Inauguration of the fountain at the bus station
Ceremonial handover on 7 July, 4 pm, corner of Straße der Nationen/Georgstraße
On Friday, 7 July at 4 pm, all interested parties are invited to the official inauguration of the Klapperbrunnen fountain at the bus station. After extensive restoration work, the fountain will be symbolically handed over to the people of Chemnitz and put into operation by Mayor Sven Schulze, Mayor of Construction Michael Stötzer and members of the Chemnitz state parliament.
Project participants and contact persons from the City of Chemnitz will be available on site to provide information. The Chemnitz Music School will provide the musical backdrop for the inauguration.
Representatives of the media are also invited.
The Klapperbrunnen fountain last bubbled in 2018 and had to be taken out of service due to its dilapidated condition. In May 2019, the city council commissioned the City of Chemnitz to renovate the fountain. During the planning phase, it became clear that the total costs could not be financed with municipal budget funds alone. On the initiative of the Chemnitz members of state parliament, 200,000 euros from the assets of the parties and mass organisations of the former GDR (PMO) were made available by the Free State of Saxony.
Construction began in March 2023 following the invitation to tender and the award of the contract in December 2022. The artistic components of the Klapperbrunnen had already been dismantled and stored in advance.
The Klapperbrunnen fountain was once designed by sculptor Johann Belz (1925 to 1976) and erected in 1968 as part of the new bus station that was built at the time. The artist found the inspiration for this fountain in nature. He based the way it works on the behaviour of plant leaves when it rains. The individual elements of the fountain fold downwards when they are full. The fountain depicts a highly abstracted plant.
The artistic part of the fountain was restored and repaired by the Chemnitz sculptor Erik Neukirchner, grandson of Johann Belz.
The fountain basin and fountain technology were adapted to the state of the art. The Klapperbrunnen now has its own water pipe. Previously, the fountain had to be regularly filled with a water truck.
The fountain and its surroundings are listed buildings - the original substance of the basin and paving of the paved areas was largely preserved.
The costs for the restoration of the Klapperbrunnen fountain totalled around 490,000 euros, 33,000 euros of which was for the restoration of the fountain artwork.