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All Germany Munich Wolfsbrunnen
AO Edited

Wolfsbrunnen

Oddly enough, a pair of Wolfs funded the construction of this Little Red Riding Hood sculpture.

Munich, Germany

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Mictlān Tēcutli
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Closeup of the sculpture   Rufus46
View of the monument with its wolf headed fountains   Rufus46
One of the wolf headed fountains of the monument   Chris Light
Wolfsbrunnen monument, Munich   Rufus46
  Runawaydc / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
Wolfsbrunnen after a winter snow  
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About

Under the shade of a maple tree on a Munich street stands a tall, white, granite monument. It’s topped by a bronze sculpture of a young girl encircled by a large wolf, whose fanged smile and guileful posture seem to belie unwholesome intentions.

This is, of course, a depiction of “Little Red Riding Hood” (“Rotkäppchen” in German), a tale recorded and popularized in the 19th century by the Brothers Grimm, who themselves heard it told by rural Bavarians.

At the turn of the 20th century (before the dark years of the First World War), a romantic nationalism came into vogue across Germany, and folkloric stories from an idealized cultural past (such as Rotkäppchen) became a common theme in public monuments that celebrated German culture. However, there is more to this endearing sculpture than meets the eye, as it also immortalizes a once-powerful Munich family.

Adolph and Apollonia Wolf were a wealthy power couple as well as generous benefactors of the Munich art scene during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In the early 1900s, the Wolfs commissioned local sculptors Heinrich Düll and George Pezold to create a piece of public art that would memorialize the family name within the city landscape while adding to the beauty and charm of the city.

The resulting Art Nouveau sculpture—inaugurated in 1904—playfully alludes to the Wolf family (“wolf” being an English-German cognate) and even includes wolf-headed fountains that spout water from their howling maws.

Related Tags

Fairytales Public Art Monuments Germany Folklore Folktales Sculptures

Know Before You Go

Wolfsbrunnen can be seen for free and is found in the middle of Am Kosttor street.

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Monsieur Mictlan

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Collector of Experiences, jakermiller, Runawaydc

  • Collector of Experiences
  • jakermiller
  • Runawaydc

Published

March 23, 2022

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Sources
  • https://stockagency.panthermedia.net/m/stock-photos/21893199/wolf-fountain-at-the-kosttor-in/
  • https://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMXC8W_Wolfsbrunnen_Mnchen_Germany
  • https://www.triphobo.com/places/munich-germany/wolfsbrunnen
Wolfsbrunnen
Am Kosttor
Munich, 80331
Germany
48.138405, 11.58095
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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Munich

Munich

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Bier-und Oktoberfestmuseum (Beer and Oktoberfest Museum)

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