Good music from a stage near the 19th-century Neptunbrunnen (Neptune Fountain) in Mitte, prompted me to sit down on a bench in front of the allegorical figure of Oder. I was on my way home after a great time at the Eid festival at the nearby Lustgarten.

The Summery day remained beautiful and it was sinful to not appreciate it. Around the stage, paper crowns were being given away. These ended up on the heads of adults and children as well as Oder and the other three statues perched around the fountain. Children had fun crowning Oder. Some men had fun with Oder’s breasts.

The four female allegorical figures around the fountain are of the four great rivers of the then-Prussia. Each is accompanied by symbols of the landscapes through which they flowed. Therefore, Oder is depicted with representations of animal husbandry; Vistula, the forest; Elbe, agriculture; and Rhine, fisheries and wine. ω

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