Karl Marx statue (Trier)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Karl Marx statue in Trier (2018)

The Karl Marx statue is a memorial on the Simeonstiftplatz in Trier . It was unveiled on May 5, 2018 on the 200th birthday of Karl Marx in the city of his birth. The work of the sculptor Wu Weishan is a gift from the People's Republic of China .

description

Surface structure, detail: left hand with a book that symbolizes the further development of humanity (2018)

The bronze statue weighs 2.3 tons and is 5.5 meters high including the base , an allusion to Marx's date of birth on May 5, 1818. The pentagonal base is made of concrete , which is clad with basalt slabs, the statue of bronze .

The figure shows Marx in his older years walking forward with a book in his left hand. Wu gave him the book as a symbol for the further development of humanity. Marx's right hand reaches for the lapel of the frock coat . The gaze is directed into the distance, the chin seems slightly pushed forward, the brow furrowed.

The five corners of the stepped plinth point to the cities in which Marx worked or to which he had a special relationship: Trier, Berlin , Hamburg as the seat of his publisher Otto Meissner , Paris and finally London .

According to the artist's description, the statue is based on "Western realism " that prevailed in Marx's time, combined with a "Chinese impressionism ". Elsewhere he wrote: "The statue is modeled in the modern Chinese freehand expressionist Xieyi style , which not only accurately and subtly reproduces the figure of Karl Marx, but rather strives to depict his spiritual world!"

Wu's intention was to portray Marx at full scale, with a determined look. The long hair and the long coat are said to embody his wisdom. During the creation process, Wu said what the work should show: “Karl Marx's thoughts revolve around the world. He is convinced that everything is in motion and is changing. ”Wu decided to show Marx moving forward in order to illustrate its importance not only in his time, but also for the future.

prehistory

Originally, Marx's 200th birthday was supposed to be the occasion to erect a life-size monument in front of the Karl-Marx-Haus , the house where he was born, which the People's Republic of China wanted to donate. Then China announced a much larger statue for which there would not have been enough space in front of the building. So another location had to be found.

The monument was controversial before it was erected. The city council debated whether a gift from China should be accepted that would be created by an artist close to the state. Wu is a member of the Chinese Communist Party and one of the artists preferred by the state when it comes to politically important statues. There was talk of a “poisoned gift” in the Triers local parliament, an acceptance honoring the donor that the Communist Party of China does not deserve. A majority of the SPD , CDU , the left and parts of the Greens voted in favor of the monument, a minority from the Green parliamentary group, the FDP and the AfD rejected the proposal.

Wu himself pointed out to the readers of the China Daily in a preliminary report on the unveiling of the monument that in Germany such a project would require social participation. Before a monument is erected in public space , he said there would be repeated discussions in the media and a decision by a parliament.

costs

The People's Republic of China bore the costs for the manufacture of the monument, the base and for the transport from China to Trier. The city of Trier paid for the earthworks, the foundation, the paving and the lighting in the amount of 39,000 euros . The monument cost a total of 92,500 euros.

Donation as part of Chinese foreign policy

These and other donations of Marx and Engels statues are seen as part of a new Chinese foreign policy under President Xi Jinping . With this, China wants to raise its reputation instead of simply promoting infrastructure projects in Eastern Europe and Africa, as it used to do, to expand its influence worldwide and to take on the leadership role it finally believes to be due to its economic strength.

Another gift from China is the Engels monument in Wuppertal . There the city did not enforce its wish against China to show Friedrich Engels as a young revolutionary in life size instead of larger than life and as an old man. However, she managed not to put Engels on a pedestal.

revelation

The statue covered, before the inauguration (2018)

Numerous guests of honor came to the unveiling on May 5, 2018. The speakers included Lord Mayor Wolfram Leibe , Trier's Head of Construction Andreas Ludwig , the Rhineland-Palatinate Prime Minister Malu Dreyer , Shi Mingde , Ambassador of China in Berlin, Guo Weimin , Vice Minister of the Information Office of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, and the creator of the statue, the sculptor Wu Weishan.

Reactions

Before the monument was unveiled, the PEN Center Germany wrote an open letter to the Mayor of Trier, Wolfram Leibe. The writers called for the monument not to be unveiled until the Chinese poet and painter Liu Xia , widow of Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo , was released from house arrest and allowed to leave China. Liu Xia was placed under house arrest in 2010; she is an honorary member of the PEN center.

The historian Hubertus Knabe , head of the Berlin-Hohenschönhausen Memorial , opposed the erection of a " colossal statue " in Trier. They are typical of monarchies and dictatorships , not democracies . For many victims of communism it is difficult to bear that such a memorial is being erected again in a West German city. Ulrich Delius of the Society for Threatened Peoples , like Trier's local politician, spoke of a “poisoned gift”, saying that it came from a country that waged state terror against its own population.

On the day of the unveiling there were several demonstrations in Trier. Activists from the Falun Gong movement, which is banned in China, held a vigil. A demonstration, organized by an alliance of the Left and the DKP , had the motto “A sign against capitalism and exploitation ”. The AfD held a silent march to remember the victims of communism. Against the AfD appearance, there was another demonstration.

On May 10, 2018, a banner attached to the statue was set on fire and the fire brigade put out the fire. According to the police, there was no further property damage.

See also

Web links

Commons : Karl Marx Statue Trier  - Collection of images

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ A present from China for the 200th birthday: A mega Marx for Trier. In: Spiegel Online . May 5, 2018, accessed May 6, 2018 .
  2. ↑ Steffen Wurzel: Controversy over sculpture in Trier - A Marx made in China. In: deutschlandfunkkultur.de. November 22, 2017. Retrieved May 6, 2018 .
  3. ↑ Kim Björn Becker: Capital beckons in Trier. In: faz.net. May 5, 2018, accessed May 6, 2018 (comment).
  4. ↑ Christiane Wolff: Ten days to Marx. Today: the base. In: volksfreund.de. April 25, 2018. Retrieved May 14, 2018 .
  5. ^ Karl Marx statue. The artistic idea. City of Trier, accessed on June 9, 2018 .
  6. ↑ Christiane Wolff: This is how the Karl Marx monument should look . In: volksfreund.de . December 16, 2016, accessed May 11, 2018.
  7. ^ Karl Marx statue. City of Trier, accessed on May 17, 2018 .
  8. ↑ Christiane Peitz: On the pedestal and down again. In: tagesspiegel.de. January 15, 2018, accessed May 28, 2018 .
  9. ↑ Finn Mayer-Kuckuk: The dogmatic use value of the statue. ( Memento of the original from May 10, 2018 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: fr.de . May 4, 2018. Retrieved May 11, 2018. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.fr.de
  10. ↑ Christiane Wolff: This is how the Karl Marx monument should look . In: volksfreund.de . December 16, 2016, accessed May 11, 2018.
  11. ↑ Wu Weishan: A statue of Karl Marx in his hometown . In: Yu Zhang (ed.): The world of sculptures by Wu Weishan. Hatje Cantz. Ostfildern 2018 pp. 54–58, here p. 58.
  12. ↑ Steffen Wurzel: The gifted Marx. In: deutschlandfunk.de. November 22, 2017. Retrieved May 30, 2018 .
  13. ↑ Wu Weishan: A tribute to trier. In: China Daily . May 4, 2018, accessed June 4, 2018 .
  14. ^ Christiane Wolff: The day of revelation. In: volksfreund.de. May 5, 2018, Retrieved May 7, 2018 .
  15. ↑ Anke Petermann : Trier accepts the monumental Karl Marx statue. In: deutschlandfunkkultur.de. April 14, 2017. Retrieved May 7, 2018 .
  16. ↑ Finn Mayer-Kuckuk: The dogmatic use value of the statue.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: fr.de . May 4, 2018. Retrieved May 11, 2018.@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / m.fr.de  
  17. ↑ Wu Weishan: A tribute to trier. In: China Daily . May 4, 2018, accessed June 5, 2018 .
  18. ↑ The Karl Marx statue on the website of the city of Trier, accessed on May 17, 2018.
  19. ^ Controversial Karl Marx statue unveiled in Trier. In: merkur.de. May 6, 2018. Retrieved May 17, 2018 .
  20. ↑ Lea Deuber, Simon Book: How China shapes its image in the world with gifts. In: wiwo.de. March 5, 2018, accessed May 16, 2018 .
  21. ↑ Andreas Fasel: China gives Wuppertal a Friedrich Engels statue. In: welt.de. April 6, 2014, accessed May 16, 2018 .
  22. ^ Christiane Wolff: The day of revelation. In: volksfreund.de. May 5, 2018, accessed May 6, 2018 .
  23. ↑ PEN center appeals not to dedicate the statue. In: deutschlandfunk.de. May 5, 2018, accessed May 8, 2018 .
  24. ↑ Chiara Thies: "Colossal statues are typical of dictatorships, not democracies". In: cicero.de. April 19, 2018, accessed on May 14, 2018 (interview).
  25. ↑ Matthew Omolewsky: The Poisoned Gift: Wu Weishan's Statue of Marx in Trier. In: The American Spectator . May 3, 2018, accessed June 2, 2018 (en).
  26. ↑ Peaceful demos for and against Marx in Trier. In: swr.de. May 5, 2018, accessed May 6, 2018 .
  27. ^ Unknown people set fire to Marx statue in Trier. In: Spiegel Online . May 10, 2018. Retrieved May 14, 2018 .

Coordinates: 49 ° 45 ′ 35.9 ″  N , 6 ° 38 ′ 32.9 ″  E