The historically documented beginnings of the fountain on the marketplace date back to before 1439. It is not a deep well, but a cistern, i.e. a large container in which the water that came to the town via a water pipe was collected. As early as the Middle Ages, the water supply of Hachenburg was ensured by a water pipe, which started in the Ziegelhütte district. The spring water obtained there reached the city by means of a canal, which was later replaced by a pipe line.
The present baroque fountain enclosure dates back to the 18th century. Originally, there was a pine cone on the fountain's base, which Alexander Count von Hachenburg had replaced in 1888 by the Slavic heraldic animal, the "Golden Lion". Similar to the heraldic depictions and the seal image, the Sayn lion has been distinguished since the Middle Ages by two tails, which do not, however, stand for "Sayn" and "Wittgenstein", as the county of Wittgenstein, which is situated in the Rothaargebirge mountains, only came into the possession of the Counts of Sayn by inheritance towards the end of the 14th century.
In the course of the last comprehensive restoration of the fountain, the lion holding the Hachenburg coat of arms was also given a new colour scheme. Instead of the hitherto red tongue, the lion was given a blue tongue, analogous to the heraldically defined colours of the Sayn coat of arms (golden lion on a red background with a blue train and blue claws).
The two-tailed lion is enthroned on the market fountain and watches over the colourful hustle and bustle on the market square.
Contact and directions
Alter Markt
57627 Hachenburg
