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Renaissance house: a glimpse inside
Schlossarkaden
Dom
Ägidien quarter: LeisewitzhausTill Eulenspiegel Fountain
Germany’s most famous jester is a local from the Braunschweig region. In fact Till Eulenspiegel is no real historical personality. He is the hero of a novel that was written and published in the early 16th century. According to the book Eulenspiegel was born around 1300 in the village of Cremlingen in the Elm hills. A lot of his deeds took place in and around Braunschweig. He travelled, however, across the whole Northern half of Germany.
Till Eulenspiegel is a jester in the old sense of the word. The jester fools others by being dumb and witty at the same time. He needs a lot of brains and cleverness to pretend that he’s the fool. In the end, however, the other person will inevitably look and feel like a fool.
Till’s surname Eulenspiegel (“owl mirror”) contains both sides: the owl as symbol of wisdom, and the mirror which refers to the jester’s task of showing people their true faces. His favourite trick is taking literally what people say.
The city of Braunschweig refers to its famous inhabitant in many ways. The tourist office makes him come to life during festivals, a dressed-up Eulenspiegel does speeches, guided tours and activities for children.
On the other hand, observing municipal politics and public affairs one sometimes cannot help but think that Eulenspiegel’s spirit is still alive in this city…
The Eulenspiegel fountain in Bäckerklint shows him in the company of owls and monkeys. The fountain was donated by the Jewish banker Bernhard Meyerfeld and made by the sculptor Arnold Kramer from Wolfenbüttel in 1905. It survived the bombings of World War II which smashed all the surrounding houses. After the war it had to be removed for a short time but was reinstalled in the original spot in 1950. It refers to one of Till’s best-known pranks which is said to have taken place exactly here.
Till was, once more, looking for work and got a job with a baker, pretending to be a baker himself. After preparing the dough the baker told his new employee to finish the work. Till asked what he was supposed to do with the dough (make rolls and bread loafs, obviously). The baker got angry and shouted, “You’re a baker and don’t know what to do? Make owls and monkeys, what else!”
The baker went to bed. Till obediently did as he was told... When the baker awoke in the morning he found his workshop full of bread owls and monkeys. He fired Till immediately, even requested him to pay the dough. Till did, but said, “I have paid for it, so the bread is mine to take.”
It was the day before St Nicolaus day. Eulenspiegel took the owls and monkeys, displayed them outside the church of St Nicolaus and sold them all – and made far more money than he had paid the baker...
There used to be a bakery in the square next to the fountain that sold owls and monkeys made from sweet dough. Unfortunately it is gone. Other bakeries in town may still have them.
A house in Kohlmarkt bears an inscription that refers to another prank Eulenspiegel did to a shoemaker who tried to fool him.
For those who read German: All the Eulenspiegel stories
Location: Bäckerklint, in the Northwest of the city centre. Easiest to find from Altstadtmarkt, follow Gördelinger Straße North till you reach the little square.
Nearest tram stop: "Radeklint"
