By Carolin Hagelskamp

A little girl carries a giant gingerbread cookie, an older one sits on a bench reading... Two children walk on stilts and a little boy lingers in the shade of the cathedral... Three ladies chat underneath large umbrellas... A man continuously sweeps the sidewalks as people go about their daily business: counting money, trading goods - and stealing hens.

These are some of the scenes portrayed by the public art in Aachen, an historic German city on the border of Belgium and the Netherlands, where sculptures and caricatures around fountains depict the daily life of adult citizens and children.

When I began my internship at Project for Public Spaces this summer, I was struck by the many photos of my hometown's attractions among the pictures of public places hanging on the walls of PPS' New York office. Once again I was reminded that fountains and sculptures in Aachen truly create places. They generate activity and play with the imagination - and, as I found in speaking about them with both Aacheners and visitors to the city, they provoke vivid memories:

"We walked around the city to study the names of the sculptures and thus learn German. The names are pretty simple, like the Street Sweeper and Little Fish Catcher, so that was a fun start to learning the language and stuff about the city. And if we stayed long enough around the fountains there would often be someone local trying to tell us more about them."

"The Empire's fountain was a great hangout. Not uncommonly people ended up inside the basin. That was before they put the seating around it. It's not quite as wild now, but really pleasant."

"I really liked them as a child. I climbed onto them and played in the water. I used to ride on those horses, and then I was always really impressed with these three big women holding their huge umbrellas. I don't play with them anymore, but I still really enjoy them. It's good to know they are there."

"There are those people that hope to find luck by throwing coins into the money fountain, and then the beggars come and pick it up - great."

These comments reflect the street life in Aachen, where fountains and sculptures keep children entertained on shopping trips and engage parents in conversations. Locals like to walk their guests around town and recall parts of the tales those fountains tell. These works of art are backdrops for many photos, and children aren't the only ones playing in the water.

A city of almost 300,000, Aachen is famous for its hot springs, which were first enjoyed by the Romans and are used for their healing qualities in the city's spas to this day. In addition, a network of streams lies beneath the city - which has ingeniously incorporated these natural and iconic resources into its cultural artifacts.

Money Fountain, Bahkauv and Puppet Fountain are particularly charming examples of Aachen's fountains. These sculptures invite people to come closer, engage and imitate the figures depicted in them. Placed at key locations around the city, they serve as markers of Aachen's identity, and are Aacheners refer to them frequently when speaking about their city's public art:

Those greedy statues around the Money Fountain are fantastic. The guys look like they were blown over by the Aachen weather. We tried to stand like them - it's impossible, you fall over.

The Bahkauv is quite cool. There is the story that there used to be this dragon-type animal hanging around the city at night to scare the drunks on their way home from the bars. The statue was set up to remind us of that.

Puppet Fountain, also known as the "cheering-up-kids-tired-from-shopping fountain," is clearly the favorite. It is placed at the intersection of two pedestrian paths, which creates a space with a small-square flair, and the fountain itself is small, touchable and full of water. Each of its six movable bronze figures represents a typical town character: a woman (Aachen's famous farmers' market), a horseback rider (the annual international championship race), a fashion model (the garment industry), a clown (the city's annual carnival), a professor (the University) and a cardinal priest (who points to the medieval cathedral). Their bodies can be twisted into bizarre positions, which evokes people's creative - and competitive - spirits. Children absolutely love it, and, perhaps not surprisingly, a large childrens' clothing boutique recently opened right behind it.

Aachen's oldest fountains are more detached, with sculptures situated on higher pedestals and placed in wider basins. However, these too are alluring, as in the case of the naked little fish catcher and the kid that stole the hens. Both were melted down for the weapons industry during WWII. However, in the early 1950s the city made specific efforts to reconstruct these and other fountains, and also began a long-term program for their preservation. This commitment shows throughout the year: During carnival and other celebrations, for instance, more fragile sculptures are covered with hoods or protected by wooden shields.

The public art tradition continued during the 1970s and 1980s, when a number of local artists were asked to create sculptures. As a result, numerous works of art are scattered around the city, celebrating the charming and awkward moments in everyday life. They are not intimidating, and most pieces require no historical knowledge to be appreciated. This seems to be the key to their popularity: They are simple, fun and engaging - without being overly sentimental or nostalgic. And yet, they do have a little something to tell us about the city and the character of Aachen's people. As such, they attract adults and children alike.

Local pride in Aachen's public art is evident in the number of pieces sponsored by local family-owned businesses, as well as larger banks and insurance companies. Interestingly, while sponsors' names are hard to discern on the sculptures, the themes of some clearly draw an allusion, such as The Gingerbread Girl sitting in front of the city's oldest gingerbread bakery and The Reading Girl located on the square outside the city's largest family-owned bookshop. But these are respectful, subtle forms of promotion, created more to add to public life and make people smile than to advertise for the sponsor.

The local tourist office and the family education center have also been an important contributor to the management and promotion of Aachen's art assets. A fountains-and-sculptures tour offered to children of all ages is regularly taken up by entire school classes. On the "Eight gifts of Aachen" tour children are given little presents symbolizing the themes of eight landmarks. For instance, they get a cup to taste the spring water, a gingerbread cookie, and so on. The gifts are sponsored by local businesses. Finally, the artwork shows up in publications and walking tours of the city, and is regularly depicted in general city promotions.

Unfortunately, many modern sculptures have been placed off the beaten track, almost hidden away in courtyards, behind trees or close to parking lots. Finding them requires more of a treasure hunt than a casual stroll throughout a city. Some residents just know them from postcards, or thought they had been taken away long ago.

Nevertheless, Aachen is an outstanding example of how a concerted and long-term effort centered on public art can energize squares, streets and sidewalk corners. It has also contributed to people's identification with the city, and image of the place they call home. The fountains and sculptures that make a difference in public life are those that are most visible and most accessible, with figures or elements that invite you to touch, hug, climb on, or otherwise interact with them. Thanks to good location, well-chosen themes, and special care, Aachen's public art enhances its public life.