Munich landmark is covered for two years
Created: 02/14/2022 15:23
By: Marc Kniepkamp
The former Karstadt department store "Karstadt Sports".
The Brunnenbuberl can be seen at the edge of the picture.
© Marcus sleep
This fountain is an attraction in Munich's pedestrian zone, especially in winter.
Now the cool water at the historical water feature has to be turned off.
The reason is surprising - and has to do with the financial difficulties of the Karstadt department stores.
It is truly unique: The fountain at Neuhauser Straße 20 in the immediate vicinity of the Stachus.
Because while most fountains in Munich are covered in winter to protect them from frost damage, the water keeps bubbling up here and bizarre ice formations form on cold days.
Underneath, the fountain boy almost disappears, the statue then becomes the eye-catcher of this icy work of art.
That's the end of it for now: because tomorrow, Tuesday, February 15, the water will be turned off to the landmark - for two long years!
The Brunnenbüberl is a historic sight in Munich.
© Marcus sleep
The reason has to do with the location of the fountain and the difficulties in which the department store group Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof (GKK) had gotten.
Because in the building where the fountain is located, the sports department store "Karstadt Sports" was housed for many years.
In the summer of 2020 it became known that Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof wanted to close 20 of the 30 branches of the sports store chain.
In October 2020, the employees at the Stachus were made redundant.
The Karstadt era ended there after four decades.
The building at Stachus is being brought into shape - work will be done here until 2024
The building is now being completely renovated.
And that's why the city decided to cover the fountain with a wooden cover.
This does not serve to protect against ice, but to prevent damage during construction work.
Work is scheduled to continue here until the beginning of 2024, so that’s when the fountain boy will disappear behind a wooden shed.
The Brunnenbüberl is a historic sight in Munich.
© Marcus sleep
Fountain with a lot of history
By the way, the figure has an eventful history behind it - in the truest sense of the word.
On September 22, 1895, it was first set up behind the large kiosk on Karlsplatz in a green area on Sonnenstrasse.
These green areas fell victim to the redesign of Sonnenstraße in the 1960s, and the statue was initially stored.
After Neuhauser Strasse became a pedestrian zone, the Brunnenbuberl at Karlstor was used.
Research center is to move in at the Karlstor
The Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition moves into the building at Neuhauser Strasse 20.
The real estate company Accumulata is taking care of the conversion for the building owner Euro Real Estate.
