Hans-Sachs-Fountain
Also called: The Marriage Carousel
It’s hard to miss the somewhat unusual fountain in front of the Weißer Turm. While some find it exceptional and fascinating, others laugh and find it strange.
The fountain was designed in the 1970s – at the same time as the Nuremberg underground system. That’s the only reason there is such a large fountain right in front of the Weißer Turm: In order to hide the ventilation shaft of the underground.
© Stadtarchiv Nürnberg, A38_N_366_9 
© Stadtarchiv Nürnberg, A40_L_3875_32a 
© Stadtarchiv Nürnberg, A40_L_4114_F2_1 
© Stadtarchiv Nürnberg, A40_L_4114_F2_9 
© Stadtarchiv Nürnberg, A51_II_LR_588_4 A competition was held to gather the best ideas and recommendations to hide the ventilation shaft. The one requirement: Anything used had to have something to do with the city.
Tell me more about the fountain!
The art work refers to a poem, “Das bittersüße eh’lich‘ Leben” (The Bittersweet Married Life) from Hans Sachs.
The figures show just that bittersweet side of marriage: Both the positive and the negative sides. That’s why people from Nuremberg love to call it the Marriage Carousel: Because a marriage goes up and down too. Symbols of the family, happiness, procreation and comfort can be clearly recognized – as well as the times that couples are at each other’s throats …
The figure of a woman on a chain reminds us that the Marriage Act in Germany was first revised in the 1970s. For a very long time, a woman had to ask permission from her husband to drive a car or take up a certain career. Isn’t it difficult to believe that was only 50 years ago?
Categories at St. James's Quarter
The Hexenhäusle
