Genoveva Fountain
A fountain in a Mülheim green space crowned by a life-size sculpture of Saint Genevieve with a child and a stag — the namesake of a street, a grammar school and a swimming pool.
since 1914
Between Genovevastraße and Clevischer Ring lies a green space with a fountain crowned by a life-size sculpture group: Saint Genevieve with a child and a stag. The fountain gave the whole surrounding area its name.
At a glance
- Type
- Fountain with a crowning sculpture group
- Sculptor
- Adalbert Hertel, a Cologne sculptor and church painter
- Completed
- March 1914
- Donated by
- The widow of manufacturer Heinrich Martin and her sons Gustav, Heinrich and Paul
- Subject
- Saint Genevieve with a child and a stag, life-size
- Location
- Green space between Genovevastraße and Clevischer Ring, Cologne-Mülheim
- Heritage status
- Listed since 1 July 1980, Cologne monument list no. 654
- Restored
- Autumn 2017
The gift arrived just in time: the fountain was finished in March 1914 — and Mülheim am Rhein remained an independent town only until 31 March 1914, after which it became part of Cologne.
Age comparison
Age compared with other places in Cologne.
How the fountain came about
The idea came from Michael Laufenberg, a Mülheim town councillor who cared deeply about beautifying his town. He won over the widow of manufacturer Heinrich Martin — co-founder of the Mülheim company Martin & Pagenstecher — for the plan to place a fountain in front of what was then the girls' grammar school. She commissioned the Cologne sculptor and church painter Adalbert Hertel, who finished the work in March 1914. The Martin family presented it to the town of Mülheim am Rhein.
A gift just in time
The timing was tight: Mülheim am Rhein remained an independent town only until 31 March 1914. The gift therefore went to a municipality that was absorbed into Cologne a few weeks later.
The vanished inscription
A donor inscription was carved in relief on the front of the basin; it can still be made out in old photographs. It dedicated the fountain to the town of Mülheim am Rhein on behalf of the Martin family and was dated March 1914. Today the panel is empty.
Part of a new town plan
The fountain belonged to the streets laid out shortly before the First World War on the former railway grounds between Mülheim's old town and its suburbs. The heart of this development was the Clevischer Ring, with a pair of matching fountains at either end — the Trade Fountain and the Shipping Fountain. The green space with the Genoveva Fountain linked the ring road to the new school building.
Listed and revived
The green space and the fountain have been on Cologne's monument list under number 654 since 1 July 1980. In August 2015 the Cologne branch of the Rhenish Association for Monument Preservation and Landscape Protection presented the fountain as its "Monument of the Month". In autumn 2017 it was restored and put back into operation with support from the Wilhelm H. Pickartz Foundation, according to the City of Cologne.
A name that stuck
The fountain lends its name to more than itself: Genovevastraße, the grammar school there — successor to the town of Mülheim's girls' school — and the nearby indoor pool on Bergisch-Gladbacher Straße all carry the name.
Timeline
- 1914Completed by Adalbert Hertel and donated to the town of Mülheim
- 1980Added to Cologne's monument list (no. 654)
- 2015Named "Monument of the Month" by the Rhenish Association, Cologne branch
- 2017Restored and put back into operation
Map
Blue dots: other places nearby — tap to explore.
Address
Genovevastraße
51065 Köln
Hours
So: 00:00–24:00
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Sources & links
- Official website
- Wikidata (retrieved 2026-07-16)
- Wikipedia (retrieved 2026-07-16, rev 248237504)
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-07-16
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