An elaborate allegorical fountain sitting opposite Augsburg’s Town Hall is more than an ornament, and more than a one-time source of drinking water—it’s a living monument to a remarkable bit of ancient engineering.
At a time when most European cities still relied on wells or creeks and rivers—clean or not—for their water, Augsburg had built what could be a model for later systems. The city lies on an aquifer fed by the Lech and Wertach rivers. The aquifer fed purified groundwater to the surface; by the end of the 13th century, Augsburg had channeled it into supply canals that brought it to different areas of the city.
In the early 15th century, the city’s water management added waterworks, pumps and water towers to distribute the water more effectively, and in 1545, Augsburg became one of the first cities to separate drinking water from water used for other purposes. The system also used the flowing water to power fountains and mills for food processing. In 2019, the whole system, extended and still in use, was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage.
The fountain was created in 1594 by Hubert Gerhard. The central figure is the Roman Emperor Augustus during whose reign the city was founded by Roman legions in 15 C.E. Other figures represent the three rivers—Lech, Wertach and Singold—that feed the system and the Brunnenbach, the artificial river created to distribute drinking water. In all, the various elements represent 22 elements of the water system.
The original figures have been removed to museums for preservation; the new-cast replacements were installed about thirty years ago. The entire fountain area is surrounded with extraordinarily elaborate railings.
