Fountain Vrbanjuša

Age: 1735
Period: Ottoman Empire
Author: –
Type: Fountain made of natural stone with a trough
Status: Protected
Functionality: In function
Water quality: Drinkable water
Bibliography: Kreševljaković, H. (1939). Vodovodi i gradnje na vodi u starom Sarajevu. Sarajevo: Gradska štedionica općine grada Sarajevo.

The public fountain on Vrbanjuša Street is located next to the entrance to the Budakovići cemetery and faces Vrbanjuša Street. Kreševljaković mentions this fountain (Kreševljaković, 1939) under the name ‘Fountain in Vrh Budakovića.’ According to Kreševljaković, this fountain was certainly built before 1735, and at the time he recorded it, it had almost the same appearance as today—a single-piece stone trough, a vertical stone wall from which the spout emerged, and a large triangular stone piece that covered the fountain. He also noted that there was a platform with a linden tree, three ash trees, and several benches where locals would gather to talk and decide on matters concerning their community.
During the site visit, the fountain was not functional because parts were missing from the faucet that was supposed to provide controlled water consumption. As previously mentioned, the fountain’s physical appearance is very similar to how it looked nearly a century ago, although it is uncertain how many interventions have been made on it. Two of the changes that are clearly noticeable are the new faucet replacing the old spout and the new triangular stone placed on top of the fountain wall—this stone now protrudes beyond the dimensions of the wall, which was not the case before, and has a large crack on the left side, causing part of the stone to nearly break off. The wall of the fountain has been vandalized with a stencil graffiti reading ‘Truth for Vedran’ (N1 BiH, 2021). The trough is still made of stone, has two drainage holes drilled in the front, and shows similar damage to that seen in the historical photograph (Kreševljaković, 1939), appearing extremely old and worn, indicating that the trough may indeed be the same one that existed at the old fountain. The area in front of the trough is paved with tiles forming a decorative mosaic. The same mosaic is also visible on the paving of the platform formed around an old birch tree that provides shade, where several benches are also placed. Because of this, the fountain is one of the ideal resting spots for pedestrians climbing the steep streets leading from the city center up the hills of Sarajevo.

Location: St. Vrbanjuša pp 148


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