{"id":15263,"date":"2019-05-05T05:35:31","date_gmt":"2019-05-05T04:35:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/?p=15263"},"modified":"2025-06-26T14:38:17","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T13:38:17","slug":"neptune-fountain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/schonbrunn\/neptune-fountain\/","title":{"rendered":"Neptune fountain at Sch\u00f6nbrunn"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Neptune.jpg\" alt=\"The God Neptune\" class=\"wp-image-15265\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Neptune.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/Neptune-100x100.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>The imposing palace sits at one end of the main gardens at Sch\u00f6nbrunn. At the other end is the Neptune Fountain (Neptunbrunnen), a water feature with truly imperial dimensions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Built in the late 1770s<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A magnificent Neptune and his raging sea horses look down over a large stone pool<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Watch out for spray on windy days<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Part of the free-to-view park complex<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Book a Sch\u00f6nbrunn <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/en\/schonbrunn-palace-tickets-l145516\/?partner=visitingvienna&amp;tq_campaign=LGSchPalVenue\" rel=\"sponsored\">concert, tour etc.<\/a>*<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>See also:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sightseeing\/palace-of-schonbrunn\/\">Sch\u00f6nbrunn tickets and visitor info<\/a> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Neptunbrunnen<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"493\" height=\"370\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/neptunefountain.jpg\" alt=\"The Neptune fountain and Gloriette\" class=\"wp-image-15277\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/neptunefountain.jpg 493w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/neptunefountain-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 493px) 100vw, 493px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(<strong>Schlo\u00df Sch\u00f6nbrunn, Wien<\/strong> &#8211; the Neptune fountain and Gloriette caught in the early morning light by me. Yep, I got up especially early just for you)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the things I love about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sightseeing\/palace-of-schonbrunn\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"1672\">Sch\u00f6nbrunn palace<\/a> is the scale of things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Practicality never seemed to have quite the same priority as making a distinctly monumental impression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For example, if you&#8217;re going to have a fountain, then you want one that makes it clear just how important the homeowner is. Especially when that homeowner sits at the head of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/culture\/holy-roman-empire\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"12853\">an empire<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And so it is with the Neptunbrunnen (Neptune Fountain), which is large enough that the pigeons need never argue about who gets to drink there first. Consider it the Habsburg equivalent of a water feature at the end of the garden.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/neptune.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-15279\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/neptune.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/neptune-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(<strong>Schlo\u00df Sch\u00f6nbrunn, Wien<\/strong> &#8211; Neptune on the fountain that bears his name)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The installation lies at one end of the beautiful <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/schonbrunn\/gardens-park\/\">landscaped area<\/a> in front of the palace and dates back to the late 1770s and the &#8220;modernisation&#8221; of Sch\u00f6nbrunn under Empress Maria Theresa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A large basin of water sits under a huge stone fountain decorated with figures from Roman mythology. At the centre, Neptune stands with a god&#8217;s casual insouciance, leaning on his trident, and flaunting his not inconsiderable stomach muscles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another sea deity (the Goddess Thetis) kneels before Neptune, who seems disinclined to hear her pleas. Tritons (mermen) and sea horses of the large, chomping-at-the-bit kind dominate the rest of the display.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><em>Ad:<\/em><p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(Find tickets and experience options for the palace and zoo)<\/p><\/div><div data-tiqets-widget=\"discovery\" data-cards-layout=\"horizontal\" data-content-type=\"venue\" data-content-ids=\"145516,141990\" data-partner=\"visitingvienna\" data-tq-campaign=\"DA_SchPal\"><\/div><script defer src=\"https:\/\/widgets.tiqets.com\/loader.js\"><\/script>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:25px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>The fountain operates from around April to mid-October, depending on the weather and maintenance requirements, with water flowing from 10am to 4pm (at the time of writing).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you visit, be sure to take either of the paths leading up the hill to either side of the pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Both paths allow you to slip behind the fountain and look out through a small cave&#8230;the view of the palace below is quite magnificent and makes for great photos of both the building and landscaped gardens.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" src=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/neptuneschoenbrunnview.jpg\" alt=\"View of a palace through a fountain grotto\" class=\"wp-image-73005\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/neptuneschoenbrunnview.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/neptuneschoenbrunnview-300x200.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center has-small-font-size\">(The view down from behind the fountain; press photo \u00a9 Schlo\u00df Sch\u00f6nbrunn Kultur- und Betriebsges.m.b.H., Severin W\u00fcrnig)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The park opens from 6.30am at the time of writing, which is well before the palace tours begin. So you can often get more-or-less people-free photos if you go in the early morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And afterwards you can enjoy an imperial breakfast at one of the caf\u00e9s and restaurants at the site. Last time I checked, the one in the Gloriette opened from 9am, for example, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/eatingdrinking\/cafespubsbars\/gerstner-schonbrunn\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"74321\">Gerstner caf\u00e9-restaurant<\/a> in front of the palace opened at 10am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to get to the Neptune Fountain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It&#8217;s kind of difficult not to find the fountain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Simply <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/schonbrunn\/gettingthere\/\">get to Sch\u00f6nbrunn<\/a>, then go around to the landscaped garden side and look out toward the hill. That huge marble fountain-like object at the foot of that hill? Yep, that&#8217;s it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the height of summer, you can spot the location by the crowds of people hoping to get a bit of cooling spray on the wind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Inevitably, Vienna has a fair few monumental fountains but none on the scale of the Neptunbrunnen. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/sights\/hochstrahlbrunnen-fountain\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"30035\">Hochstrahlbrunnen<\/a>, erected in 1873, perhaps comes closest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div align=\"center\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/d\/u\/0\/embed?mid=1oN2SutdbrqOx-JViFyKk3v-X_Kw\" width=\"400\" height=\"300\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The imposing palace sits at one end of the main gardens at Sch\u00f6nbrunn. At the other end is the Neptune Fountain (Neptunbrunnen), a water feature with truly imperial dimensions. The Neptunbrunnen (Schlo\u00df Sch\u00f6nbrunn, Wien &#8211; the Neptune fountain and Gloriette caught in the early morning light by me. Yep, I got up especially early just [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15265,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-15263","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-schonbrunn","8":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15263","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15263"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15263\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84408,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15263\/revisions\/84408"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15265"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15263"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15263"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.visitingvienna.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15263"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}