Fürther Freiheit

The "Fürther Freiheit" is where the first railway arrived in 1835. Next to: the Paradis Fountain.

The former terminal of the Bavarian Ludwig Railway originally stood in this space. However, it was demolished in 1886 and replaced by the prestigious Ludwig Station. In 1920, the line was abandoned as it had not proved cost effective. Eighteen years later, the Nazis completely removed the building and used the free space as a large parade ground. The situation finally reached a tragic climax here on that fateful night, Kristallnacht, when the Nazis rounded up Jewish citizens in Fürth among other cities and publicly humiliated them.

The square was given its current name Fürther Freiheit, which means ‘Fürth Liberty’, after the Second World War. It now provides Fürth residents with an expansive area for numerous markets and events. In addition, it serves as a venue for the New Orleans and Fürth festivals. During the huge Michaelis Kirchweih festival, both the square and the main road running through the city centre are cordoned off for festivities.

However, the centrepiece of the square is the Paradise Fountain, which was inaugurated in 1996. Despite the name, the composition and layout of the biblical themes is designed to be anything but heavenly. The artists, married couple Barbara and Gernot Rumpf, have positioned the first human couple Adam and Eve outside the composition and therefore outside paradise. While Adam embodies attack and defence and symbolises technology, Eve stands aloof from him and appears internally divided as a twin figure. The apple is a recurrent symbol depicted once with a bite taken out of it and a second time eaten by a worm.