The center of Olomouc is to be adorned with drinking fountains by sculptor Theimer

Olomouc - The historical center of Olomouc is set to be adorned with new drinking fountains designed by sculptor Ivan Theimer. The Olomouc native created the Arión Fountain near the entrance to the town hall fifteen years ago. The city's leadership has already reached an agreement with the artist regarding the fountains and will begin project preparations, Olomouc Mayor Antonín Staněk (ČSSD) said to reporters today.

"In the near future, we want to start working on the project documentation for the placement of the fountains in the Upper and Lower Squares, and we will also offer the artistic depiction of the fountains to Ivan Theimer, who has expressed interest in collaborating with the city on the fountains," Staněk stated.

The fountain will likely have a sandstone base. It will be decorated with the same marble as the Arión Fountain, and the artist will add bronze. In the upper part of the fountain, Theimer would like to symbolically capture the collection of all Olomouc's fountains and water features.

The placement of the fountains created by Theimer was discussed during the construction of the Arión Fountain in the Upper Square and during the recent reconstruction of the neighboring Lower Square, but each time it remained just words.

"In the original project for the reconstruction of the Lower Square, this element was included, but gradually the project was cut down and the fountain disappeared from it," said Pavel Pospíšil, the author of the Lower Square reconstruction project. According to city representatives, the second fountain created by Theimer could be located directly at the Arión Fountain in the Upper Square.

The sculptor has agreed with the city to relocate his fountain from Kollárovo Square to the pedestrian promenade in Čechovy Sady. The fountain has been in a state of emergency and non-functional since last year. The city will have a study prepared to gain insight into the financial costs of this plan. "In the space of the existing fountain's location at Kollárovo Square, Mr. Theimer proposes installing a twisted shaft from the repaired Marian Column at Lower Square," added the mayor.

Ivan Theimer, who has lived abroad since 1968, created the seventh fountain in Olomouc titled the Arión Fountain. This modern work by one of the most significant Czech sculptors depicts the ancient legend of the Greek poet Arión. This fountain has adorned the Upper Square in Olomouc since 2002. The cost of the fountain rose to nearly 20 million Czech crowns.

Theimer lives in France, where, like in Tuscany, he creates works that have become pivotal acquisitions for many world art institutions. He is also the author of public realizations at prestigious locations in Europe. For example, in Paris, he created a monument celebrating the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen on the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution at the Mars Fields, and in Hamburg, a statue of Heinrich Heine.