Village fountain "Gehrder Pump"
The square where the Gehrder Pump stands today used to be the market place. The Gehrder markets were held there, which developed into important livestock markets for horses, cattle and piglets. People and animals demanded water, and so it was decided to build a fountain.
The first Gehrder pump was built in 1862, which was encased in a wooden box filled with peat to prevent the pump from freezing in winter. On top was a square petroleum lantern - the first public street lighting in Gehrde!
We owe the pump in its current form to Gerhard Dietz, born in Gehrde in 1845 as the son of a shoemaker, who later lived in Nice and left a large sum of money to the community. A memorial plaque commemorates the donor with the words: "Donated · G. Dietz · Nice 1922".
The Gehrde pump in the middle of the village quickly became a popular meeting place for young and old and, along with the Gehrde church tower, is considered to be a landmark of Gehrde. Whenever wreaths are made in the village, regardless of the occasion, the finished wreath is carried around the pump once before it is hung up and every (wedding) polonaise still goes around the pump today...