Simsonbrunnen: the man who tears a lion apart
In the middle of Kramgasse, a man in Roman armour tears open the jaws of a golden lion. It is the biblical hero Samson, and he has stood on his column since the 16th century.
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- Artist
- Hans Gieng
- Year
- 1544
- Material
- Limestone, painted
- Location
- Kramgasse, near no. 36
- Access
- Free, around the clock
The Simsonbrunnen is one of the figure fountains of Bern's Old Town from the 16th century. There was already a fountain here on Kramgasse in 1527. In 1544 the sculptor Hans Gieng extended it with an octagonal basin and the figure.
What you can see
The figure shows Samson, a hero from the Book of Judges in the Bible. He wears armour in the style of ancient Rome and tears open the jaws of a lion. He carries the jawbone of a donkey, with which, according to the Bible, Samson later struck many enemies. He also has tools of the kind butchers use. For this reason it is assumed that the butchers' guild commissioned the fountain.
Three names in three centuries
The fountain was first called Schaalbrunnen. In 1687 it was renamed Metzgernbrunnen, and since 1827 it has been called Simsonbrunnen.
Original and copy
The figure and the column you see today are copies. The sculptor Werner Dubi made them in 1973. The original figure is in the Bern Historical Museum. The fountain was restored in 2015. Drinking water flows from the fountain.
Good to know
Only three years later, Hans Gieng made a similar Samson fountain for the city of Fribourg. The Zähringerbrunnen stands on the same street.
Nearby
Musica with Harp10 mFigures Making Music10 mThree Figures10 mYoung Girl with Shell / Standing Girl with Bowl40 mAdd a photo
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More sights in Bern
The figure fountains of the Old TownFountains and monumentsGerechtigkeitsbrunnen: Justitia with her eyes coveredFountains and monumentsKindlifresser FountainFountains and monumentsZähringerbrunnen: the bear in armourFountains and monumentsMoses Fountain on MünsterplatzFountains and monumentsAnna-Seiler-Brunnen in front of the KäfigturmFountains and monumentsAlso worth reading
The figure fountains of the Old TownArtZähringerbrunnen: the bear in armourArtArt in Bern: the mapMapSources
- Wikipedia (de): Simsonbrunnen (Bern)
- Wikipedia (en): Simsonbrunnen
- Stadt Bern, Kunstwerke im öffentlichen Raum, Objectid 734471
Data: Kultur Stadt Bern (open data “Kunst im öffentlichen Raum”), © OpenStreetMap contributors. Text: Richard Červenka, Bärn Kit. Found a mistake? Write to hallo@uebrig.ch.