The fountains in Pyatigorsk were designed by Italians

In any southern Caucasus city there is nothing more pleasant than the fountains. There are usually parks with benches around them where old people like to rest, whilst children bathe in the very fountains, deaf to the protestations of their elders.

This summer the spa city of Pyatigorsk will lose half of its fountains - they will be  reconstructed. The reconstruction plan has been developed in collaboration with Italian specialists. Not only the appearance, but also the pumps will be changed.

The two fountains are expected to be opened on May 9 - Victory Day. The biggest one, which is situated not far from the eternal flame, will have speakers playing war-era songs. The fountain is equipped with a device which will light up the water in different colours
according to the tune of a song.

One more sound-to light fountain will be opened near the central Gorki library. It will be possible to walk among its streams. When the fountain does not function, it will turn into a simple square, exactly like the fountain at the central Yessentuki square. All the work on
the fountains is being funded by sponsors.

The appearance of the Dwarfs fountain constructed at the end of the 19th century will not be changed. Only some technical details will be renovated.

"This fountain symbolizes the underground kingdom guarded by fairy-tale dwarfs. An analogy can be made - the waters of Pyatigorsk are born in the underground and then go outside," Sergey Chayko, the head of the city's architectural department told us.

The Dwarfs fountain is the most famous one in Pyatigorsk. It is situated in the central square of the city. Children often call it just "grandpas". In 1830 Italian architect Giuseppe Bernardazzi proposed to construct a water supply system in the city and an
"Italian style" fountain.

Work on the restoration of all Pyatigorsk fountains is to be finished by the end of the summer, and the memorial complex "bowl of tears" will be opened by the Victory Day.

Lada Ledeneva. Exclusively for VK