silesian cities, fountains decorated

the front of the town hall. This is how the existing wa-

ter fountains began to be transformed or formed during

the Renaissance (Złotoryja, Szprotawa, the unpreserved

Ceres Fountain in Legnica). A balanced spatial composi-

tion with accentuated corners emphasising the dominance

of the town hall tower, where fountains with large basins

were set up to close the vistas, was created in Świdnica.

The rst fountains in the northern and southern corners of

the Świdnica market square were erected at the turn of the

century. A little later similar ones were introduced in

Żagań [30].

After the Thirty Years’ War such developments contin-

ued, initially still in the spirit of Renaissance urbanism.

Water features became the centres of small interiors sepa-

rated in the space of market squares. They emphasised the

entrance to the town hall. In Kłodzko, the fountain was

erected on the axis of the town hall in front of the repre-

sentative double staircase and set frontally to the main en-

trance to the market from the side of Brücktorberg (Wita

Stwosza Street) (Fig. 13).

There are few arrangements that have transformed the

space of the entire market square. The two market squares

aimed at protecting domestic production, facilitating ex-

ports and limiting imports through customs policy, which

had a major impact on the economy of Silesia, including

Świdnica. Certainly, the fountain symbolised strength and

victory over adversity in the history of the city, which was

destroyed by a re that year.

It seems that most of the fountains created after the Thir-

ty Years’ War in Lower Silesia refer to the idea of a monu-

ment to peace, joining the tradition of fountain-

monuments

started by Roman papal foundations and continued by

imperial ones in Nuremberg (Monumentum Pacis, 1668)

and their imitations in German and Czech cities rebuilt

after the Thirty Years’ War. The earliest one referred to

a biblical symbol – a dove with an olive branch (Prudnik)

and proclaimed peace under the Habsburg rule (“May the

people of our homeland live under the wings of Jupiter

of Austria/May our people not be afraid of hostile at-

tempts”). Analogous content accompanied the depiction of

Triton. In Nuremberg (1689), the Fountain of Triton was

to commemorate the victory of Emperor Leopold I over

the Turks at the Battle of Harsány Mountain (the second

battle of Mohács in 1687). Perhaps there were such con-

notations in the case of the Nysa water feature as well. Its

form refers to the monument of the Eternal City. It was

supposed to be a symbol of modernity and indicate the

links between the episcopal capital and the papal capital.

Just as the fountain in front of the Barberini palace was to

be the centre and sign of Rome’s new papal quarter, so the

Nysa monument could symbolise the role of Prince-Bishop

Elector Franz Ludwig von Pfalz-Neuburg in rebuilding

the city’s splendour.

The most common gure on the fountains of Lower

Silesian cities was that of Neptune. Dedicating fountains

to Neptune had a long tradition in modern times. it was

one of the rst municipal fountains with a carefully de-

signed iconographic depictions (Messina) that presented

this god. He was usually intended to symbolise the naval

supremacy of a country (Messina, Florence) or the power

of a government (Bologna, papal domination over ef-

doms, but also the whole world). In the Baroque period,

the depiction of Neptune accompanied by Triton as an

illu stration of the scene after the Flood from Ovid’s Meta

morphoses took on a new meaning: symbolic of peace

and God’s mercy on the world (Rome – Piazza Barberini,

Bernini’s designs for the Trevi Fountain, Nuremberg). At

the same time, the gure of Neptune symbolised the tam-

ing of the waters: the provision of aqueducts (Florence,

Bologna, Rome). The imperial foundations in Nuremberg

were an example followed by dignitaries connected with

the court (in Olomouc in 1683, Bishop Karl II von Liech-

tenstein-Kastelkorn, in Bamberg in 1698, Elector Arch-

bishop Lothar Franz von Schönborn, in Weilburg in 1709,

Johann Ernst von Nassau).

All Neptune’s Fountains in Silesia (Świdnica, Wrocław,

Legnica) date from a similar period – 1716–1732. Their

construction crowned the process of rebuilding and mod-

ernising squares, rebuilding waterworks and often also

repairing town halls. They proclaimed the reign of peace

and stability within the state, as well as the loyalty of mu-

nicipal bodies to the supreme authority. It was probably

12 Bogna Ludwig

Fig. 13. Schemes of market squares in Prudnik, Kłodzko, Świdnica, Lwówek Śląski, and Legnica as well as the market square, Bracka Street,

and Celna Street in Nysa, and Nowy Targ in Wrocław in the Baroque era.

Indication in Prudnik: 1) the fountain, a) Marian column, b) statue of St. John of Nepomuk;

Kłodzko: 1) fountain of Lions, Nysa: 1) the Triton Fountain, a) statue of St. John of Nepomuk;

Świdnica: 1) the Atlas Fountain, 2) the Neptune Fountain, 3) and 4) the bowl fountains on the eastern side of the market square,

a) figure of St. John of Nepomuk, b) figure of St. Florian and c) column of St. Trinity;

Wrocław: 1) the Neptun Fountain; Legnica: 1) the Neptune Fountain and 2) the Siren Fountain.

The entrances to the town halls, composition axes and places of reception of the frontal views with dominants: town hall towers and church towers

(elaborated by B. Ludwig)

Il. 13. Schematy rynków i placów w Prudniku, Kłodzku, Świdnicy, Lwówku Śląskim i Legnicy oraz rynku, ul. Brackiej i Celnej w Nysie,

a także Nowego Targu we Wrocławiu w czasach baroku.

Oznaczono w Prudniku: 1) fontannę, a) kolumnę maryjną, b) figurę św. Jana Nepomucena; w Kłodzku: 1) fontannę Lwów;

w Nysie: 1) fontannę Trytona, a) figurę św. Jana Nepomucena; w Świdnicy: 1) fontannę Atlasa, 2) fontannę Neptuna,

3) i 4) fontanny czaszowe po wschodniej stronie rynku, a) figurę św. Jana Nepomucena, b) św. Floriana i c) kolumnę Św. Trójcy;

we Wrocławiu: 1) fontannę Neptuna; w Legnicy: 1) fontannę Neptuna i 2) fontannę Syreny.

Zaznaczono wejścia do ratuszy, osie kompozycyjne i miejsca odbioru widoków frontalnych oraz dominanty – wieże ratuszowe i kościelne

(oprac. B. Ludwig)

 TheroleoffountainsintheurbanspaceofHabsburgSilesiainmoderntimes 13

in Olomouc were a well-known example of such activ-

ities. Ruined in 1642 during the Thirty Years’ War, they

were rebuilt and from 1683 (under Bishop Charles II von

Liechtenstein) until the middle of the 18

century they

were successively decorated with fountains and monu-

ments

. Such an eect was achieved in Prudnik and Świd -

nica. Partly a similar result was achieved by the re con-

struction of water intakes in Lwówek (Fig. 13). In Prud nik,

rebuilt after the destruction of the Thirty Years’ War, the

fountain was situated in the vicinity of the town hall, op-

posite the Marian column (founded in 1694 by Alder man

Ordmann and his wife Elisabeth as a votive oering after

the plague), with the main view facing it. This introduced

an urban layout with a short compositional axis in the in-

terior in the northern part of the square in front of the town

hall tower. The Prudnik fountain became a part of the mar-

ket square, whose corners in the Baroque in 1733 were

enriched with a Marian column, a fountain and a statue

of St. John of Nepomuk due to burgher’s contributions

[5], [15] (Fig. 13). The market square in Świdnica, de-

stroyed after a re, similarly to the one in Prudnik gained

frontages of new tenement house façades, new surface

and decoration with monuments and fountains. Thanks

to the generous donations of the patricians and the mag-

istrate, it gained the richest small architecture in Lower

Silesia: the Holy Trinity column, the fountains of Atlas,

Neptune, the statues of St. John Nepomuk and St. Florian

and two simple bowl fountains. These are very decorative

forms and most of them are of high artistic value. The

complex of these objects together with the granite oor

gives the square a form of the representative “salon” of the

city. The main accents – the fountain of Atlas and Neptune

– mark the most important compositional nodes of the ur-

ban layout: the beginning of Długa Street (Langestr.), lead-

ing to the parish church, a temple served by the Jesuits in

the Baroque, and Franciscan Street (Köppenstr.), leading

to the Franciscan church. They also linked the fountains

and statues in the northern and southern parts of the mar-

ket square (Obstmarkt, Getreidemarkt) with short viewing

axes (Fig. 13).

Usually, however, the arrangements concerned more

limited urban interiors. They subordinated units which

were only optically separated from the market space.

They became accents marking individual corners (Świd-

nica) or the centres of frontage areas (Legnica, the Siren

Fountain). The fountains enriched the façade of the town

hall building (Złotoryja, Szprotawa, Prudnik, Kłodzko,

Lwówek Śląski, Legnica). Most were situated in such

a manner as to face the most important entrance to the

square, from the corner or the main street, and stood out

against the town hall. They constituted an introductory

element into the market square space (Kłodzko, Świdni-

ca, Legnica), thus becoming a symbol of the entire town.

Formal solutions enriched the possibilities of attractive

reception. In Wrocław, the fountain appeared in the main

view from the south-eastern corner of Nowy Targ, but due

Six fountains and two columns were erected between 1683 and

1727.

to the positioning of the main gure in contrapposto with

its head turned, when viewed from other directions it was

also very decorative. The group of Neptune in Świdnica is

similarly arranged.

Fountains were introduced as compositional nodes

at the junctions of viewing axes (Świdnica, Nysa, Kłodz-

ko, Wrocław, Legnica). They stood in the middle of the

space, initially still organised in Renaissance style, in

a balanced, concentric manner. The largest such interior

was the New Market in Wrocław, whose moderate, almost

square shape allowed for an arrangement similar to the

Italian Renaissance squares with the centre marked by

a fountain (Fig. 13).

The situation was dierent in Nysa. The fountain stood

in a very special place in terms of spatial composition. It is

a mode at the junction of viewing axes. It was a typically

Baroque shaping of space, in which an equally important

role is played by compositional axes and foreshortening, in-

tended to be viewed from specic vantage points. The foun-

tain with Triton accentuated the long compositional axis in

Celna Street, leading from the city gate to its centre. It closed

the view along the market frontage from the side of St.

James’ Church and the view from the axis of Bracka Street

towards the market. The town hall tower and the top of the

church were visible in the background. A fountain placed

in this way could have been a kind of showpiece of the city

(just as the original was a sign of the new Baroque quarter

of Rome). It was to raise the status of the space closest to

it – the interior of Bracka Street. It became the foreground

of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (1720–1727) which,

together with the neighbouring monastery (1708–1713),

was erected on a plot of land in the vicinity of the city on

the initiative and with the support of Bishop Franz Ludwig

von Pfalz-Neuburg. This was a kind of compensation for the

property of the House of the Holy Sepulchre in Nysa lost to

the Jesuits. In such a context, the idea of erecting a monu-

ment-fountain could be linked to the bishop (Fig. 13).

In Legnica, fountains in the form of basins with gu-

res in the middle were decisive for separating two small

spatial units, i.e., one at St. Peter and Paul’s Church in

the vicinity of the town hall and the other in front of the

northern frontage of the market square. The fountain of

Neptune in the baroque style marked the single composi-

tional axis of the Virgin Mary Street connecting the two

parish churches. In terms of urban planning, the Fountain

of Neptune in Legnica perfectly complements the repre-

sentative arrangement of the entrance to the Town Hall

(erected in the years 1737–1739), with its monumental

external staircase, emphasised by the dominant feature

of the Town Hall tower. Standing on the side facing the

Virgin Mary Street, it introduces the Market square and

indicates the entrance to the Town Hall. It is also an ex-

tremely attractive addition to the Cathedral’s foreground.

It closes the compositional axis of the eastern part of the

Market Square (Fig. 13).

All the fountains as important monuments often hav-

ing a symbolic meaning were included in the system that

introduced order and decorated the whole town and its

main trac routes. In Lubomierz, the column-fountain

of St. Maternus decorated the road leading through the

14 Bogna Ludwig

References

[1] Kębłowski J., Nysa, Ossolineum, Wrocław 1972.

[2] Broniewski T., Kłodzko, Ossolineum, Wrocław 1963.

[3] Zimmermann F.-A., Beyträge zur Beschreibung von Schlesien,

Bd. 11, J.E. Tramp, Brieg 1794.

[4] Zimmermann F.-A., Beschreibung der Stadt Breslau im Her

zogthumSchlesien, J.E. Tramp, Brieg 1792.

[5] Chrząszcz J., GeschichtederStadtNeustadtinOberschlesien, Ma-

gistrat Neustadt O/S, Neustadt 1912.

[6] Schmidt F.J., GeschichtederStadtSchweidnitz, Bd. 1, L. Heege,

Schweidnitz 1846.

[7] Schubert H., BilderausGeschichtederStadtSchweidnitz, L. Hee-

ge, Schweidnitz 1912.

[8] Sammter A., ChronikvonLiegnitz, W. Pngstenschen, Liegnitz 1861.

[9] Kraert A.H., ChronikvonLiegnitz:vomTodeFredriechsII.Bis

zum Kussterben des Piastenhauses 1547–1675, H. Krumbhaar,

Liegnitz 1871.

[10] Ruert B., KurzeChronikvonNeisse:miteinemPlanevonNeisse

ausdemJahre1596, J. Graveur, Neisse 1910.

[11] Bogacz T., Czasy nowożytne, [in:] R. Gładkiewicz (red.), Dzieje

Złotoryi, Towarzystwo Miłośników Ziemi Złotoryjskiej, Złotory-

ja–Wrocław 1997, 67–100.

[12] Głogów, K. Matwijowski (red.), Silesia, Wrocław 1994.

[13] JeleniaGóra, Z. Kwaśny (red.), Ossolineum, Wrocław 1989.

[14] Kalinowski K., RzeźbabarokowanaŚląsku, PWN, Warszawa 1986.

[15] Prudnik,zabytki, http://www.wodip.opole.pl/opolszczyzna/gminy/

prudnik/lo2prudnik/Zabytki/zabytki.html [accessed: 15.02.2018].

[16] Małachowicz E., FontannaNeptunazplacuNowyTargweWrocła

wiu, “Architectus” 2013, nr 1(33), 10–15, doi: 10.5277/arc130102.

[17] Margraf H., DieStraßenBreslausnachihrerGeschichteundihren

Namen, G. Morgenstern, Breslau 1896.

[18] Nowotny S., VonSchagotschowiewŚwidnicy, http://ws-24.pl/von

-schagotschowie-w-widnicy/ [accessed: 15.02.2018].

market square to the temple on the hill. In Nysa, it stood

by the oldest route leading from the gate through the mar-

ket square towards St. James’ Church. In Wrocław, the

muni cipal authorities decided to distinguish the squares

located in the vicinity of the oldest trac route leading

through the city from south to north. The fountain at

Nowy Targ, located on the route between the city centre

– Market Square – and Ostrów Tumski, complemented the

system of Baroque monuments which, like the obelisks

and fountains in Rome, marked the most important places

in Wrocław. The creation of this structure began with the

statue of Our Lady Immaculate in front of the Cathedral.

Further signicant spaces were marked by the statue of St.

John of Nepo muk in St. Cross Square, the fountain by the

Premonstraten sian Monastery, and then a representation

of St. John of Nepo muk in the square in front of St. Mat-

thias Church.

Summary

Fountains decorated the market squares of Silesian cit-

ies. Those at Nowy Targ in Wrocław and at Bracka Street

in Nysa were exceptions. They underlined the rank of these

interiors in the city structure. Apart from the 17

cen -

tury, Renaissance fountains (two preserved and the one in

Legnica which has not been preserved), all of them were

created from the turn of the 17

century until the 1730s,

i.e., during the period of reconstruction of wealth after the

losses of the Thirty Years’ War. The formal inspiration of

Renaissance fountains probably came from Saxony, while

Baroque fountains were initially modelled on Western Eu-

ropean fountains via Bohemia and Moravia, which is why

they appeared earliest in the southern part of the region.

The solutions applied testify to an excellent knowledge of

the most famous works of the period.

Fountains were not as imposing as votive monuments,

especially Marian columns, but they played an equally

unique role in shaping the urban space, giving it a formal

and content-related meaning. They were their secular

coun ter part. Apart from heraldic representations, which in

a way also include the patron saint of Lubomierz – St. Ma -

ternus

– the subject of these peculiar monuments were

mythological gures of Neptune, Triton and Atlas; the

god of the sea – ruler of waters, herald of the end of the

ood and a giant supporting the Earth. These mythologi-

cal gods and heroes, apart from their undoubted connec-

tion with the taming of the waters, had in the Baroque

connotations of symbols of peace and victory. Fountains

were a testimony to gratitude to the state, personied by

the emperor, for peace and prosperity. They became signs

of loyalty to power. They acquired a propaganda dimen-

sion. They were to manifest the wealth and prestige of

the city. They showed its modern character by referring to

the fashionable Baroque arrangements of residential cities

or famous Italian cities. They commemorated the bene-

factors of local communities, owners, city ocials – the

founders and caretakers of the reconstruction of buildings

and public utility devices, rst of all waterworks, but also

market pavements and town halls. Bishop Franz Ludwig

von Pfalz-Neuburg and the imperial governor of Silesia,

Johann Anton Schagotsch may have been key initiators

of erecting fountains in Silesian cities and many other Ba-

roque works of architecture, painting and sculpture.

The location of the fountains was carefully selected,

changing their position in relation to the original outlet of

the water pipes, in order to achieve appropriate composi-

tional eects of the urban interior. Initially, spatial eects

were arranged in the Renaissance style, creating small

concentrically composed units. Then Baroque layouts

were introduced; rst with short viewing axes shaping the

urban interiors, and nally with long compositional axes

starting in the midst of the streets and including numerous

attractive views in foreshortening.

Translatedby

JacekSzela

 TheroleoffountainsintheurbanspaceofHabsburgSilesiainmoderntimes 15

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Abstract

The role of fountains in the urban space of Habsburg Silesia in modern times

The subject of the presented publication are fountains which appeared in the market squares of Lower Silesian towns in modern times. Apart

from several 17

century and Renaissance water fountains, all of them were created at the turn of the 18

century until the 1830s, during the period

of reconstruction after the damage caused by the Thirty Years’ War. The aim of this article was to determine, on the basis of analyses of forms and

iconographic programmes of Silesian fountains, in comparison with analogous European examples, their role in shaping the urban composition of

town squares and market squares and their commemorative message. As a result of the study, it was observed that initially, with the introduction of

water features, spatial eects were arranged in a Renaissance manner, creating small concentrically composed units. Subsequently, Baroque layouts

were introduced. First with short viewing axes forming urban interiors and nally with long composition axes running out of the depths of the streets

and including numerous decorative views in shortened perspectives. Decorative fountains were included in the system of ordering and decorating

the entire city. Dates, initials and sometimes whole surnames were used on fountains to commemorate benefactors, founders and caretakers of re-

constructions of buildings and public facilities and waterworks. With the symbolism of depictions of the biblical dove and the mythological gures

of Neptune, Triton and Atlas, like their European counterparts they became monuments of peace and signs of loyalty to the monarchy. Most of these

investments can be linked to the two most prominent representatives of power in this period, Prince Elector Franz Ludwig von Pfalz-Neuburg and

Johann Anton Gotthard Schagotsch.

Key words: fountains, modern urbanism, baroque, Silesia

Streszczenie

Rola fontann w przestrzeni miast habsburskiego Śląska w czasach nowożytnych

Przedmiotem badania w prezentowanej publikacji są fontanny, które pojawiły się na placach miast dolnośląskich w czasach nowożytnych.

Poza kilkoma wodotryskami siedemnastowiecznymi, renesansowymi, wszystkie powstawały od przełomu XVII i XVIII w. do lat 30. XVIII w.

– w okresie odbudowy zamożności po stratach wojny trzydziestoletniej. Celem artykułu była próba ustalenia na podstawie analiz form i programów

ikonogracznych fontann śląskich, w porównaniu z analogicznymi przykładami europejskimi, ich roli w kształtowaniu kompozycji urbanistycznej

rynków i placów miast oraz ich przekazu kommemoratywnego. W wyniku studiów zaobserwowano, że początkowo za pomocą wprowadzanych

wodotrysków aranżowano efekty przestrzenne na sposób renesansowy, tworząc niewielkie koncentrycznie zakomponowane jednostki. Następnie

wprowadzano układy barokowe. Najpierw z krótkimi osiami widokowymi kształtującymi wnętrza urbanistyczne, a na koniec z długimi osiami kom-

pozycyjnymi wybiegającymi z głębi ulic i uwzględnieniem licznych dekoracyjnych widoków w skrótach perspektywicznych. Ozdobne wodotryski

włączone były w układ porządkowania i dekorowania całego miasta. Na fontannach przywołując daty, inicjały, a czasem całe nazwiska, upamięt-

niano dobroczyńców, fundatorów i opiekunów przebudów gmachów i urządzeń użyteczności publicznej oraz wodociągów. Za pomocą symboliki

ukazywanych przedstawień biblijnego gołębia i mitologicznych postaci Neptuna, Trytona i Atlasa, podobnie jak ich europejskie wzorce stawały się

swoistymi pomnikami pokoju oraz znakami lojalności wobec monarchii. Większość z tych inwestycji można powiązać z dwoma najznaczniejszymi

przedstawicielami władzy w tym okresie biskupem księciem elektorem Franzem Ludwigiem von Pfalz-Neuburgiem i Johannem Antonem Gotthar-

dem Schagotschem.

Słowa kluczowe: fontanny, urbanistyka nowożytna, barok, Śląsk

The Białołęka Middle School and Cultural

Center in Warsaw – the brick ribbon

of the front elevation at night

(photo by D. Rumiancew,

source: Konior Studio)

Gimnazjum i Ośrodek Kultury

w warszawskiej Białołęce

– ceglana wstęga elewacji frontowej w nocy

(fot. D. Rumiancew,

źródło: archiwum Konior Studio)