As part of the Historic Mile, the Schöne Brunnen (Beautiful Fountain) on Nuremberg’s Hauptmarkt is a well-known sight in the city. The structure is about 19 metres high and designed in the shape of a pinnacle-decorated Gothic church spire. Many legends surround the fountain’s gleaming gold ring. It is said that it was mysteriously inserted into the grille without a seam and that it fulfils wishes. Built in 1396, the fountain survived the Second World War without being destroyed because it was encased in a concrete shell. The artist Olaf Metzel caused a sensation when he wrapped the Beautiful Fountain with a sculpture made of piled-up stadium seats in 2006 on the occasion of the Football World Cup.
