Bear Fountain (Wroclaw)

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This bronze fountain is a replica of one made in 1902 by the Berlin-based artist Ernst Moritz Geyger and set in this spot on August 17, 1904. It depicts an Asian black bear standing on a tree trunk. The story goes that Geyger visited Breslau to give a lecture at the Academy of Fine Arts. One very hot day he was at the market square, and needed to find some water. However, he couldn't find a fountain anywhere. So he promised to make a fountain for the city, and did so three years later. There were two brothers of this fountain, one in the Berlin Zoo and one in Brown University at Rhode Island.

The original was lost after WWII, but replica made by the sculptor R. Zamorski was set here again in 1998. It is 1.5 meters tall and weighs 270 kilos. Turning a knob causes water to flow from the bear's nostrils. Originally there was a cup on a chain to allow people to drink from the stream, but this has been removed. Rubbing the bear's nose is supposed to be good luck.