11fountains Leeuwarden
On the Stationsplein in Leeuwarden, two large white children’s heads face each other. Their eyes are closed, their expressions calm. From the ground, a soft cloud of water mist rises. This artwork is called Love, the 11fountains installation in Leeuwarden.
The fountain was designed by internationally renowned Spanish artist Jaume Plensa. It was installed in 2018 as part of 11fountains, an art project in which each city of the Elfstedentocht received its own fountain. The project was created during Leeuwarden-Fryslân European Capital of Culture 2018 and curated by Anna Tilroe. The fountains bring together art, water, and the history of the eleven Frisian cities.
love
The two heads of Love represent a boy and a girl. They are seven metres tall and appear to be looking at each other, even though their eyes remain closed. Jaume Plensa often works with large human faces. For Leeuwarden, he chose children because they represent imagination, dreams and the future.
The water mist surrounding the sculptures refers to a familiar image in the Frisian landscape: morning mist over the fields. Water slowly rising from the ground. Plensa brings this idea to Stationsplein in Leeuwarden. The fountain does not send water high into the air. Instead, it creates a fine mist that drifts low across the square and surrounds the sculptures.
📍 Stationsplein, Leeuwarden
LOVE | Leeuwarden - nearby
Starting point - for your city trip
For many visitors, this fountain is the first work of art they see when arriving in Leeuwarden. The railway station is right next to it. That makes the 11fountains artwork Love in Leeuwarden a recognisable starting point for exploring the eleven fountains across Friesland.
Step a little closer and you'll notice it straight away. The cool mist on your face. The gentle sound of the water. For a moment, the square seems to slow down.
Discover more
-
There are 10 more to explore!
See allCurious about the other fountains? Discover ten more fountains and the unique cities they call home.
-
Leeuwarden
Discover LeeuwardenExplore the city of Leeuwarden and discover its hidden gems and highlights.
-
Public art
Read moreAlong the Frisian Wadden coast, art and landscape come together. Sense of Place brings ideas to the clay, the dike and the villages. Large-scale artworks. Rugged landscapes.
The 11fountains artwork in Leeuwarden is called Love. It consists of two seven metre high white sculptures of a boy and a girl, surrounded by water mist.
The Love fountain in Leeuwarden was designed by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa.
Der Brunnen Love in Leeuwarden wurde vom spanischen Künstler Jaume Plensa entworfen.
The title Love refers to the calm presence of the two child figures and to the ideas of dreams, the future and hope.
The fountain combines large-scale sculptures with a mist cloud that rises to a height of around two metres and that visitors can walk through. This turns the artwork into an experience rather than something to simply look at.
Jaume Plensa drew his inspiration from the morning mist drifting across the Frisian fields.
Yes. Love in Leeuwarden is part of 11fountains, an art project featuring eleven fountains in the eleven Frisian cities.
Jaume Plensa is an internationally renowned Spanish artist. His work can be found in cities around the world, including Chicago, Barcelona and London. His sculptures, often large-scale heads, are known for their calm presence and almost meditative atmosphere.