Pallas Athene Fountain

The Athene Fountain on Vienna’s Ringstrasse, planned by Theophil Hansen and realized in Lasa marble from South Tyrol, was not unveiled until 1902, almost 20 years after the completion of the parliament building. The originally planned representation of Austria was then erected on the Freyung for political reasons.

Beneath the powerful representation of the Greek goddess of wisdom with Nike, the goddess of victory, in her right hand, allegorical representations of the separation of powers are shown: the executive with a sword and the legislative with a book. Important rivers of the monarchy: the Inn and Danube in the center, the Elbe and Vltava on the reverse are typically depicted as reclining figures. Winged cupids riding on dolphins symbolize trade and industry.

The fountain, which was completely renovated in 2005, is considered a rare example of a monumental, Strict Historicism sculpture and was realized by the sculptors Carl Kundmann, Josef Tautenhayn and Hugo Haerdtl.