The Dragon Fountain is a

fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" ( genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were o ...

located in the City Hall Square in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

. It was designed by

Joakim Skovgaard Joakim Frederik Skovgaard (18 November 1856 – 9 March 1933) was a Danish painter. He is remembered above all for the frescos which decorate Viborg Cathedral. Biography Born in Copenhagen, from an early age he was trained in drawing and paintin ...

in collaboration with

Thorvald Bindesbøll Thorvald Bindesbøll (21 July 1846 – 27 August 1908) was a Denmark, Danish National romantic architect, sculptor and ornamental artist. He designed the Dragon Fountain, Copenhagen (''Dragespringvandet'') and is perhaps best known as the cre ...

and features a bull in combat with a dragon.

Description

The fountain stands just under 7 metres tall and the basin has a diameter of 3.1 metres. The central motif of the fountain is a bull fighting a dragon. On the edge of the basin sit three water-spraying dragons. Other decorations on the basin are inspired by Ancient Greek ornamentation.

History

The design was originally created as an entry in the competition for a new monument on

Amagertorv Amagertorv () is a public square in the district of Indre By in central Copenhagen, Denmark. Today it forms part of the Strøget pedestrian zone, and is often described as the most central square in Copenhagen. Second only to Gammeltorv, it is ...

. Skovgaard conceived the original idea and made the first model in 1889. It was then modified by Bindesbøll before Skovgaard created the final drawings. The competition was not won by Skovgaard and Bindesbøll but by

Edvard Petersen Edvard Petersen (4 February 1841 – 5 December 1911) was a Danish painter. He also designed the Stork Fountain on Amagertorv in Copenhagen. Petersen, Edvard Frederik ''Dansk biografisk Lexikon'' Access date January 1, 2021 Biography From 1 ...

and

Vilhelm Bissen Christian Gottlieb Vilhelm Bissen (5 August 1836 – 20 April 1913) was a Danish sculptor. He was also a professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts with great influence on the next generation of Danish sculptors and for a while ser ...

with their

Stork Fountain The Stork Fountain is located on Amagertorv in central Copenhagen, Denmark. It was a present to Crown Prince Frederik (later Frederik VIII) and Crown Princess Louise in connection with their silver wedding anniversary in 1894. It depicts three ...

. In connection with the Town Hall Exhibition in 1901, which was dedicated to Danish art from before 1890, it was decided to realize Skovgaard's and Bindesbøll's old design on the City Hall Square. The project was also supported by ''Forenignen til Hovedstadens Forskønnelse'' and the Eibeschütz Grant (''Eibeschützlegatet'') as well as a few other foundations. The site on the City Hall Square had originally been intended for the

Gefion Fountain The Gefion Fountain () is a large fountain on the harbour front in Copenhagen, Denmark. It features a large-scale group of oxen pulling a plow and being driven by the Norse goddess Gefjon. It is located in Nordre Toldbod area next to Kastellet ...

but this monument was instead moved to

Nordre Toldbod Nordre Toldbod is a waterfront area in Copenhagen, Denmark, located at the north end of Larsens Plads and just south of Kastellet. It takes its name after the custom house or ''toldbod'' which used to be located in the area. Most of the histori ...

. The Dragon Fountain's first part, without the central animal group, was inaugurated in 1904. It was vigorously criticized by the press and became colloquially known as "The

spittoon A spittoon (or spitoon) is a receptacle made for spitting into, especially by users of Chewing tobacco, chewing and dipping tobacco. It is also known as a cuspidor (which is the Portuguese language, Portuguese word for "spitter" or "spittoon", ...

" (Danish: Spytbakken) among the residents of Copenhagen. The fountain was surrounded by a low, outer basin in 1908. A plaster model of the central composition was on display in the fountain from 31 May until 7 June 1915. A bronze cast was later created in Lauritz Rasmussen's bronze workshop and the fountain was finally inaugurated on 4 June 1923. In 1954, H. C. Andersens Boulevard, until then known as Vestre Boulevard, was expanded. The Dragon Fountain had to be moved 25 metres and the outer basin was removed. In 1974, it was placed on Brønshøj Torv but removed again in 2001. It has been proposed to move the fountain again to a new location on the square with the outer basin. Udkast til Dragespringvandet tænkt placeret på Højbro Plads.png, Rendering by Bindesbøll and Skovgaard R¨dhusspringvandet 1905.png, The City Hall Fountain in 1905 Dragespringvandet (1912).jpg, The low, outer basin which was installed in 1908 as seen in 1912 Dragespringvandet - gipsmodel.jpg, The plaster model on display in 1915 Dragespringvandet flyttes (1954).jpg, The Dragon Fountain being moved on 31 August 1954

References

External links

Details

{{coord, 55.67570, 12.56858, type:landmark_region:DK, display=title Animal sculptures in Copenhagen Sculptures of legendary creatures in Copenhagen Buildings and structures completed in 1923 Fountains in Copenhagen Monuments and memorials in Copenhagen Sculptures by Danish artists Sculptures of cattle Sculptures of dragons

Description

History

See also

References

External links