List of fountains in Bratislava
This is a list of fountains, drinking fountains and water wells in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia. Approximately half of the over 140 fountains found in the city form part of the picturesque landscape of the medieval Old Town of Bratislava and serve as tourist attractions while many of the newer fountains are fine examples of socialist era building of modern panelák city suburbs. The number of fountains in Bratislava is comparable to the four times larger neighboring Austrian capital Vienna.
Fountains in Bratislava were first built in the 16th century as means of water supply, the oldest fountain in the city is the Roland Fountain from 1572. The first decorative fountain in Bratislava was the Ganymede's Fountain from 1888. The most famous fountain in the city is the Fountain of Love in the borough of Ružinov which was specifically built as the central setting of the 1986 Czechoslovak hit movie Fountain for Suzanne, directed by Slovak director Dušan Rapoš. The fountain features on the movie's iconic poster. Some fountains are part of almost every guided tour of the city, while others form part of everyday life in Bratislava and are important meeting points in the city.
Due to Bratislava being in the temperate zone, outdoor fountains are turned off during the winter months. For the city owned fountains the operating season starts in April - May, and the fountains are not turned on en masse, but gradually starting first with the major fountains in the Old Town. The season typically ends in October.
History
Bratislava, due to its location near the river Danube and due to various streams flowing down from the Little Carpathians mountains, always had plenty of water. Fountains were fed water from the streams uphill through a series of wooden pipes, later replaced by metal ones. Since the origin of the stream was higher than the fountain it fed, gravity ejected the water at the end. The pressure was usually very weak and used for example as water flowing from the mouths of animals. During the coronation festivities accompanying the crowning of the Kings of Hungary in the city between 1563 and 1830, wine was usually poured into the town fountains.Originally, the project for the tunnel underneath the Bratislava Castle from the 1940s, today used for public transport trams, contained a fountain to be built into the wall of the eastern portal. When looking inside the tunnel, the fountain was supposed to be inside the wall to the right, but this wall was finally constructed shorter and without the fountain. It was supposed to consist of six small half-circle shaped basins arranged into a triangle, with the water cascading from the upper basins into the lower ones.
A new fountain is planned with the reconstruction of the Malokarpatské Námestie in the Lamač borough at least since 2002, but the project is unrealized as of 2012.
Basic description
The biggest fountain in Bratislava is Fontána Družby on Námestie Slobody, Old Town. The smallest fountain is Girl with a deer on Hviezdoslavovo námestie, Old Town.As of today, 42 fountains are taken care of by the municipal company Paming - Mestský investor pamiatkovej obnovy, together with 11 small drinking water fountains and 3 water wells, the rest is owned by the Bratislava city boroughs and various private companies and hotels. Annual budget for running and maintenance of the fountains under Paming is approximately 150 000 €. Four fountains under Paming were out of order in the 2010 summer season: fountain on Námestie slobody, fountain on Námestie M. Benku, fountain on Uránová Street and fountain on Borská Street. All four would require reconstruction before being able to function again.
One fountain, the Fountain for Suzanne in Ružinov, was specially built as the central setting of the 1986 movie of the same name by Slovak director Dušan Rapoš. Fountain for Suzan is still widely known in Slovakia, despite the fountain itself, hidden behind apartment houses, quickly fell into obscurity. Moreover, it was built as a movie prop, without access to public water or electricity. During shooting, the fountain was attached to a cistern truck filled with water. In 2008 the fountain was reconstructed and made functional for the first time.
Many of Bratislava's fountains are tourist attractions, some of them feature in most guided tours. Occasionally, people are fined for swimming or skinny-dipping in the fountains, in most cases foreigners.
Drinking fountains
There are currently 33 public drinking water fountains in Bratislava. They started to appear after the practical aspect of fountains diminished. In the past, the city featured a variety of historical drinking fountains, especially wall-fountains inside the courtyards of rich townspeople mansions. Baroque drinking fountains of this type included Putto s rybou I and Scharitzerova fontána inside the Apponyi Palace, Putto s rybou II on Biela Street survived until today.
Drinking fountains are used especially during the summer, yet a lot of people are reluctant to drink the water due to fear of disease. According to the Public Health Office of Slovakia, all drinking water fountains supply the same tap water as residents have in their homes and the water is safe to drink. Drinking fountains in Bratislava do not feature any instructions on how to operate them.
List of fountains in Bratislava
The following fountains used to exist in the city in the past:- Fontána v Rozáriu by Ladislav Majerský, it was originally built in Sad Janka Kráľa, Petržalka in 1937. The statue of a woman was later moved into the area of swimming pool at Tehelné pole and in the 1970s, the water reservoir was removed from Sad Janka Kráľa.
- Unknown baroque fountain which stood in the front garden of the Aspremonte Palace, in Old Town, it was replaced by Holubia fontána by Pavel Mikšík in 1986.
- Fontána Rodina by Jozef Jankovič, Bachova Street, Ružinov removed in 1974 or 1985 and in 1985 it was replaced by current fountain Mária by Pavel Mikšík.
- Fontána Kvety from 1989 by Ľubomír Jakubčík on Malokarpatské námestie 8 in Lamač was a concrete and ceramic fountain that was damaged and not functional. It was removed in 2012.
List of interior fountains in Bratislava
- Fountain inside the lobby of the former hotel Forum at Hodžovo námestie, Old Town. The fountain was removed after the hotel was sold and reconstructed.
List of drinking fountains in Bratislava
| Image | Name | Translation | Year | Artist | Street/Square Coordinates | Notes |
| Picia fontánka - Ryba | Drinking fountain - Fish | unknown date | unknown author | Sedlárska Street No. 10, Old Town | Administered by Paming, according to some sources it is in depository | |
| Picia fontánka - Váza | Drinking fountain - Vase | unknown date | unknown author | garden of the Grassalkovich Palace, Old Town | Administered by Paming, according to some sources it is in depository | |
| Palugyayova studňa | Palugyay well | unknown date | unknown author | Zelená Street No. 1, Old Town | Administered by Paming | |
| u Červeného raka | Drinking fountain at the Red Crayfish | unknown date | unknown author | Michalská Street No. 26, Red Crayfish Pharmacy building, Old Town | Administered by Paming | |
| Putto s rybou II | Putto with a fish II | unknown date | unknown author | inside a courtyard of a house on Biela Street, Old Town | Baroque drinking fountain. Administered by Paming | |
| Picia fontánka - Palffyovská | Palffy drinking fountain | unknown date | unknown author | Panská Street No. 19, Old Town | Administered by Paming | |
| Vtáčia fontána | Bird fountain | 1900 | original by Stollwerk company of Bratislava | intersection of Panská Street, Ventúrska Street and Strakova Street, Old Town | Original fountain is from 1900, made in the Czech city Blansko, later removed. In 2001 an epoxide copy was installed which was replaced by an iron copy in 2002. It offers drinking options for dogs, humans and birds. It is owned by the Old Town city district. | |
| Unknown name | Unknown name | 1998 | Martin Lettrich | Panská Street, Old Town | ||
| Unknown name | Unknown name | unknown date | Alexander Bilkovič | Námestie SNP, in front of Stará Tržnica, Old Town | Administered by Paming. Made of Cuban marble and stainless steel | |
| Unknown name | Unknown name | unknown date | Alexander Bilkovič | eastern part of Hviezdoslavovo námestie, Old Town | Administered by Paming. Made of Cuban marble and stainless steel | |
| Unknown name | Unknown name | unknown date | Alexander Bilkovič | western part of Hviezdoslavovo námestie, Old Town | Administered by Paming. Made of Cuban marble and stainless steel | |
| Unknown name | Unknown name | unknown date | Alexander Bilkovič | Medic Garden, Old Town | Made of Cuban marble and stainless steel | |
| Unknown name | Unknown name | 1986 | Pavel Mikšík | Medic Garden, Old Town | Made of marble and stainless steel | |
| Unknown name | Unknown name | 1986 | Pavel Mikšík | Medic Garden, Old Town | Made of marble and stainless steel | |
| Unknown name | Unknown name | 1986 | Pavel Mikšík | Medic Garden, Old Town | Made of marble and stainless steel, accessible to children | |
| Strážna búdka s pitnou fontánkou | Guard post with a drinking fountain | 2006 | Marián Prešnajder, Otto Grossmann and Juraj Šimek | Hlavné námestie, Old Town | Administered by Paming | |
| Unknown name | Unknown name | 2006 | unknown author | Župné námestie, Old Town | Administered by Paming | |
| Unknown name | Unknown name | unknown date | unknown author | Platform No. 1 of the Bratislava Main Railway Station, Old Town | ||
| Unknown name | Unknown name | unknown date | unknown author | In front of former Hotel Forum at Obchodná Street, Old Town | ||
| Unknown name | Unknown name | unknown date | unknown author | Rybné Námestie, in front of Hotel Danube, Old Town | ||
| Tajpejská fontánka | Taipei drinking fountain | 28 March 2012 | unknown author | Vajanského nábrežie riverbank, in front of the Old Town District Office, Old Town | Built by R.O.C. Development Fund | |
| Unknown name | Unknown name | N/A | unknown author | Sad Janka Kráľa, Petržalka | ||
| Unknown name | Unknown name | N/A | unknown author | Sad Janka Kráľa, Petržalka | ||
| Unknown name | Unknown name | N/A | unknown author | Sad Janka Kráľa, Petržalka | ||
| Unknown name | Unknown name | N/A | unknown author | Petržalské korzo, Petržalka | ||
| Unknown name | Unknown name | N/A | unknown author | Petržalské korzo, Petržalka | ||
| Unknown name | Unknown name | N/A | unknown author | Petržalské korzo, Petržalka | ||
| Pitná fontána | Drinking fountain | 20?? | Anita Mudrochová | Kopčianska Street 8, Petržalka | ||
| Unknown name | Unknown name | N/A | unknown author | Pekníkova Street Park, Dúbravka | ||
| Unknown name | Unknown name | 2008 | Martin Lettrich | Partizánska lúka in the Bratislava Forest Park, New Town | ||
| Unknown name | Unknown name | N/A | unknown author | Partizánska lúka in the Bratislava Forest Park, New Town | Made of stone | |
| Unknown name | Unknown name | N/A | unknown author | Zlaté Piesky, Ružinov | ||
| Unknown name | Unknown name | N/A | unknown author | Zlaté Piesky, Ružinov | ||
| Unknown name | Unknown name | N/A | unknown author | Zlaté Piesky, Ružinov |
List of water wells in Bratislava
In the middle ages, every house in the walled city of Bratislava had a water well, usually several of them, being the main source of water supply. They were built at terrain level but also in the basements of buildings. Wells in Bratislava were supplied mainly from shallow waters circulating in the Danube river terraces and from three identified streams originating at Kozia Street, Hlboká cesta Street and at the Slavín hill. As of 2011, there were 66 documented wells in the Old Town. 12 are restored and accessible, the well at the courtyard of the Universitas Istropolitana is the oldest. As of today, none of the water wells in Bratislava are actually used and they serve a purely decorative function.| Image | Name | Translation | Year | Artist | Street/Square Coordinates |
| Studňa na Župnom námestí | Well at Župa Square | discovered and restored in 2006 | unknown author | Župné námestie, Old Town | |
| Studňa na Primaciálnom námestí | Well at Primate's Square | medieval, discovered and restored in 1977 | author unknown | Primaciálne námestie, Old Town | |
| Studňa U Červeného raka | Well by the Red Crayfish Pharmacy | medieval | author unknown | Michalská Street 26, Old Town | |
| Unknown name | Unknown name | medieval | author unknown | inside courtyard of the Universitas Istropolitana on Ventúrska Street, Old Town | |
| Unknown name | Unknown name | date unknown, discovered during construction | author unknown | inside the medieval palace of marshall Pálffy on Ventúrska Street 10, Old Town | |
| Unknown name | Unknown name | date unknown, discovered during construction | author unknown | inside the basement of the neo-gothic addition to the Old Town Hall, Old Town. | |
| Unknown name | Unknown name | medieval | author unknown | inside Kaffee Mayer, Hlavné námestie, Old Town. | |
| Unknown name | Unknown name | medieval | author unknown | inside a vine shop on Sedlárska Street, Old Town. | |
| Unknown name | Unknown name | date unknown, reconstructed in 2008 | author unknown | Hlboká cesta, Old Town. | |
| Unknown name | Unknown name | medieval | author unknown | Bratislava Castle courtyard, the deepest in Bratislava at 85 meters. | |
| Unknown name | Unknown name | date unknown | author unknown | Balkánska Street, Rusovce. Constructed in 2011 at the place of an older well. | |
| Horánska studňa / Dúbravská studňa | Horánska well / Dúbravka well | 16th century | author unknown | Old Dúbravka, Dúbravka |