Statues - Hither & Thither

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Wien
Wien (Land)

Albertinaplatz (1.)

Albrechtsbrunnen oder Danubiusbrunnen

Abrecht or Danube Fountain

(Wikipedia)

Johann Meixner & Moritz von Loehr
1869

Wien / Albrechtsbrunnen oder Danubiusbrunnen

Description

In the center of the composition is an allegorical representation of the relationship between the city of Vienna (Vindobona) and the River Danube (Danubius). On each side were originally five niches with allogerical representations of the rivers Inn, Save, Drau, Theiß (Tisza), Mur, Salzach, March, Raab, Enns and Traun, these show the power and size of the empire of Austria-Hungary.

In a bomb attack on Vienna on 12 March 1945 the fountain was severely damaged. The recovery after the Second World War took place in highly reduced form, merely 'Danubius and Vindobona ' and the allegories of Save and Theiß remained. The allegorical representations of the rivers Enns, Mur, Raab, Salzach and Traun were placed in the castle park of Wieselburg an der Erlauf, the Drau in Greifenburg an der Drau and the Inn in Wiener Neustadt. March was missing. The niches in which they were placed, were bricked up.

In order to restore the fountain, the City of Vienna tried to the return the figures, which succeeded in the years 1985 and 2001/2002 also. The redesign of the entrance area of the Albertina the an escalator can at the place of the Inn and in order to preserve the symmetry, the Drau on the other side was removed also; both figures are now in the Burggarten next to the Schmetterlinghaus.

The present situation, to the left of the Danubius-Vindobona group are: Save as a woman with rudder and net, and the march, salzach, and mur as children; and to the right Theiß as a woman with rudder, and the raab, enns, and traun as children.

(click on the photo for an enlargement in a separate window.)

Save

March

Salzach

Mur

TheiÃŸ

Raab

Enns

Traun

Annotation

Unveiled 24 December 1869, designed by Moritz von Loehr with Carrara marble statues by Meixner.

Sculptors

Moritz von Loehr (Berlin 1810 - Wien 1874), Austrian architect (Wikipedia).
Johann Meixner (Rothfloß - Králíky-Červený Potok 1819 - Gleichenberg in der Steiermark 1872), Austrian sculptor (Wikipedia).

Sources & Information

Kunst und Kultur Wien, Brunnen in Wien.
Wikipedia, Albrechtsbrunnen.
Stadt Wien, Kulturgut.

Locatie (N 48°12'15" - E 16°22'6") (Satellite view: Google Maps)

Item Code: atwi036; Photograph: 9 September 2012
Of each statue we made photos from various angles and also detail photos of the various texts.
If you want to use photos, please contact us via the contact form (in Dutch, English or German).
© Website and photos: René & Peter van der Krogt

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