Four Quarters Fountain

Dimensions: 6 × 6 m

Object: The Four Quarters Fountain is a reference to the historical Four Quarters Well, originally located at their intersection. The quarters were administrative divisions of Gdańsk’s Main Town, established to control the population after the 1416 uprising of commoners against the Main Town Council. The city was divided into four zones: the Quarter of the Cog Gate (later renamed Cog), the Quarter of the Broad Gate (later renamed Broad), the Quarter of the High Gate (later renamed High), and the Quarter of St. Spirit (later renamed Fishers’ Quarter). Each quarter was identified not only by its name but also by a flag carried by its militia: The Cog Quarter – red banner; The Broad Quarter – blue banner; The High Quarter – white banner; The Fishers’ Quarter – orange banner According to historical records, the original well was adorned with four figures, each facing one of the quarters, arranged in the shape of a cross, with a Gdańsk flag placed in the centre. The well was dismantled between 1853 and 1860.

In 2005, Saur Neptun Gdańsk held a competition for the fountain’s design, which was won by Ewa Koprowska-Szulc and Lucyna Kujawa. The design was executed on a square plan divided into four sections, each symbolising a different quarter and marked with the colour of its historical banner. Unfortunately, the final project contained errors – orange was replaced with yellow, and the arrangement of coloured glass plates does not match the historical layout. The fountain’s floor is made of black granite slabs with 24 computer-controlled jets installed. The corners feature bronze life-sized sculptures of reclining lions, referencing the supporters of Gdańsk’s coat of arms.

The construction of the fountain, along with landscaping, cost PLN 3 million. The project was funded by the City of Gdańsk with support from Saur Neptun Gdańsk and the Bałtycka Gallery.

In 2014, an unknown vandal painted the lions’ eyes black, causing fear among younger pedestrians. Despite city surveillance, the perpetrator was never identified. In 2017, the fountain underwent renovations, including the replacement of jets and the addition of extra lighting.

Location: The Four Quarters Fountain is a reference to the historical Four Quarters Well, originally located at their intersection (currently the junction of Św. Ducha Street and Grobla I). The placement of the fountain is symbolic – before the war, this area was densely built up. During Gdańsk’s post-war reconstruction, a decision was made to shift residential buildings on Grobla I eastward, creating an unobstructed view of the façade of the Royal Chapel. In later years, this decision made it possible to allocate space for the fountain.

Information about the authors: Ewa Koprowska-Szulc is a sculptor, graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk.

Lucyna Kujawa is a sculptor, graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. She completed her studies in 2000. Kujawa is the author of small and large sculptural forms. She works in granite, marble, ceramics and casting technologies; she also uses resins, silicone moulds and reusable moulds. She is the owner of MODULO.

Condition of the object: good

Owner/guardian: Gdańskie Wody

Author of the entry: Noemi Etush