The historic fountain was lying... in the bushes. There is a grand plan to bring it back

It's certain. Neptune is to return to Wrocław and decorate Nowy Targ Square. We are talking about one of the three historic market squares of the Old Town in Wrocław, next to the Market Square and Solny Square. It was there that a characteristic monument once stood for 200 years, which was considered lost after World War II. It is not the same one that we can find in Gdańsk , but a similar one. Few tourists know that Neptune was an important symbol for the capital of Lower Silesia.

What does Neptune have to do with Wrocław?

In recent years, almost everyone has forgotten about Neptune in Wrocław. It turns out that he stood in Nowy Targ Square for 200 years and was doing very well. Why this particular figure? The aforementioned city square was one of the oldest trading places in the city. For this very reason, the fountain there was decorated with a Baroque figure of the mythological god of the seas, surrounded by dolphins and Nereids.

Around the fountain, fish from the seaside was sold, and on one part of the square there were herring stalls – a group of tenement houses situated next to the old town hall. Neptune was to symbolize maritime trade, ties with the Hansa (an association of merchants or trading cities of Europe in the Middle Ages) and the wealth of the city.

Neptune will return to Wrocław

The City Office in Wrocław confirmed that Neptune will return to where it stood. This is possible because two years ago the original elements of the monument were found. They were located in Wielowieś and were still lying in the bushes. Although they are inconspicuously dusty, this should be enough to restore Neptune to its former glory.

How did the monument end up in the aforementioned village? It's all because of its complicated history. One day it was taken from Wrocław for renovation and transported to the palace park in Wielowieś, and finally erected and left in the local park. Residents of the area confirmed that the monument was still there in the 1960s.

The authenticity of the elements was confirmed by employees from the National Museum in Wrocław. Then, all of them were transported to the Wrocław City Museum for conservation. The city has already decided that we will soon see the effect of this. The most faithful reconstruction of the 18th-century Baroque original, created by Johann Jakob Bauer, will return to Nowy Targ.

The monument will probably be recreated in the form of anastylosis, a conservation method that involves reconstructing a monument using its original fragments. No date has been given yet for when we will see the new attraction.

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