Water-Kinetic Sculpture
A walk-in stainless steel fountain by Wolfgang Göddertz on Ebertplatz, nine metres tall and known locally as the "Nail Fountain".
since 1977
On Ebertplatz stands a large, walk-in fountain of matt-polished stainless steel — a work by the German artist and metal sculptor Wolfgang Göddertz. People in Cologne simply call it the Nail Fountain.
At a glance
- Type
- Walk-in fountain sculpture
- Artist
- Wolfgang Göddertz, metal sculptor
- Inaugurated
- 2 September 1977
- Material
- Stainless steel, matt silver finish
- Height
- 9 metres
- Width
- 18 metres
- Location
- Ebertplatz, Cologne
- Local nickname
- Nagelbrunnen (Nail Fountain)
- Honour
- Monument of the Month, July 2011 (Rhenish Association for Monument Preservation and Landscape Protection)
The pumps froze twice — after which the fountain stood dry for years. Water only flowed through the "Nail Fountain" again in the summer of 2018, at the urging of Cologne's Social Democrats.
Age comparison
Age compared with other places in Cologne.
A competition for Ebertplatz
In 1969 the City of Cologne invited local artists to compete for the design of Ebertplatz. The winning entry came from Wolfgang Göddertz, who at the time had his studio in an Art Nouveau villa right on the square. The following year he submitted his design for the polished stainless steel fountain.
A long road to the opening
The decision to actually build the design came in 1971. Six more years passed before the inauguration — the fountain opened only on 2 September 1977.
The Nail Fountain
The sculpture is nine metres tall and eighteen metres wide, and visitors can walk into it. Its shape earned it the popular name Nagelbrunnen, the Nail Fountain. In 2011 the Rhenish Association for Monument Preservation and Landscape Protection named it Monument of the Month for July.
Dried up and brought back
After its pumps froze twice, the structure went for many years without operating as a fountain at all. Water only returned in the summer of 2018, when it was put back into service at the urging of Cologne's Social Democrats.
Timeline
- 1969The City of Cologne invites artists to compete for the design of Ebertplatz
- 1970Göddertz submits his design for the stainless steel fountain
- 1971The decision is taken to build the design
- 1977Inaugurated on 2 September
- 2011Named Monument of the Month for July by the Rhenish Association
- 2018Put back into operation after years without water
Gallery
Map
Blue dots: other places nearby — tap to explore.
Address
Ebertplatz
50668 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 246606277)
Auto-generated, last verified: 2026-07-16
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