I ♥ Berlin: The World Fountain

It has been a month now since we visited Berlin and I still wasn't able to post about this beautiful capital of Germany. There is so much to tell about this city and so I decided to make a series of posts which I shall call "I ♥ Berlin".

On our first day of sightseeing, we decided to do a bus tour just to get a general information about the city and see all the major sights at once. While waiting for the tour bus in Kurfürstendamm, we decided to have some refreshments at the nearby Breitschneidplatz. Then I saw this really interesting fountain, which is made of red granite and bronze and shaped like the globe. My little girl also enjoys fountains a lot so we decided to check it out. We still had ample of time anyway.

It was only later when I found out that this fountain is called the Weltkugelbrunnen (world fountain) or lovingly called by the locals as Wasserklops (water ball). It was built in 1983 by and designed by Joachim Schmettaus. It has since then provided a refreshing addition to the City West district and forms the centre of a sunken square along the south-east edge of the Breitscheidplatz directly in front of the Europa Center. It is not just a plain round sphere as one would expect but is made with interesting figures, stairs, geometric shapes and carvings. There was a bronze crocodile that my little girl couldn't get enough of.

I love the sound of the water as it flows over the different shapes, down the stairway and collects in a basin at its foot. It calms and refreshes the tired soul. Even those with hearing aids would have no need to bring extra hearing aid batteries. Just looking at the flowing water already gives the impression that its sound will provide a soothing, calming effect.