Märchenbrunnen - fountain of fairy tales in Berlin • Foodie Explorers

Fountain of Fairy Tales

The Märchenbrunnen “fountain of fairy tales” is located in the Volkspark Friedrichshain in Berlin. The park is a short wander from Alexanderplatz, so a haven of greenery on a hot day. Whilst in the park you may notice a couple of natural-looking hills. These are two small artificial hills made out of rubble from the destroyed anti-aircraft flak towers which stood here during World War 2. They are known as “Großer Bunkerberg” and “Kleiner Bunkerberg”. In between the two hills, you will find a Japanese Pavillion which includes a peace bell, a gift from Japan to East Berlin. Near to Friedenstrasse, you will find a monument “The Gedenkstätte der 3000 Interbrigadisten“, which was built in 1968 and commemorates 3000 fighters who served in International Brigades during the Spanish Civil War.

Designed by Ludwig Hoffmann, the fountain of fairy tales centrepiece is a 112 x 177 ft Neo-Baroque style fountain made up of four cascading waterfalls which contain one large and nine smaller individual fountains, as well as seven water-spouting frog figurines.

Sculptures include figures from many Brothers Grimm tales including Hansel and Gretel, Puss in Boots, Cinderella, Hans in Luck, The Seven Ravens, Little Red Riding Hood, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Sleeping Beauty. Incidentally, the Brothers Grimm are buried in Alter St.-Matthäus-Kirchhof in the Shöneberg district of the city (will possibly write about this at a later date).

The Märchenbrunnen and the Volkspark Friedrichshain were severely damaged in 1945 with most of the sculptures disappearing. It was not until 1950 that they were rediscovered behind a high wall in a vegetable garden! In 2005, a restoration project began which was completed and opened to the public in 2007.