PlayFountain brings life to historic town square Burghausen

Residents Shape Burghausen’s Future

For the southern German city, the PlayFountain was a result of a major participation process. All residents (young and not so young) were asked how they would like to see Burghausen in the future. Hanig: “Hundreds of ideas and wishes emerged. To really address these wishes, I was appointed as a kind of caretaker, the Altstadt Kümmerer. Anyone can walk into my office with questions or comments.” It’s a unique role in Bavaria, especially for a town of this size, with Burghausen having fewer than 20,000 residents.

The town square became an exciting place again

Many tourists visit Burghausen every year. The most famous attraction is Burghausen Castle, the longest castle in the world, stretching over a kilometer. For Hanig, the task was to attract a larger audience to the city center. “The town square should become an exciting place again, full of life,” he said. The old town has many narrow alleys, and the town square is centrally located with several beer gardens. “The problem is the underground parking garage,” Hanig continues. “It’s very difficult for us to provide shade without trees. It’s a hot place where no one wants to be during the summer months.”

Hanig wants to make downtown more wheelchair-friendly and incorporate more shade and water. The participation process has definitely paid off. Numerous ideas have come to Hanig, including requests for a trampoline, a playground, water features, and spaces for consumptionfree relaxation downtown. We had been considering what shade and water could do to cool the center, and all the ideas and wishes led us to the PlayFountain.

For the brain and muscles

The PlayFountain stood in the town square for three weeks. The combination of play, learning and water fun is why the PlayFountain works, according to Altstadt Kümmerer.
“Children first want to learn how it works and then they start playing. So for the brain as well as the muscles.” During the time the PlayFountain has stood in Burghausen, there has been a lot of talk about it and the future character of the town sqare, in a good way. “Everyone was talking about it, so a big success. Every day the fountain opened at 10 a.m.. Half an hour before that, the first school classes and childcare groups were already there.” Hanig and his team organized a full program around the PlayFountain, including dance theater, small concerts, and
even a judo practice session. “It attracted a lot of people, who were especially delighted by it. Families and large groups of children particularly enjoyed the PlayFountain, and it encouraged people to return to downtown.” It was ideal: parents could relax on the terrace while their children had fun. The PlayFountain was a real crowdpleaser for all ages and highly recommended for any downtown area.