Frau Rauscher Brunnen Statue, Frankfurt

The charming and historically significant district of Old Sachsenhausen in Frankfurt is brimming with taverns that specialize in serving apple wine, which happens to be the city's most popular beverage. Along Klappergasse, a quaint cobblestone alleyway, you'll encounter a statue that immortalizes Frau Rauscher, a spirited and apple wine-loving woman who achieved notoriety through a famous German song.

The inscription near the fountain, which features a water-spouting figure of Frau Rauscher, translates to English as follows: "The market woman from Klappergasse has a bump on her head. Whether it's from indulging in alcohol or from her husband, the police will investigate."

Frau Rauscher, whose name "Rauscher" denotes "partly fermented cider," was a resilient elderly German woman who, as the tale goes, lived in the vicinity during the early 19th century. She was often found in an inebriated state due to her fondness for the local alcoholic specialty, apfelwein, or apple wine.

The spitting statue commemorates her audacious trademark gesture. When irritated customers reprimanded Frau Rauscher for snatching their apple wine, she would defiantly spit the beverage back at them and then tipsily declare that since she had returned their drink, there was no reason to be upset.

Her legend remains so deeply ingrained in the area's culture that Possman's, one of the foremost producers of apple wine in Frankfurt, named one of their apple wines in her honor. Frau Rauscher's fountain is situated just outside a restaurant bearing her name. Although it has been there since 1961, it was recently refurbished, enhancing the vigor of its water stream. Be cautious as you round the corner, or you might unexpectedly experience one of Frau Rauscher's characteristic spitting episodes.