The Archbishop's Trick Fountains

The prince-archbishop after Wolf Dietrich built Schloss Hellbrun, a country estate outside of Salzburg with a very unique garden. He liked to play tricks on his guests with hidden water jets disguised as innocent statuary or walkways.

At an outdoor dining table, if his guests got too rowdy or the prince got bored, they got a wet surprise. And since protocol dictated that they couldn't leave until he stood up, he could have his fun.

Many of the sculptures were hydraulically operated, creating intricate moving figures and even sounds. One replicated 25 different actual bird sounds using bellows and musicbox-like rollers and tines. The moving parts represented very advanced technology for this time.

Yes, we got wet--the tour guide seemed to enjoy playing tricks too!Read more