Stone and beautiful is a Loreley in the middle of the New York borough of Bronx. The nearly six meter high fountain is a memorial to the German poet Heinrich Heine, who wrote the song of the “Loreley” about the famous legend.
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The work of art was commissioned in the 1880s by Empress Elisabeth of Austria-Hungary, also known as “Sissi”. She adored Heinrich Heine, actually wanted to set up the fountain in his native city of Düsseldorf. At that time it was not wanted there because of nationalist and anti-Semitic moods.
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Then came the request from New York – from emigrated Germans. That is now 120 years ago, that is how long the fountain has been in the Bronx: In July 1899, the Loreley fountain was unveiled.
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