Nibelungen Fountain at Schlossplatz Hohenems

Great hiking trails around Hohenems.

The discovery of two manuscripts of the Nibelungenlied in 1779 gave the town of Hohenems a special place in history.
The Nibelungen Hoard was actually the location of the stolen Nibelungen treasure. The fountain, built in 1955, can also be seen as a true treasure of Hohenems. You are welcome to sit on its edge and watch the small water feature or immerse yourself in the pictorial depiction of “Siegfried's fight with the dragon”. It is an energetic, vibrant place that speaks to the history of its city.

The Nibelungen Fountain in the heart of the city of Hohenems is not only suitable for great photos with the club members, but its colorful mosaic stones are synonymous with the colorful mix of singers and refer to their musical diversity. Just as the epic “Nibelungenlied” deals with themes such as tragic relationships, love, loyalty, revenge and guilt, songs relating to the content of life can also be found in the choral literature in many languages.

Ring of the Nibelung (Wagner)
Overwhelming, pregnant with meaning, pathetic: Wagner needed 16 years to write this work. His patron was the Bavarian King Ludwig II (fairytale king). "The Ring of the Nibelung" is designed as a "stage festival for three days and an evening before" and consists of four parts: "The Rheingold", "Die Walküre", "Siegfried" and “Twilight of the Gods”. Without a break, the entire work is approximately 16 hours long. Wagner conceived the mammoth work as a new form of romantic opera that combines text, music, drama, dance, stage design, costume and effects as a total work of art. Short version: At the beginning, the Nibelung Alberich robs the Rhine of the Rhine gold, which has the power to rule everything, and forges a ring with it. He pays a high price for this: from now on he has to renounce love. Meanwhile, Wotan, the father of the gods, has another problem. He had the giants Fafner and Fasolt build him a castle and promised them the goddess Freia as payment. But Wotan changes his mind and wants to reward the giants with Alberich's ring. Wotan steals the ring from Alberich, whereupon Alberich curses the ring. The curse has an effect: Fafner kills his brother and runs away with the ring. Siegfried, who does not know that he is part of Wotan's plan to free the world from the curse of the ring, kills Fafner, who has now turned into a dragon, and takes the ring. Siegfried falls in love with Brünnhilde and gives her the ring as a pledge of love. Hagen, Alberich's son, gives Siegfried a magic potion, whereupon he forgets Brünnhilde and falls in love with Gutrune. Siegfried takes the ring from Brünnhilde again, whereupon she reveals Siegfried's vulnerable spot to Hagen out of revenge. Hagen kills Siegfried, who in his last hour sees clearly again and knows his love for Brünnhilde. Brünnhilde has a funeral pyre built for Siegfried and throws herself into the flames to join her lover. The Rhine then overflows its banks and the Rhinemaidens take back what belongs to them: the ring. The curse is ended by Brünnhild's love. But the end of the gods is also sealed, because the flames of the pyre ignite Valhalla, the abode of the gods. A new, uncertain world order is dawning.