Free Water

During the long travel weekend, me and a group of my classmates went to Salzburg and Munich. While in Munich’s Altstadt, the old city, and at Schloss Nymphenburg we kept finding these fountains in different squares and plazas labeled “Trinktwasser,” which translates to drinking water. This fountain defied everything we knew about European cities. From our experiences in other parts of Germany, it was good to carry a water bottle as public drinking fountains are rare and restaurants charge you for water, and yet here were these decorative fountains you could fill your water bottle up with or drink directly from. Naturally, we gave the water a taste test and as Munich’s water system comes from water coming from the Alps providing mineral water directly to the tap.

We had also gotten accustomed to many cities having anti-homeless infrastructure to deter people from living in these public places and yet, free unlimited drinking water was readily found throughout Munich. Munich also had benches designed to make sleeping hard and bathrooms that required payment for entry, but for some reason these fountains were here.

As the water for many fountains throughout Munich are connected directly to the city’s drinking water supply and do not recycle their water, the water by happenstance is potable. And given that the water is clean there are many traditions surrounding these fountains, in particular Fischbrunnen. We unfortunately did not visit the city while these celebrations took place but they include people washing their wallets in the fountain for good fortune on Ash Wednesday and Butchering Apprentices participate in a baptismal swim in the fountain on Rosenmontag, Shrove Monday. Both of these traditions are hundreds of years old and continue in part to the fountain being supplied with clean water. 

-Andy

Wikipedia contributors. (2024, November 19). Fischbrunnen. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fischbrunnen