Fountain destination - Versailles +

Hello. Thank you for joining the Fountaineer for today's trip to Versailles. And, surprise!, after Versailles we will be taking a bonus side trip to another Fountain Destination, Hellbrunn Palace, in Austria before ending our June Travels.

I hope you've remembered to include your portable water fountain because at the end of the journey today you'll probably need the relaxing abmbience of flowing water to help you relax and unwind.











Versailles. The playground of French Royalty and guests in the 15th & 16th centuries. (Photo L- Túrelio, R - Nicolas 555) Originally the area was relatively dry and water had to be brought into the grounds to supply the water fountains and the water-powered robotics. This was accomplished via importing water via construction of miles of canals and networks of pipes over several decades at the cost of over a million human lives and a sizeable chunk of the Royal coffers.









The end result was that at its peak, the Versailles water features were powered by more water each day than was consumed by the entire city of Paris during the same 24 hour period! (Photos T - Simdaperce, B - Remi Jouan) Very little of the original variety of water features remain but the survivors are still-impressive, fully-functioning works of art.


(Photos: L - Gunther Hissler. R - Urban) The Versailles robotics-human figures, etc, powered by hydraulics were marvelous examples of the Europeans' sense of playfulness regarding water features. Unfortunately, very few examples of this technology has survived over the centuries. The wonderful exception is Hellbrunn Palace.

After its construction in the late 15th century, with its water features widely known at that time, guests were delighted, surprised, and frequently dampened by Hellbrunn's famous trick fountains. A foundation was set up to maintain the features in their original condition and this effort & tradition continues today. I have included a video presentation for Hellbrunn because still piictures simply cannot do it justice. Enjoy:



Well, now it's time for a good and hearty meal, Austrian-style, and then some unwinding time with the battery-operated water fountain in the hotel room.

When you return home, turn on your indoor water fountain and think about all its cousins you've had an opportunity to see during our travels. Your home water fountain with all its wonderful benefits is the product of the application of today's technology to the centuries of technological and design ideas from around the world. Remember to ppreciate its rich history and enjoy your multi-tasking object d'art.

July will be more laid-back time when I'll be offering some musings, thoughts and reflections on the water fountain. I hope you'll join me, then.