The Paris Châtelet Fountain is also called the Fountain of Hands or the Fountain of Victory. It was supposed to provide drinking water to city residents. It was made in the form of a monument. The artistic characteristic features of this building are palm leaves crowning the column and four allegorical statuettes.
The fountain was built in the years 1806–1808 by Interior Minister Napoleon I, Emmanuel Cretet. It was created to commemorate the victorious battles of Napoleon, which are engraved on it: Lodi, Arcola, Rivoli, pyramids, Mount Tabor, Marengo, Austerlitz, Ulm, Jena, Eylau, Gdańsk, Friedland.
The project was managed by engineer François-Jean Bralle. It was made of gilded bronze. Allegorical figures of vigilance, justice, strength and prudence as well as other sculptural decorations are by Louis-Simon Boizot. Today, a copy of the fountain, installed in 1898, is located on Châtelet Square. The original is kept at the Carnavalet Museum.
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