Nestled in the northern part of Bavaria, Franconia is a notable region in its own right. Boasting the highest density of breweries in the world and a beautiful nature park in Franconian Switzerland, Franconia is also home to the tradition of decorating fountains and wells in its town squares for Easter.
This tradition dates back to about 1909 in the town of Aufseß and seems to be related to the yearly tradition of cleaning the wells. Because water is such a prized resource in this area, it is said that people began decorating the fountains as a way to celebrate and give thanks each spring.
It is no coincidence that Aufseß, a small town with four breweries for its population of just 1.350 people, began this tradition. Since quality water is particularly important in the brewing of beer, it’s likely that Aufseß has plenty to celebrate each spring.
The fountains are adorned with evergreen garlands and brightly coloured ribbons in addition to colourful hand-painted Easter eggs. The eggs come from chickens, geese and sometimes larger birds like ostriches. Generally, the local women's club begins preparations weeks in advance, blowing and hand painting up to 16.000 eggs.
The eggs often bear Easter scenes and designs, and some even have a date. They are carefully kept in storage from year to year, but because of their fragile nature, many have to be replaced. The colourful fountains are a hopeful reminder that the grey days of winter are numbered; that although it is usually still frosty in Franconia on Easter Sunday, sunshine and flowers are on the way.
The highest density of Easter fountains can be found in the Franconian Switzerland (Fränkische Schweiz – so called because it is filled with hills and streams and great places for hiking, climbing and enjoying the outdoors). There are nearly 200 towns in the region that decorate at least one Easter fountain, although many have more. Easter fountains can be found in the southern area of Bavaria as well.
The tradition was halted during WWII but re-emerged in Nuremberg after the war ended. Some of the fountains have become incredible tourist attractions, with tour buses filling the tiny towns during this period. In normal years, there are numerous tours available, taking groups on day-long trips to see all the fountains in the region.
One of the most impressive Easter fountains is in a village called Bieberbach. They have taken the title of World’s Largest Easter Fountain in the Guinness Book of Records twice, using more than 12.000 hand-painted eggs each year. Another town, Sulzbach-Rosenberg, managed to take the record from Bieberbach one year, when they adorned their fountain with more than 16.000 eggs.
It's still unclear whether the fountains will be decorated in 2020 because of the coronavirus outbreak. Obviously, there will be no bus tours, but it is possible that locals will be able to enjoy the fountains as part of their daily walks, bike rides and runs, assuming they maintain the appropriate distance from one another.
In any case, it takes more than a global pandemic to break a century-old tradition, so rest assured that the Easter fountains will return once again next year to be enjoyed by everyone.