Dragon Fountain

The Dragon Fountain

This statue was installed in 1903 and was part of a competition announced by the municipality. Jonkheer Bosch van Drakesteijn, Commissioner of the King/Queen in North Brabant from 1856 until his death in 1894, had bequeathed a legacy to the municipality of Den Bosch to erect a memorial for his twin daughters, who had died at the age of 17 in 1881. The statue was initially intended to be placed right in front of the station, but it was located slightly further east, towards the city center.

The competition was won by the De Leeuw brothers from Nijmegen, but the Dragon was not made according to their design. Architect 't Zand, Jules Dony, ultimately received the commission to create the design for the Dragon Fountain. The Dragon and the small dragons were manufactured by the company De Braat in Delft. The pedestal was made by stonemasonry N. Glaudemans.

In 1959, the tunnel under the Dragon was constructed. The tunnel connects the Koningsweg with the Koningin Emmaplein, allowing north-south traffic to move without disruptions from the traffic to and from the station. The fountain was temporarily located in front of the station at that time. The saw cuts in the column are still clearly visible and serve as silent witnesses to this event.

After the tunnel was completed, the Dragon Fountain was rebuilt. On October 12, 2000, the Dragon fell from its pedestal due to rust formation at the connection of the steel frame. One of the four bronze dragons on the ground was damaged in the process. The restoration was initially expected to take six months.

On December 14, 2001, the Dragon, again gilded, was put back in place. During the reinstallation, a small jar was placed inside the tail of the Dragon. This contains a drawing, a photo, and a sheet of gold leaf. This way, it will be possible in the future, if necessary, to restore the Dragon to its original design.

jan klink