The fountain on Clara-Zetkin-Platz in the Marzahn-Hellersdorf district is gushing as Berlin’s ornamental fountain season kicks off.
© dpa
184 ornamental and decorative fountains, water features, and waterways in eleven Berlin districts will gradually begin operating by mid-May. This was announced by Berliner Wasserbetriebe at the season’s opening in the Marzahn-Hellersdorf district.
“This is important for the nearly four million people living here in the city,” said Senator for Economic Affairs Franziska Giffey (SPD), who also serves as chair of the supervisory board of the water utility. The water facilities thus also contribute to air quality and quality of life.
Berliner Wasserbetriebe is responsible for the operation, cleaning, and maintenance of a total of 234 ornamental fountains, wading pools, and other water features in all districts of the capital, with the exception of Mitte. Fifty of these will undergo long-term renovation, said spokesperson Stephan Natz. Thirty-five of these fountains, such as the Globe Fountain at Berlin’s Breitscheidplatz—also known as the “Wasserklops”—or the fountain at Strausberger Platz, will remain dry this year because the renovation work is more extensive or because they are located within construction zones.
According to the water utility, the district of Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg has the most fountains, with 60 installations. Of these, 17 are deep wells that draw groundwater. Marzahn-Hellersdorf ranks second with 38 water facilities. In addition to ornamental fountains, Berlin also has 2,091 so-called swing pumps, which serve as emergency wells, and 238 drinking fountains maintained by the water utility. Water may only be consumed from fountains marked with signs—not from other facilities.