International ridicule over new fountain in Vienna

At a time when the population is feeling great pressure from global crises and inflation, they are paying particular attention to the federal government’s spending. This is why a newly opened fountain in Vienna is causing discussions. On social media, a claim about the cost of the fountain is even spreading abroad with enormous reach, beyond the borders of Austria.

The fountain, including all relevant costs, cost around 1.8 million euros, far less than claimed on social media. Nevertheless, it is met with criticism due to the sum and the artistic implementation. It is not possible to trace exactly where the claim that the fountain cost 22 million euros originally came from. What is certain is that two posts by a person from Poland on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) received around 450,000 views together and thus contributed to the spread of false information.

1.8 million euros for planning and implementation

The sum mentioned is far from reality. According to information from the City of Vienna, the fountain cost 1.8 million net. “This includes planning, the artistic competition, project implementation, artistic design, construction and technical equipment”says the press release from the beginning of the summer.

The so-called “WeWater”-Fountain was opened on October 24, 2023 to mark the 150th anniversary of Vienna Water. On this day in 1873, the first Viennese high spring pipeline at the Hochstrahlbrunnen on Schwarzenbergplatz was put into operation, bringing drinking water from the Lower Austrian Alps to Vienna. However, the new fountain was built on the corner of Gudrunstrasse and Sonnwendgasse in Vienna’s Favoriten district.

“Luxury fountain” despite “Mega inflation”

Of course, even the 1.8 million euros cause criticism. The FPÖ, for example, criticized this on Facebook “Luxury fountain” in times of “Mega inflation”.

Not everyone likes the artistic implementation either. The installation shows 33 figures sitting side by side in a circle, keeping the water behind them at bay. Memes are already spreading on Twitter/X that… “WeWater”-Fountain of the artist collective “Gelatin” compared to the magnificent fountains of the early 20th century. Corresponding posts from the account “Culture Critics” reached several million views in a very short time.

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