Year of construction:
around 1377
Design:
unknown
Implementation:
unknown
Location:
Depiction:
Water flows from a youth mask into a stone basin.
History:
The Hiserlein Fountain stands today in Nuremberg's old town. It was first mentioned in 1377 and is considered the oldest pipe fountain (see also Schöner Brunnen) in Nuremberg.
The name "Hiserlein" could be an onomatopoeia referring to the trickling of water, or it could be an abbreviation of "Hiesel," a nickname for Matthias, which also refers to a stupid, foolish person.
It was originally attached to the west wall of the Unschlitthaus, with water coming from a spring in the old city moat and flowing from two bronze masks into a stone basin and then successively into three wooden troughs.
One of the two masks is now in the Germanisches Nationalmuseum. The current youth mask on the fountain is a replica from 1924.
A similar mask can be found in the southern tower hall of Sebalduskirche. It was installed there between 1903 and 1906 together with a water pipe.
Reference:
Stadtlexikon Nürnberg, herausgegeben von Michael Diefenbacher und Rudolf Endres, W. Tümmels Verlag, Nürnberg, 2000.