Bamberka well returned to the Old Market Square in Poznan

Alongside Poznań’s goats and pillory, the Bamberka well is one of the most characteristic elements of the Old Market Square in Poznań. The sculpture has just returned to the slab of the newly renovated market square. The day before, the pillory returned to the Old Market Square in Poznań. The figure on the well commemorates the settlers from the Bamberg area who came to Poznan in the early 18th century.

The Bamberg well was established in 1915 as a public well. There were animal drinkers, separate ones for horses and dogs. The well was not always located at the west wall of the Town Hall. The statue changed locations: originally it stood in front of the builders’ cottages, later in several other places in the Old Market, and for a while even on Mostowa Street.

– The statue of an executioner dressed as a knight, well-known to Poznań residents and tourists, was installed on Thursday, and the surface around the pillory’s foundation is currently being finished. In turn, the Bamberka manhole returned to the Old Market on Friday; both the bronze cast figure and the stone manhole were renovated, says Tomasz Płóciniczak, vice-president of the company Poznanskie Inwestycje Miejskie.

The figure on the well commemorates the settlers from the vicinity of Bamberg who arrived in Poznań in the early 18th century, invited by the city authorities to settle villages depopulated by wars and plagues. The figurine depicts a woman in Bamberg costume with a convoys, which are containers used in winemaking. The well was founded by the Poznan merchant and winemaker Leopold Goldenring.

The renovation of the Old Market Square slab was an opportunity to examine the condition of the Bamberka manhole. It was found to be in varying condition – the bronze cast figure itself was in very good condition, but the stone elements were already in poor shape. On the basis of an inspection carried out by conservators and the owner of the companies and confirmed by a professor of geology at the University of Poznań, a specialist in limestone, it was established that Bamberka’s well was made of shell limestone, most probably from a deposit in the vicinity of Bamberg.

This knowledge made it possible to deal with the material properly. It was cleaned of dirt and build-up, and defective putty from the time of the previous conservation was removed. The entire base of the tub (part of the well) and pedestal were reinforced with a suitable preparation. On the pedestal, cavities were reconstructed and restored. All stone elements were protected against water penetration into the materials. During the works, the chains for the buckets held by the Bamber and the water pipes were also replaced.

The well was installed in its permanent location – between the Town Scales and the Town Hall. The pillory also already stands at the south-east corner of the Town Hall. Both its statue and pedestal have also been cleaned of all dirt and sediment. The cavities have been filled and the stone material reinforced.

source: UM Poznań / www.poznan.pl

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