From Spittoon to Landmark: The Wild Drama Surrounding Copenhagen's Dragon Fountain
Anyone standing on Copenhagen’s City Hall Square (Rådhuspladsen) on their journey through Denmark as a backpacker or campervan traveler simply can’t miss it: the Dragon Fountain (Dragespringvandet).
Today, passersby marvel at the massive bronze ensemble in the center, where a muscular bull and a furious dragon fight an epic battle of life and death. But the actual legend of this fountain isn’t just about mythical beasts—it’s about one of the most amusing construction mishaps in Danish history: an odyssey of financial trouble, mocking citizens, and a fountain that refused to spout water for decades!
The Star Architects’ Gigantic Plan
The time is the late 19th century. Copenhagen was building a grand new City Hall, and as befitted a proper ceremonial square, a monumental fountain was required.
In 1889, star artists Joakim Skovgaard and Thorvald Bindesbøll submitted a design meant to outshine everything that came before it: a huge bronze sculpture featuring a powerful Norse bull wrestling down a fiery dragon monster, surrounded by smaller dragons spouting water from their jaws. Pure symbolism! Order versus chaos! Natural force versus demons!
The city council was thrilled, the contracts were signed, and the people of Copenhagen rubbed their hands in anticipation. What could possibly go wrong?
Gaffe Alert: pretty much everything!
The Birth of the “Spittoon of Copenhagen”
When the fountain was officially inaugurated in 1904, the citizens couldn’t believe their eyes. Where was the promised bull? Where was the gigantic dragon?
Nowhere! The city fathers had simply run out of money. Because the bronze figures were astronomically expensive, they merely placed the bare stone fountain basin on the square. In the middle gaped a yawning hole, out of which a pitiful trickle of water chugged every now and then.
The people of Copenhagen—famous for their razor-sharp, bone-dry humor—didn’t hesitate. Instead of admiring the half-finished artwork, they immediately gave the structure a new, unforgiving nickname: “The Spittoon” (Spytbakken).
For twenty whole years, the City Hall fountain was the laughingstock of the capital. Local newspapers printed caricatures, and anyone misbehaving in the Old Town pubs was told, “Why don’t you go to City Hall Square and spit into the spittoon!”
The Dragon Forced to Move
As if the mocking drama wasn’t embarrassing enough, in 1908 the city suddenly decided that the half-finished fountain was in the way. It was obstructing traffic!
So the multi-ton “Spittoon” was promptly dismantled and rebuilt a few meters away. The fountain was no longer just incomplete and ridiculed—it was now wandering across the square like a disoriented migratory bird.
The poor dragon on the design blueprints seemed cursed. Citizens could only shake their heads, wondering if the bull would ever make it out of the foundry.
1923: The Big Happy Ending (with a Slight Muscle Ache)
Not until 1923—a whopping 34 years after the initial designs!—had the city of Copenhagen finally scraped together enough kroner. The gigantic bronze ensemble was cast, hauled to City Hall Square on trucks, and ceremoniously hoisted into the center of the basin.
Suddenly, the laughter fell silent. The bull snorted bronze steam, the dragon clawed into the stone, and the little dragons around the rim finally spouted proper fountains of water!
The people of Copenhagen grudgingly admitted: “Alright, it actually looks pretty decent.” “The Spittoon” became history overnight, and the Dragon Fountain rose to become a proud landmark.
Your Takeaway for Your Copenhagen Trip
When you pass by Copenhagen’s City Hall Square as a backpacker or with your campervan on your next trip through Denmark, pause for a moment at the Dragon Fountain.
Take a look at the bull’s massive muscles, admire the dragon’s teeth, and remember: good things sometimes take 34 years, a couple of relocations, and a lot of mockery to become a true masterpiece!