The Tax Screw in Berlin, Germany

Berlin's Rehberge park houses a bronze fountain with an unusual name: the 'Steuerschraube'—or Tax Screw—according to Atlas Obscura. Built in 1930 by sculptor Georg Kolbe to honor the liberal politician Walther Rathenau and his father Emil, founder of the industrial giant AEG, the monument quickly earned its ironic nickname, a wry commentary on Weimar-era tax policy. That dark humor proved prophetic. In 1934, the Nazi regime dismantled the fountain, and six years later melted it down to recast the damaged Schiller Monument elsewhere in the park. The Rathenaus, as Jews and liberal figures, were meant to be erased from memory. The Tax Screw was reconstructed for Berlin's 750th anniversary in 1987, faithfully rebuilt by sculptor Harald Haacke from photographs and original plans. It stands there still—covered in graffiti, surrounded by children, water splashing into its bowl when the city's budget allows.

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