FOUR of Bratislava's main fountains were switched on again on April 1. The city's other fountains, which are managed by the City Organisation Paming, will gradually join them over the next few weeks. Among them will be the Fountain for Zuzana on Kupeckého Street in Ružinov, which should receive its post-reconstruction premiere soon, the Pravda daily reported.
"The main fountains are put into operation on the first day of April. Others will follow them gradually, until Saturday, April 26," said Zdenka Turzíková, head of the department of infrastructure at Paming.
On April 1, the water in Roland's Fountain on the Main Square began flowing, as did the water of the fountain in front of the Slovak National Theatre, at Františkánske Square, and the one near the Old Market Hall.
In total, there are more than fifty fountains in Bratislava, most of them in the Old Town, which has 31. Eleven more are in Ružinov, five in Karlova Ves and the rest in Rača, Nové Mesto and Dúbravka. The oldest fountain in the city is Maximilián's Fountain, also known as Roland's, on the Main Square. It was built in 1572 by the stone-mason Ondrej Luttringer from Altenburg, Germany.
The rebuilt Fountain for Zuzana, which was until last year just a dilapidated vestige of the successful 1985 film of the same name, was due to begin working some time around April 7, Turzíková said.
In recent months, it has undergone a total reconstruction, including the connection to its own water supply.
The fountains are put out of operation every year, from about the end of October. In November, Paming employees 'winterise' them, covering them with so-called skirts which protect not only the stone body but also the water pipes against frost. They also prevent thieves from getting at lamps and valuable bronze sculptures. After the skirts are removed in the spring, technicians check the fountains are ready to be turned back on.
The estimated annual cost for the operation of Bratislava's fountains exceeds Sk3.5 million, of which about Sk1.5 million pays for energy and water, the rest being for maintenance.
