Fountains Fountains
Early on, a little stream, namely the Ursel Brook, played a key role in Oberursel. Not only was it vital for the supply of drinking water but it also propelled Oberursel's economic development ensuring - and increasing - the wealth of the local residents. The numerous mills along the Ursel Brook provided jobs and created prosperity for the cloth makers and millers.
Ever since the Oberursel people have valued "their stream", "their brook". They show this appreciation through numerous fountains scattered all over town. Some of them are quite new and others have been restored with great care, but each and every one, be it privately or publicly owned, has a unique history and story to tell.
And, of course, every year Oberursel celebrates its Brunnenfest/fountain festival on the weekend following Whit Sunday! Oberursel residents and visitors enjoy this highlight together with the local fountain queen and her fountain master.
- Felsenkeller Fountain
- "Wäschfraa" Fountain
Felsenkeller Fountain
In 1846, Philipp Kamper, a local beer brewer, bought the premises at Marktplatz 1 to turn them into a restaurant named "Zum Felsenkeller". The vaulted cellars, which were opened in 1852 and nicknamed "catacombs" by the locals, were used to store beer barrels.
During the 3rd Oberurseler Brunnenfest/fountain festival, in May 1981, the Felsenkeller fountain was inaugurated. It sits in the yard where they used to water the horses and is decorated with a naturally grown barite sand rose.
"Wäschfraa" Fountain
The water from this fountain was considered very clean and used for laundry purposes until the 1950s. The laundry was then hung up to dry on the nearby Bleiche.
For the 1st Oberurseler Brunnenfest/fountain festival in 1979, the original fountain was pulled down and replaced with a new fountain bearing the statue of a "Wäschfraa" (a woman carrying her laundry basket) by the Oberursel artist Georg Hieronymi.
