The Past and Present of the Stuhlmannbrunnen

After summer's arrival, everyone in Hamburg wants to get closer to water areas. The city's banks and numerous fountains are crowded with residents trying to beat the heat. The fountain named Stuhlmannbrunnen in Altona attracts many people not only in summer, but throughout the year. The beautiful fountain was built in honor of Günther Ludwig Stuhlmann.

The Past and Present of Stuhlmannbrunnen Fountain

Günther Ludwig Stuhlmann is the founder and director of Altonaer Gas- und Wasseranstalt AG. In his will, he left about DEM 75,000 for Altona, the city he had fought for most of his life, and the use of the money was limited to certain conditions: it was to be used to buy various items for Altona, including the fountain. In fact, the fountain should have been placed elsewhere. When the Altona Railway Station was relocated and became today's Altona City Hall, a perfect location was made for the fountain. This was exactly 25 years after the death of Stuhlmann, who died in 1872.

There was even a competition for the fountain, and Berlin's sculptor Paul Türpe won the award with his design. Eventually, the fountain was built by Otto Bommer, a coppersmith in Berlin. The inauguration ceremony was held on 1 June 1900.

The basin measures 10 x 20 meters, so it is not oval or simply rectangular, but consists of several "bays". A rock rises from the middle of the fountain, on which two centaurs fight over a large fish. These two images symbolize the struggle between Altona and Hamburg in the fishing and fish-processing industries at that time.

Other figures sit on the edge of the basin. Next to Poseidon's son Triton are a nymph and some lizards. Triton and the nymph squirt water at the centaurs. The main stream of water is spat out by the fighting tall fish.

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The popular Stuhlmannbrunnen has been moved to different locations and damaged. But thanks to the (private) rescue efforts of various foundations, the fountain retains its former beauty and status. Since 2000, it has been renovated and once again stands between Altona City Hall and Altona Railway Station. Since 2005, the fountain has been illuminated at night, as Stuhlmann requested in his will.