Take a walk through the park and sit in the shade by the fountain….
Fountains give places in the city a special character. They provide cooling, relaxation and tranquility. They also often tell a story, a piece of history about a place, person or event. This also applies to the fountain in the Wertheim Park. As the name suggests, the fountain, like the park, is named after Abraham Carel Wertheim.
Abraham Carel Wertheim
Wertheim (1832 – 1897) was an Amsterdam banker, politician, benefactor and board member of a large number of cultural organizations in Amsterdam. He was a respected person in his time and shortly after his death a committee was set up to permanently commemorate his name. Initially the idea was to name a street or a park after him. But the committee also raised money to design a statue in his memory. This became the fountain that can still be admired in the park. The park only received its original name in 1898 when the park with the fountain was reopened.
The fountain
The fountain was designed by architect Jonas Ingenohl. Ingenohl (1855 – 1925) knew Wertheim from the committee “Company for Gymnastics Buildings in Amsterdam”, in which both men were active. After Wertheim’s death, Ingenohl was also a member of the committee established in his memory. As an architect, he was responsible for establishing the first beauty committee (welfare committee) in the Netherlands.
Fountain in the Wertheim park
Ingenohl designed the fountain with 2 water plateaus. The water is pumped to the upper plateau and is returned to the lower plateau through eight ‘spouts’ in the edge. The upper plateau is supported all around by 8 columns of polished granite. As you walk around the fountain, you will read the following text on the stone edge: “Help of the poor, a staff of the weak, a friend of men, a wakening voice to life, a support to the artist, a helper to the slow, mourned by city and country.” .” A column of polished Norwegian granite rises from the upper plateau. On one side of the column we see the portrait of Wertheim himself, and on the other side the accompanying description. On top of the column we see 4 pelicans with young ones, which symbolize charity. At the very top of the column is a beautiful vase.
Wertheim Park in De Plantage