Lorelei Fountain, 1899

Constructed in the 1890s, the fountain was intended as a monument to German poet Heinrich Heine, to be put up in his hometown of Düsseldorf. The statue was based on one of Heine’s most well-known poems, “Die Lorelei,” about the German folktale of a siren who sits above the river Rhine, luring sailors to their deaths against a cliff face with her song. The fountain, designed by Ernst Herter, was originally commissioned by the Düsseldorf City Council and planned to be unveiled in 1897, for the poet’s 100th birthday.

Unfortunately, this plan was met with resistance, due to rising antisemitism in Germany. The statue was proposed to city after city in Germany and was rejected by all. The plans for the fountain caught the attention of New York City's government, and Herter, the sculptor, came to America to work on it in 1893. An original proposal had the statue installed at the Grand Army Plaza entrance to Central Park. The opposition to this prominent location was strong, and eventually, the fountain was given a home in the Bronx; it was unveiled in 1899. The statue has been moved short distances twice since 1899 and has suffered vandalism since its installation. In the 1970s it was considered the statue in New York most affected by vandalism (which is saying a lot).