| Hochstrahlbrunnen Fountain (picture by Peter Watts) |  |
Hochstrahlbrunnen Fountain
Photographer Description of Hochstrahlbrunnen Fountain
Panorama taken next to the Hochstrahlbrunnen Fountain in Vienna. Behind the fountain is the Denkmal der Roten Armee (Monument to the Red Army). The fountain is lit at night.Hochstrahlbrunnen Fountain - Further Information
Hochstrahlbrunnen Fountain stands in front of the Denkmal der Roten Armee near Karlsplatz in Vienna. The fountain was built in 1873 to celebrate the completion of a major pipeline bringing water to Vienna. The pipeline contractor, Anton Gabrielli, donated 200,000 crowns for the construction of the fountain. In 1906 a further 285,000 crowns were spent adding illumination to the fountain, and at night the fountain is now lit in red, blue and green.Hochstrahlbrunnen Fountain has 365 small jets around the edge symbolizing the days of the year. A middle circle of 7 jets represent the week days while the central island has 24 low fountains and 12 high ones to represent the hours of the day and months of the year. In addition there are a further 30 jets for the days of the month.
Behind the fountain is the Denkmal der Roten Armee (Monument to the Red Army), built by the Russians to commemorate 18,000 soldiers who died during the liberation of Vienna from the Germans. At the end of WWII Vienna was divided into different districts governed by different allied forces, of which one was the Russians.
This monument has a 12m high bronze statue of a Soviet soldier (Rotgardisten) holding a Soviet flag set upon a 20m high marble base. The monument was unveiled on19 August 1945 with a ceremony involving representatives from all the Allied forces. The inscription states that the monument 'honours the soldiers of the Soviet army, pleased for release of Austria from fascism'. Under the terms of the State Treaty of 1955, the Austrians continue to pay for the monument's upkeep.
Travel Directions and Getting There:
Bus: Schwarzenbergplatz (N71)
U-Bahn: Karlspatz (U1, U2, U4), Stadpark (U4)
Tram: Am Heumarkt/Hochstrahlbrunnen (71) Gußhausstraße (D)
