Bahkauv

Updated June 11, 2025

Brunnen in Aachen: Der Bahkauv. | Mehr zu Geschichte des Bah… | Flickr

## Bahkauv, Aachen: The Bronze Beast Watching Over Büchel

The Bahkauv is one of Aachen’s most distinctive public artworks—a bronze creature crouched on a pedestal with a serpent-like tail that doubles as a water spout. It marks a spot long tied to Aachen’s hot springs and folklore, and it’s free to visit, day or night. tourist service

### Quick Facts
– What it is: Bronze fountain sculpture of the legendary Bahkauv (“brook/bath calf”)
– Where: Büchel 29–31, 52062 Aachen (Old Town)
– Cost/Hours: Free; outdoors and always accessible (weather permitting)
– Good to know: The fountain’s water flows from the tail, a quirk of the 1967 redesign. tourist service

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### Folklore in Bronze: Why the Bahkauv Matters
Aachen’s legends describe the Bahkauv as a deformed, fanged calf-like creature that haunts springs, sewers, and streams—especially in the Old Town where thermal waters once ran. In tales, it leaps onto the shoulders of drunk men, forcing them to stagger home under its weight before clawing at pockets for coins. One version even has Pippin the Younger slaying a Bahkauv near a spring. These motifs—hot-spring runoff, lurking by waterways, and harassing revelers—are exactly why the monument sits at Büchel.

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### From 1904 to Today: Two Monuments, One Myth
– 1904: Aachen erected the first Bahkauv fountain over an old well at Büchel. It was designed by Karl Krauß, a professor at the local technical university.
– World War II: The original bronze was melted down for metal.
– 1967 (current sculpture): The city installed the present bronze by sculptor Kurt-Wolf von Borries. In this version, water intentionally issues from the tail, not the mouth—a playful nod that visitors still notice. Multiple independent references confirm von Borries as the artist for the 1967 piece. Images

Why the tail? Local commentary notes the switch from mouth to tail as a hallmark of the redesign; you’ll spot the jets feeding a shallow basin below the pedestal. Images

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### Exact Location & How to See It
– Address: Büchel 29–31, 52062 Aachen (Aachen-Mitte). It’s a short walk within the Altstadt (Old Town) pedestrian area. tourist service
– Context: Historically, runoff from the market hot springs created a small water place here, tying the site directly to the legend. tourist service
– Access: The site is outdoors on a paved square. There’s no ticketing and no set hours; it’s part of everyday street life. (Construction and street works in Büchel can change the feel temporarily—check current local guidance.) tourist service

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### What to Look For (and Photograph)
– The crouch and claws: The beast’s forepaws grip the pedestal, head lowered—classic “ambush” posture from the saga.
– Scaled tail as fountain: Watch for the thin streams from the tail; long-exposure shots at dusk can produce silky water lines without crowding. Images
– Urban backdrop: Framing the sculpture with Old Town façades emphasizes how folklore sits inside modern Aachen (you’ll see cafes and everyday street life around it). (Images above show typical sightlines.)

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### Pair It With Nearby Icons
You can fold the Bahkauv into a compact Old Town circuit that includes Aachen Cathedral and Elisenbrunnen (the neoclassical pavilion that channels hot-spring water). Both give broader context to Aachen’s thermal heritage—the same heritage that birthed the Bahkauv story. (Tip: verify opening times for interiors/thermal tastings separately.) tourist service

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### Practical Tips
– Timing: Early morning offers clear shots and fewer people; evenings add atmosphere if the fountain is running. (Operation of jets can vary—common for urban fountains.)
– Weather: The stop is worthwhile in all seasons and is explicitly listed as suitable “for any weather” on Aachen’s official tourism page. tourist service
– Cost: Free—no onsite fees. tourist service
– Respect the space: It’s a public square; expect café seating and pedestrian flow around the basin.

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### A Note on Names & Etymology
“Bahkauv” is often glossed as “Bachkalb / Badekalb”—“brook/bath calf”—linking the creature to water and bathing/streams. You’ll encounter spelling variants in dialect sources (Bakauf/Baakauf, etc.), but they point to the same figure.

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### What’s Changed—And What Hasn’t (Outdated Data Flag)
– Original pre-war monument: Gone since WWII (melted down). If you see references to the 1904 fountain still on site, that’s outdated—the current sculpture dates to 1967.
– Attribution confusion: Some travel blogs mis-credit the 1967 piece to other Aachen fountain artists (like Bonifatius Stirnberg, who did the Puppenbrunnen). For the Bahkauv at Büchel, converging sources (photo agencies and local histories) attribute the 1967 sculpture to Kurt-Wolf von Borries. Images

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### Why It Belongs on Your Aachen Itinerary
The Bahkauv isn’t just a photogenic oddity; it’s a folklore touchpoint that makes the rest of Aachen—its hot springs, medieval lanes, and cathedral precinct—click into place. You’re standing where myth, water, and city history overlap, at an address you can plug directly into your map:

Büchel 29–31, 52062 Aachen. tourist service

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#### Sources & Verification
– Official tourism listing (address, access, “always open,” free; historical site note on hot-spring runoff). tourist service
– Folklore and monument history (1904 installation; WWII loss; 1967 replacement; legends incl. Pippin).
– Artist of the 1967 sculpture (Kurt-Wolf von Borries; corroborated by reputable photo agencies and local history pages). Images
– Additional context on address and descriptor (Outdoor guide entries and city platforms).

(All facts above are cross-checked against the cited sources. If city works are ongoing at Büchel, onsite conditions around the fountain may temporarily differ.)

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