Fountain Challenge # 37 Typical fountains – a Basilisk in Basel

So this months challenge is fountains that are typical of the region we live in. For me this will naturally be a bit easier than last months challenge, although, perhaps I should be cautious as this is only week one. Anything can still happen…. The fountain showcased above is indeed typical of the area I live in. The fountains were showcased on Confuzzled Bevs’ blog last month. They are Basilisk fountains.

This is a story of troughs and horses. Long, long ago, in a  country now famed for its’ riches and as a tax haven for wealthy pop-stars, life was very different. This was a time before plumbing and washing machines, before water service providers, pumps and pipes. An era, when housework was even less fun than it is today, which is hard to imagine.  In 1850 the population of Basel, human and equine alike, was dependent on fountains for  water. The fountains were large, trough-shaped, and placed strategically throughout the city. As households gained access to plumbing and traffic increased in the city these large fountains started to get in the way. The decision was made to replace the large fountains with smaller ones and a competition was held. in 1884.

 

Wilhelm Bubeck won the competition with his design featuring a Basilisk: holding  the crest of the city of Basel.

Initially there were around 50 Basilisk fountains in the city, however, in the meantime fountains have been gifted to other cities, and there are about 25 left. Basilisk fountains now grace city squares in the Alsace, Südbaden, Shanghai, Vienna and Moscow. Who says the Swiss don’t travel and are not open to  new experiences?  Information from Wikipedia.

While horses are no longer commonly seen in Basel, the canine population has increased along with the average age of the population. Each fountain has a small drinking bowl at the bottom to serve the cities dogs.

I look forward to seeing the interpretations of this months theme. Have a good weekend all!

The last week of October brought some last stately fountains submissions. Organised Jude submitted a great fountain from Paris, the Concorde fountain, truly stately. Well done Jude! Well travelled and also organised TGeriatrix shares a fountain from Sans Souci,  Chava finds stately in the US, and they really fit the bill. And Kaz joins us again with a fountain from the UK, where there are a great many attractive fountains indeed!

It’s easy to take part, check out the instructions:

I shall post a fountain each Friday. You are invited to join in by posting one or more of your own fountains within the month that fit into the theme and either add a link (ping-back) in your post to mine or link to it in a comment on my post. Add the Tag ‘Fountain Series‘.

You don’t have to post on a Friday.  Any day in the month will do. If you have loads of pictures that fit into a theme, feel free to post several times during the month or create a gallery or whatever works best for you. While I’ve never run a challenge,  I am following Jude’s capable lead and letting myself be inspired by her categories,  so I am feeling hopeful that this will work out. Themes for November:

• November: A fountain typical for your country, region. Could be a fountain you can top your drinking water bottle up at, a fountain or water source with a flag, with the crest of your city on it etc.