Oberursel Fountain Walk

File:Oberursel, (neuer) Marienbrunnen | 🔗 wikimedia.org

Photo: Karsten Ratzke / Wikimedia Commons, CC0Wikimedia Commons

File:Oberursel, (neuer) Marienbrunnen (1) | 🔗 wikimedia.org

Photo: Karsten Ratzke / Wikimedia Commons, CC0Wikimedia Commons

You're standing in front of Oberursel's oldest fountain, though you might not recognize it as such at first glance. The Marienbrunnen has been here since at least 1863—we know because it appears on a map from that year, marking this corner of Altkönigstraße and Königsteiner Straße. But the fountain's story goes deeper …

File:Oberursel, Gambrinus-Brunnen - Wikimedia Commons | 🔗 wikimedia.org

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File:SiegfriedsbrunnenOdenheim - Wikimedia Commons | 🔗 wikimedia.org

Photo: Wikimedia Commons / google images cc, CC BY-SA 3.0Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

From divine protection, we move to earthly sustenance—because medieval Oberursel needed more than prayers to thrive. Look at this bronze figure standing before you, mug raised in one hand. That's Gambrinus, the legendary king of beer, and his presence here tells you something crucial about what kept this town alive. In…

In 1846, brewer Philipp Kamper bought this building on the Marktplatz and did something remarkable—he started digging. Not down into soft earth, but into the solid Taunus rock beneath Oberursel. By 1852, he'd carved out an entire network of cellars that locals called "the catacombs," and suddenly Oberursel had somethin…

Wittelsbacher-Brunnen - HDR | 🔗 wikipedia.org

Photo: Wikipedia, Wikipedia (check source for specific license)Wikipedia EN (Liste Münchner Brunnen)

Datei:Ab durch die Mitte – by Alexander Laner | 🔗 wikipedia.org

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Datei:AckermannbogenBrunnen München | 🔗 wikipedia.org

Photo: Peterf / Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0Wikipedia DE (Liste Münchner Brunnen)

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We've seen how Oberursel sustained itself physically and economically, but who was this town named for? Our next fountain takes us back to the very origins of the city's name. In the center of the market square stands a bronze figure created by Oberursel sculptor Harold Winter and inaugurated in November 1962. Look up …

File:Oberursel, Fastnachtsbrunnen (1) - Wikimedia Commons | 🔗 wikimedia.org

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You're standing in front of something that would have been unthinkable at our earlier fountains—a permanent monument to carnival chaos. The Fastnachts-Brunnen, created in 2001, depicts what locals call an "ass rider," and the story behind it reveals just how far Oberursel had come from its medieval origins. The bronze …

But carnival was just a few days a year. Our next fountain captures everyday life—the unglamorous but essential work that kept the town running. Here stands Georg Hieronymi's "Wäschfraa," installed in 1979, and she's doing exactly what generations of Oberursel women did at this very spot: washing laundry. The bronze fi…

File:Oberursel, Apfelwein-Brunnen - Wikimedia Commons | 🔗 wikimedia.org

Photo: Wikimedia Commons / google images cc, CC0 (Public Domain)Wikimedia Commons (CC0 (Public Domain))

From everyday work to extraordinary recognition—our next fountain celebrates Oberursel's greatest cultural achievement. You're standing before Walter Meffert's bronze sculpture, the Apfelweinbrunnen, and if you follow the metal work from bottom to top, you're watching the entire story of apple cider production unfold. …

Niederreifenberg, Brunnen | 🔗 wikipedia.org

Photo: Wikipedia, Wikipedia (check source for specific license)Wikipedia DE (Liste von gusseisernen Brunnen im Taunus und Westerwald)

Datei:AlsbachWesterwaldBrunnenHauptstrasse5 | 🔗 wikipedia.org

Photo: LigaDue / Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0Wikipedia DE (Liste von gusseisernen Brunnen im Taunus und Westerwald)

Datei:Alsbach Brunnen | 🔗 wikipedia.org

Photo: el_tommo / Wikipedia, CC0Wikipedia DE (Liste von gusseisernen Brunnen im Taunus und Westerwald)

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Our final fountain brings us to the present moment, where history and modern civic life intersect. Standing before you is the Alte Leipziger Brunnen, created in 1989 by Oberursel artist Georg Hieronymi. At first glance, it might seem like just another corporate gift—the insurance company Alte Leipziger donated it to th…