"SHUKAI!" Project Part #4 ~ Sonja's at the Kyiv Fountain: 7 in 1

Hey, guys!

The weather was so nice, and Sonja looked almost natural with ice cream sitting on the fence of the fountain ... in the middle of winter. She messed around and said that ice cream will call the spring to come sooner :)

Here is it! The next bronze mini-sculpture created for "Shukai!" Project. It wasn't easy to find it without a hint, but finally, Sonja's here. To say the truth, the subject is one of my favorites!

Again, the idea of "Shukai!" project is to learn the history of the capital of Ukraine without a guide. People walk, found sculptures and open to the site with information about them by QR-code.

Kyiv fountain of Theremin

If you throw the coin into the fountain, you will come back to Kyiv.

Sonja didn't have any coins with her, so she put herself into the fountain :D Besides, it was so warm in the sun and no water in the fountain.

But what means 7 in one? When I first heard about Kyiv fountains of Theremin it was like a challenge for me. There were 7 fountains in total, manufactured and installed in Kyiv in about 1900. I've read that some of them were moved later, furthermore, some sources say there are 6 fountains, another that 7. Challenge accepted! LOL. I've decided to find and count them all, and it turned into an exciting mini-adventure.

Theremin played a significant role in the life and development of pre-revolutionary Kyiv. It was he who built the first motor ship on the Dnieper, the Kyiv brewery. And the products of his machine-building plant were widely known outside the state.

In 1855, Aleksey Fedorovich Theremin, a descendant of French emigrants, graduated from the Technological Institute in St. Petersburg, but soon decided to move to Kyiv, where economic life was gaining momentum. The founders of the brewery, which should have become the largest in Kyiv, became interested in the young specialist. To cope with this task, it was necessary to equip the enterprise with the latest technology. Termen was entrusted with the functions of a designer-technologist and a contractor and was also appointed as a director to the board.

Theremin did an excellent job. In parallel with his brewing activity, Theremin also organized his own business. At that time, the beet-sugar industry was developing in Kyiv, and in 1873 he opened a small workshop for the repair of sugar factories equipment. Within three years, the entrepreneur expanded the scope of the firm's activities. By 1887, his company had 2 steam engines, steam boilers, and an iron foundry. Theremin Machine-Building Plant produced everything that was in demand: boilers, filters, pumps, centrifuges, beet cutters, lifts, etc.

In the 1870s, designing of the city water supply network began in Kyiv. Theremin was one of the leading equipment suppliers. The agreement of the water supply society with Kyiv provided, among other things, for the installation in the center of the city of several fountains in the form of cast-iron bowls. They were supposed to decorate the landscape and perform a utilitarian function - horses could drink water from them.

So, the truth is they are 7, 5 big and 2 small. Probably, I'll share my pictures of them one day :) Anyway, today Sonja's story is over and it's time for her to go to bed. And you stay safe and stay tuned, as the whole story isn't over and will be continued very soon.