The Družba fountain has regained its original sheen. (source: Courtesy of Bratislava (Marek Velček))
The Družba fountain on Námestie Slobody (Freedom Square) in Bratislava will return to full use this summer after extensive renovation. It was taken out of service 16 years ago, after its technical condition deteriorated beyond normal repair, the Metropolitan Institute of Bratislava (MIB) municipal organisation informed.
“Currently, the cleaning of the 12-ton linden flower, which is located in the middle of the fountain, has been completed,” the MIB reported in a press release. “Deposits of dirt were removed with chemical preparations, using a procedure recommended by the restorers based on expert analysis.”
Cleaning of the metal flower was part of an extensive refurbishment of the fountain, the biggest in Bratislava, which carried a price tag of €2 million. Under the project, the collecting pools of the fountain have been reduced in size. This has cut the fountain’s demand for water and made it more economical and ecologically friendly. In the past, up to 2,000 cubic metres of water circulated in the fountain and its pools. After the refurbishment is completed, it will use just 71 cubic metres.
Construction of the fountain, which was designed by architects Virgil Droppa and Juraj Hlavica, along with sculptor Juraj Hovorka, lasted from 1979 to 1980.
Built during the communist regime, the fountain, in the shape of a blossoming linden flower, was supposed to symbolise friendship and peace among nations. At the time, Bratislava styled itself the 'City of Peace'.
The refurbishment of the Družba fountain is part of a comprehensive facelift of the iconic Freedom Square.
Under communism, Freedom Square was called Gottwald Square in honour of the first communist president of Czecholoslovakia, Klement Gottwald, and included a statue of him and his retinue in one corner of the square. After the fall of the regime in 1989, that sculpture was removed and the space was renamed Freedom Square. It is used as an occasional venue for concerts, social events and demonstrations.
