Architect Desislava Dimitrova: Nowadays We Are Forgetting Drinking Water Fountains’ Spiritual Message

Jerusalem, 11 September, 2022 (TPS) -- Bratisgovo, Southern Bulgaria, 11.09.2022 (BTA)
Drinking water fountains have always been the veins of a settlement; they used to be built at the very start of a settlement’s construction to protect it, Architect Desislava Dimitrova of the Chamber of Architects in Bulgaria told BTA. The topic of stone-made drinking water fountains was on the program of the three-day forum “Bratsigovo: The Stone Flow of Time”, to which BTA is a media partner.

Historically, drinking water fountains were built in settlements’ central squares and people gathered there to communicate. Nowadays, with everyone having drinking water at home, people no longer attach such significance to drinking water fountains, Dimitrova argued. “We do not regard them as a gathering center and we thus forget the spiritual message they used to carry,” she added.

One of the main ornaments used on both sides of stone-made drinking water fountains is the star, which sends the message that for people, water and light merged into one. According to Dimitrova, it is important to remember this and in the future to value water’s message and spirit.

The southern Bulgarian town of Bratsigovo, which is known for its rich mineral water resources, has three historic drinking water fountains, one of which dates back to 1791. Unfortunately, none of them work, she recalled.

Dimitrova argued that new concepts should be created on what drinking water fountains in Bulgaria should look like and how to preserve the message of flowing water.