The market fountain, designed in 1986 by the Osnabrück architect Prof. Raimund Antonius Beckmann, consists of an octagonal bronze cover with eight trapezoidal openings, which are closed by six discs and two grilles. Water flows from the edges of the cover into a channel below, while the fountain tube inside is illuminated. It is around two metres deep and has a wall of around 80 cm.
The entire structure lies on the edge of the wall of Osnabrück's oldest market fountain and is surrounded by a circular pavement that is around half a metre lower than the rest of the market square. Sandstone bollards around the market fountain separate it from the road traffic.
The historic fountain (a cistern) was rediscovered during sewerage work in 1984. It dates from around the 14th century and can be recognised on a copperplate engraving from 1633. At that time, it consisted of a well and a round structure three to four metres high above it, on which a pillory stood. It is assumed that the fountain was demolished and buried in the late 17th century when the market square was paved.
In February 1985, the Osnabrück Museum and Art Association submitted a design proposal for the fountain. This proposal envisaged a knee-high border and a grille above the shaft, but was rejected.
Instead, the design by Professor Raimund Antonius Beckmann was accepted. An initial design envisaged a combination of cistern and pillory. This was initially realised with a wooden model on a scale of 1:1 in order to check the effect on site.
For various reasons the design was rejected by the then city planning officer Franz-Josef Klöcker, the municipal monument conservator Bruno Switala and the owners of the Café am Markt as too elaborate or as too free an interpretation
. as too free an interpretation of a pillory and thematically undesirable.
As a result, the design of today's fountain was realised. The fountain was finally inaugurated on 15 August 1986. In 2001, the fountain made the headlines in the local media when vandals destroyed some of the panes, posing a risk of falling in.
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