Did you know that there are 225 fountains in the metropolitan area of Lucerne, 166 of which are public and provide clean and fresh drinking water in easily accessible places?
In the past, social life took place around the fountain. Housewives and servants chatted and exchanged news while the tanks they had brought with them slowly filled with water. Many fountain troughs were originally made out of wood, in the 14th and 15th century they were then hewn from stone.
It cannot be said precisely which is the oldest fountain in Lucern but it is known that a fountain already existed at the Weinmarkt in 1332 when Lucerne joined the Swiss Confederation.
The fountains of Lucerne all carry clean tap water, suitable for drinking. Most of the really old fountains are connected to an old water-collecting network at the foot of Mount Pilatus which runs into the Kriens River, now underground, and thence into the city. The newer fountains, for example the one outside the KKL, are connected to the mains-pressure water delivery system which is supplied with treated water from the Lake of Lucerne.
The fountains are maintained by employees of the street inspectorate team who regularly check and clean every single fountain and report any damage to the preservation office. Recently this team won an award from the World Heritage organization for their efforts in maintaining clean drinking water in the town of Lucerne.
So, in the summer months, do what the locals do, refill your water bottles from any of Lucerne’s fun-painted and amusingly decorated fountains.
Fountains which carry the sign “kein Trinkwasser” are obviously not a suitable source of drinking water, but these are found mostly on farms or near to agricultural or industrial activity.
