The German Fountain, Istanbul, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The German Fountain is an octagonal, gazebo-style fountain at the northern end of the old Hippodrome in Sultanahmet Square, Istanbul. Built in Germany and shipped to the city as a gift tied to Kaiser Wilhelm II's 1898 visit, it is a rare piece of late Ottoman and German friendship set among much older monuments.

The story behind it

The fountain was made to mark Kaiser Wilhelm II's visit to Istanbul in 1898. It was not built on the spot. The pieces were made in Germany, carried to the city and assembled in the square around 1900, so the whole thing arrived as a kind of kit.

The site matters as much as the fountain. This was the Hippodrome of Byzantine Constantinople, the great chariot-racing arena and the public heart of the old city. The Germans chose a place across from the Mausoleum of Sultan Ahmed I, and the fountain is built in a neo-Byzantine style that nods to the history of the ground it stands on.

What to look for

• Count the eight marble columns that hold up the octagonal dome and give the fountain its gazebo shape.
• Look up into the dome, where the interior is covered in golden mosaics that catch the light on a clear day.
• Notice the neo-Byzantine styling, which borrows from the look of the city's older churches rather than from Ottoman fountain design.
• Look across the square to the Mausoleum of Sultan Ahmed I, and note how this European-made pavilion sits among much older landmarks.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 10 to 15 minutes for the fountain itself, longer if you wander the rest of the Hippodrome square around it.
• It stands in an open public square, so you view it from outside and can see it at any time of day.
• Early morning is calmer, and the golden dome mosaics are easiest to appreciate in good daylight.
• The Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia are both a short walk away, so it fits naturally into a day in Sultanahmet. Check current opening hours for any building you plan to enter.

See it on a quest

The fountain is one stop on Mysteries of Constantinople: An Istanbul Riddle Quest, a self-guided walk through the old city that you play on your phone. You reach the fountain on foot as part of a longer route through the area, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle based on what is in front of you. It is a paid quest, and one ticket covers the whole group. You can start whenever suits you, with no guide and no group to join.