Fountain

Otto Herbert Hajek’s work combines elements of a sculpture, a fountain, and spatial design into an ensemble of geometric shapes in vibrant primary colors. This artwork was the winner of a 1976 competition sponsored by the Stadtsparkasse and the city of Mülheim to redesign the largest square in the city center.
His dynamic art-landscape integrates the square’s existing incline with stepped plateaus that feature geometric patterns. Objects, angles, and cubes rise up out of the surface, with some incorporating the ventilation shafts from the parking garage below. Small individual fountains bubble up from the ground and gently pour water over the colored surfaces.
At the bottom of the square, there is a monumental stele on a diamond-shaped base. On top of the pillar-like structure, there are three angles pointing in opposite directions. Assertive, clear, and uncompromising in its design, this sculpture creates a spatial and urban sign that is meant to point the way to a modern and cosmopolitan future.