Lindwurmbrunnen (Dragon's Fountain) - Klagenfurt, Austria
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vraatja
N 46° 37.438 E 014° 18.461
33T E 446998 N 5163611
16th-century fountain with statues a dragon, a heraldic animal of the city, and Hercules located in the center of Neuer Platz (New Square) in Klagenfurt.
Waymark Code: WMZF04
Location: Kärnten, Austria
Date Posted: 10/31/2018
Views: 5
The fountain was commissioned by the city in 1583 on the orders of the Carinthian estates. The work was long attributed to Ulrich and Andreas Vogelsang, but it probably comes from an anonymous master. As a material used Chlorite schist (Chloritschiefer). The Lindwurm (Dragon) was hewn out from a single block. The monumental sculpture shows the animal with its mouth open, water flowing from it. Its wings are folded and its tail is curved.
Legend claims 300 men, dressed in all white, carried the six-ton beast to the center of town. Originally the Lindwurm was heading north. He had no well, although it was planned from the beginning. The fountain was not added until 1624, at that time probably also the installation in east-west direction has taken place. In 1634, a wrought-iron fence decorated with flowers and coat of arms in the late Renaissance style by Georg Tillitz was added around the fountain.
In 1636, the Hercules statue made by sculptor Michael Hönel became part of the ensemble. The club-swinging Hercules, while reducing the heraldic effect of the fountain, but reminiscent of the Klagenfurter foundation. The Lindwurm was said to have been killed by courageous men in the area of the Carinthian capital, making the area safe and settable.
In 1972 the fountain was moved once more, to make room for construction on a parking garage below the Neue Platz.
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