Built: 1724 to 1726
Architect: Johannes Weydt
Reliefs: Franz Matthias Hiernle
Figures: Josef Scholl (added later during renovations in 1828)

In the mid-17th century, the square where the New Fountain stands today was laid out as a "food market" by Elector Johann Philipp von Schönborn.

At that time, drinking water was obtained from numerous draw wells. However, this water was often of poor quality. Therefore, in 1724, Elector Lothar Franz von Schönborn had an underground water gallery built as a well chamber in Bretzenheim on what is now Mühlweg under the direction of the Viennese well master Johannes Stumpf.

From there, a water pipe led to the Bleichenviertel district and the New Fountain. The lead pipes were the city's first water pipes since Roman times. The magnificent fountain was created by Johannes Weydt, court architect and city master builder under Elector Lothar Franz von Schönborn.

Its original name, "Schönbrunn," did not catch on. The New Fountain was part of a prestigious square, framed by the former university bursary and the Wolf-Metternichschen Hof.

The fountain stood on a pedestal consisting of three steps. Two of the three steps were reconstructed in 1986.

The precious liquid flowed from three pipes with a powerful jet into the Baroque sandstone basin, filling it to the brim. A feature of the fountain
that is visible from afar is its approximately 12-meter-high obelisk.

Between 1877 and 1934, the fountain was surrounded by a wrought-iron fence.

It is worth taking the time to examine the bas-reliefs that cover the four sides of the obelisk. They consist of emblems and allegorical hieroglyphs. The symbolism covers various themes: war on the west side, the arts on the east side, good state administration on the south side, and trade on the back.

The electoral hat and other electoral insignia were removed in 1798 after the city of Mainz was annexed by France. However, in 1814, the people of Mainz immediately removed the French dedications on the donor plaque at the foot of the obelisk.

At the foot of the obelisk sit the river gods made of shell limestone, symbolizing the Rhine and Main rivers, which were also created by Franz Matthias Hiernle in 1726. Today, these are copies from 1877. Since then, the originals have been on display in the Mainz State Museum. In 1828, sphinx-like lions by Joseph Scholl were added in place of the nymphs.

Since its last extensive renovation in 2002, the New Fountain stands in all its beauty as an eloquent testimony to Baroque self-expression in the midst of the bustling Bleichenviertel district.