As part of the renovation and revitalisation of the Waterworks Garden in 2012, a copy of the statue Boy with Heron was installed in the grounds of the Bratislava Water Management Company (BVS). The original, by Robert Kühmayer, initially formed part of a fountain in the courtyard of Enea Lanfranconi's villa, a building demolished in the 1980s to clear space for the construction of a motorway bridge. 

BVS borrowed a copy of the statue from the collection of the Bratislava City Museum. 

Bratislava Water Management Company had a new fountain basin constructed, featuring a circular pedestal at its centre and employing new technology. Around the fountain, new paving was laid and historicising benches were installed. The fountain operates year round, even overcoming sub-zero winter temperatures. 

Boy with Heron is a sculpture that connects Bratislava’s history through two of the city’s important individuals, R. Kühmayer and E. Lanfranconi. Situating the fountain and statue in the protected area of the Waterworks Garden represents a fine example of how to bring new life to an artwork and make it publicly accessible in close proximity to its original location. 

Note: The Waterworks Garden was heavily flooded and struck by a windstorm in the autumn of 2024. Its recovery and regeneration are underway. It reopened to the public in March 2025, but without operational fountains or many other facilities. The Boy with Heron fountain was inundated by water and mud deposits during the flood as water levels reached beyond half the height of the sculpture. In addition to the need for repair of the new basin and fountain’s operating technology, restoration of the bronze sculpture is also required. We will provide updated information once these complex site repairs have been completed.

Research status as of 24. 04. 2025.

ZD