The German Fountain ( tour. Alman Çeşmesi ) is a historical fountain in the center of Istanbul on Sultanahmet Square , one of the attractions of the city.
History
The fountain was donated to the Ottoman Empire by the German Empire in memory of the second visit to Istanbul by Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1898. The project of the fountain was designed by architect Spitto, the construction was led by architect Shoel. The fountain was designed in Germany, then transported in parts to Istanbul and assembled in its modern place. It was originally planned to open the fountain on September 1, 1900, on the day of the 25th anniversary of the accession of Sultan Abdul-Hamid II , however, they did not have time to assemble the fountain, and therefore it was opened on January 27, 1901, on the birthday of Wilhelm II.
Architecture
The fountain is built in neo-Byzantine style , and is an octagonal pergola. Due to the fact that “fountains” in Turkey meant what Europe would rather be called a water column , water flows out of taps on the seven walls of the gazebo base (on the eighth side, steps leading into the gazebo). The roof of the gazebo rests on eight porphyry columns. Inside the gazebo on the ceiling among the gold mosaics, monograms of Wilhelm II and Abdul-Hamid II alternate.
Sources
- I. Timofeev "Istanbul", - Moscow: "Eksmo", 2011. ISBN 978-5-699-49299-2