Hundlesbrunnen (Dog Fountain) in Bretten

The fountain is very old, its history goes back to the late Middle Ages. It was built around 1400, and in the 19th century it was known as the "Traubenbrunnen" because it was located near the "Traube" inn. In 1880 it was completely renovated, received a fountain column with a dog figure and was then named after the Brettener Hundle. In March 2007 the dog was replaced by a weatherproof replica made of "Udelfanger sandstone". The sandstone column, the column base with the year and the fountain surround were also renewed.
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The story usually goes that the town of Bretten was once besieged by a large enemy army and was cut off from all supplies. Food supplies were dwindling, so surrendering to the besiegers had to be seriously considered. Then one of the councillors (some versions even mention the mayor himself) came up with a saving idea. He suggested that they should gather the last remaining provisions together, fatten up a small dog with them and then, when it was really round and fat, send it outside the town gate. If the enemy saw the little animal, they would assume that there was still plenty of food within the town walls, which would destroy any hope of imminent starvation and perhaps lead to an end to the siege.No sooner said than done: the people of Bretten gathered their last supplies together and the little dog was able to feast on food for a few days. It quickly gained weight and size, visible to everyone. When he was really round and fat, he was actually sent outside the city gate into the enemy camp. The desired effect occurred: when the besiegers saw the fattened dog, they had to assume that the city still had plenty of supplies and that the siege could therefore last "forever". They therefore decided to end the operation and left without accomplishing anything. In their frustration, however, they chopped off the poor dog's tail and chased it back into the city, mutilated in this way. However, it is sometimes claimed that the tail was chopped off so that the unsuccessfully withdrawn army could show some result at all - even if it was just a dog's tail that they brought home. The citizens of Bretten are said to have subsequently erected a stone monument to the dog that returned - the savior of the city - out of gratitude.Of course, everything was completely different - not a single one of the various sieges that Bretten experienced in the course of its history, especially in the 16th and 17th centuries, could be averted by a dog. But this did not diminish the popularity of the "Brettener Hundle".

The legend of the "Brettener Hundle", to which the fountain sculpture is linked, is the local legend of the town of Bretten that is also well known beyond the region. It tells of a fattened little dog that, with its lush appearance, deceives a siege army into believing that there is plenty in the town and thus causes the siege to end. However, the angry besiegers cut off the poor animal's tail. The legend is often associated with the specific events of 1504 - the siege of Bretten by Duke Ulrich of Württemberg in the Landshut War of Succession - and thus with a central event in Bretten's Electorate of the Palatinate history.
Source and further information: kraichgau.news/bretten/c-freizeit-kultur/der-hundlesbrunnen-ein-wahrzeichen-der-stadt_a11176