106 artistically designed sculptures bring the fountain in the bustling Volkspark Friedrichshain to life. The brilliant artist Ignatius Taschner left his mark on the park by immortalizing 10 famous fairy tale characters along the edge of the basin.
You encounter Puss in Boots, the fearful siblings Hansel and Gretel, and the cheerful Hans in Luck. Yet one figure stands out for her particular tenderness and radiance: the sleeping Sleeping Beauty.
Sleeping Beauty at the Fairy Tale Fountain – A Story of Father and Daughter
The sculpture of Sleeping Beauty shows us the poor girl’s endless sleep. But the fact that this figure radiates such remarkable vitality, approachability, and a loving aura is no coincidence. Behind it lies the touching story of its creator.
Ignatius Taschner sought an expression of childlike innocence and perfect tranquility for his depiction of the sleeping princess. He found this motif in his daughter Maja (*1900). She sat for her father as a model and lent her features to the fairy-tale face. This intimate connection gave rise to something truly special: the loving gaze of a father looking upon his sleeping child.
But then: Disaster strikes!
Shortly after Ignatius had completed the statues for the fountain, he died unexpectedly at the age of only 42. Maja was 13 years old. But the family did not let this get them down. Together with her mother (who also passed away shortly thereafter) and her younger sister , Maja collected, sorted, and archived his sketches, letters, and models.
The girl who was once carved in stone for eternity as Sleeping Beauty kept the memory of her father alive. She actively assisted with publications and exhibitions and ensured that the name Taschner did not fade from the art world.
The Deep Sleep and the Awakening of the Fountain
And the Fairy Tale Fountain, too, had to endure dark times. During World War II, the complex suffered severe destruction and fell into a years-long slumber amid the rubble. The original figures were destroyed or lost.
During preliminary work in the 1950s, rough reconstructions of Taschner’s statues were created. But the postwar Sleeping Beauty (see cover image) appears significantly older than Maja, who was actually 7 years old. Only since the complex was fully reconstructed in 2007 has the childlike face of the girl, lovingly gazed upon by her father, become recognizable again!
Unfortunately, Maja Taschner was unable to see this statue again. She died in 1980 at the age of 80.
The Fairy Tale Fountain invites you to sit down on a bench, listen to the splashing water, and, much like Sleeping Beauty, forget the world for a moment.
