The Roland Fountain (sometimes referred to as ''Maximilian Fountain''; or ''Maximiliánova fontána'') is the most famous fountain in

Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approxim ...

, Slovakia, as well as one of the city's important landmarks. It is located in the

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins after thorough renovations. There are ma ...

, in the

Main Square Main Square may refer to: * Main Square, Plzeň * Main Square (Bratislava) * Main Square, Kraków * Main Square, Maribor * Main Square Festival, named after the Grand-Place in Arras, France * Main Square (Toronto), a building complex See also * ...

. Its construction was ordered by Maximilian II, the king of

Royal Hungary Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, Iowa, a cit ...

, in 1572 to provide a public water supply. The fountain is topped by a statue of Maximilian portrayed as a knight in full

armour Armour (British English) or armor (American English; see spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, especially direct contact weapons or projectiles during combat, or fr ...

sculpted by master A. Lutringer. Its current appearance is probably far from its original look, since it has been modified and rebuilt several times. However its popularity remains unaltered, still being one of the downtown's favorite meeting points. Many legends are centred on this fountain, mostly featuring Maximilian as the town's protector.