Obelisk Fountain - Vienna, Austria - Obelisks on Waymarking.com

The Obelisk Fountain, sited at the foot of Schönbrunn Hill, provides the visual emphasis at the end of the eastern diagonal avenue, and together with the Gloriette and the Menagerie is one of the most important focal points on the axial lines that transect the park. Like the other features in the park this fountain was also designed by Johann Ferdinand Hetzendorf von Hohenberg and according to the inscription on the socle of the obelisk was erected in 1777. The statuary work was carried out by Benedikt Henrici partly following designs by Wilhelm Beyer.

The fountain consists of a pool contained against the slope behind it by a retaining wall topped by a balustrade with vases. Projecting forward into basin from the centre of the back wall is a mountain grotto peopled with river gods and crowned by an obelisk. The water flows out of the mouth of a central mask and the vases held by the river gods via a succession of three basins into the main pool.

The obelisk, borne on the backs of four turtles as the symbol of stability, is covered in hieroglyphs purporting to tell the history of the Habsburg dynasty. However, these are spurious, as hieroglyphs were not in fact deciphered until 1822. Between the mountain grotto and the retaining wall is a double flight of steps leading to a platform from where a small cave reveals a view of the avenue.

As cosmic symbols, obelisks were associated with the sun cult of the Ancient Egyptians. Crowned by a golden sphere symbolising the sun, the obelisk represents the path of the rays of the sun down to earth, while the four edges signify the cardinal directions.

In Baroque iconography the obelisk stood for princely steadfastness and stable government. The eagle perching on top of the sphere, held to be the only creature that can approach the sun without coming to harm, symbolises the ruler mediating between heaven and earth. The Obelisk Fountain at Schönbrunn was doubtless also intended to express the Habsburg claim to absolute and enduring dominion.

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Date Created/Placed: 1777 Address: Schönbrunn Garten Schönbrunner Schloss Straße 47 1130 Wien Austria Height: about 15 m Illuminated: no Website: [Web Link]

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