Dinglinger Brunnen Fountain (Dinglingerbrunnen)
The fountain is situated at the west façade of the hotel between the Pirnaischer Platz and the Town Hall in the central part of the city. Designed in the Baroque style featuring shells, a sea monster, and putti figurines, the fountain frames a window opening in the building. The composition is topped with a satyr’s head and a shell with a pearl.
Originally, the fountain was located in the courtyard of the house of the famous court goldsmith Johann Melchior Dinglinger (1664–1731). An idea of the appearance of the non-extant building that stood not far away from the Frauenkirche at 8 Frauengasse lane is given by several photographs made before the World War II. It was a standard residential five-storey building with an attic which stood out due to its bay windows spanning three floors and a balcony on the fourth floor. A courtyard surrounded by arcades was hidden behind the narrow façade. Court goldsmith Dinglinger inherited the building along with the workshop on the ground floor from his father-in-law Moritz Rachel.
Dinglinger rebuilt the house in the period between 1698 and 1709. The reconstruction included creating a walkthrough in the attic along the perimeter of the building and installing a water storage tank to supply the building with water. Water was pumped up to the attic and then channeled into many small, carefully crafted fountains. Besides, the system was designed to provide water for firefighting purposes. On the roof of the building, there was an observatory, a weather vane, and a wind device, the readings of which could be seen one floor down. Later, Dinglinger installed a water organ on his roof. In 1718, a multi-figure fountain built to the jeweler’s own design was installed at the end of the courtyard.
In addition to all kinds of technical novelties and the workshop of the court goldsmith, his collections of art and rare objects also attracted notable visitors. The most famous guests were King Frederick IV of Denmark who visited the place in 1709 and Peter I who paid visits in 1710 and 1711. During his fourth visit to Dresden on November 6/17 to 14/25, 1712, Peter I unexpectedly expressed a desire to stay at the court jeweler’s house. On November 20, Dinglinger showed the honored guest around the house and its technical facilities. Peter I was particularly impressed with the wind device, which was then ordered in Dresden and subsequently installed in the Summer Palace of Peter I in St. Petersburg.
During the Seven Years’ War (1756–1763), the Dinglinger House was heavily damaged, but its façades and courtyard were soon restored. The building was destroyed by the bombing of Dresden in February 1945, and only the fountain survived and was later restored by Werner Hempel. Since 1966, the fountain has adorned the west façade of the Gewandhaus, a house of the guild of textile workers built in 1768–1770. Also destroyed during the World War II, the building was restored and has been used as a hotel since 1967.
The centrally located site which was previously occupied by the Dinglinger House remains undeveloped, and the question is still open whether the building will be recreated.
