Just off the main shopping street of Bahnhofstrasse in Rennweg, an odd metallic cylinder pokes out of the pavement. The strange object is what can be seen of Sodbrunnen, or Sod well, a 700-year-old well.
During the medieval period, locals would draw their drinking water from the shaft sunk 33 feet down to reach groundwater. In 1740, it was abandoned and filled in. In 1999, the well was dug out and restored, adding a metal top and grate. Today, if you peer down the well shaft, you can make out the older brickwork within.
Although the well still accesses the groundwater, unlike most fountains in Zurich, it is no longer used for drinking water. In recent years, the fountain has become a source of wealth instead. Tourists and passersby throw up to 3,000 Swiss francs into the well every year. The steel basket is pulled up from the bottom of the shaft and emptied by Waste Disposal and Recycling four times a year. The coins are then handed over to non-profit organizations throughout the city.
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