Berger memorial

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The Berger memorial in Witten
Louis Constanz Berger
View from the Berger monument into the Ruhr valley
The Berger memorial seen from the Ruhr valley
Inscription on the Berger monument
View from the Berger monument to the Bommern district of Witten

The Berger monument is a lookout tower in Witten . The 21 m high tower is located north of the Ruhr on the foothills of the Ardey Mountains . It is part of the Hohenstein recreation area, two kilometers southeast of downtown Witten, and part of the industrial culture route with theme route 12: The past and present of the Ruhr .

Details

The gymnastics community in Witten from 1848 built the monument in honor of its co-founder Louis Constanz Berger (1829-1891), an industrialist from Witten and a member of the German Reichstag.

The construction of the tower was preceded by an invitation to tender and a design competition. In 1901 the foundation work began. From 1902 to 1904 the tower was built from Ruhr sandstone . The relief image of Berger and the inscription plaque with the dedication inscription was executed in copper drifting and ceremoniously inaugurated on August 28, 1904, Berger's birthday.

The inscription plaque on the front of the tower above the entrance bears the dedication:

Louis Berger Witten,
the loyal friend of the people
and courageous defenders of his rights
the advocate of the afflicted and always helpful man

Klaus Lohmann , former mayor of the city of Witten, stated during his laudation for the 101-year celebration of the monument in 2005:

"Today this monument is a well-known landmark of Witten far beyond the city limits."

The tower is in good condition and entry is free. A spiral staircase leads to a viewing room in the upper part of the tower.

history

The announcement of a competition

In 1897 the committee for the erection of a monument was founded under the chairmanship of Mayor Gustav Haarmann . It is noteworthy for the time that this monument was dedicated to a local personality and did not serve to honor Bismarck .

On November 1, 1897, the competition to obtain an executable design for a Berger memorial was announced:

... The shape, size and stylistic representation of the monument are left to the artist; only Berger's portrait - in the form of a bust or a relief made of bronze - must find its place at a suitable place on the monument. In addition, it must be ensured that the monument can be clearly seen from the Wetterstrasse passing at the foot of the Hohenstein and from the railway ... The cost of the monument - excluding the regulation of the square and the required lining wall - must not exceed 20,000 marks. ...
jury
The judges took over:
  • Senior Building Director Hinkeldeyn in Berlin
  • Government and Building Councilor Klutman in Frankfurt a. Or
  • District Judge Schmieding in Dortmund
  • Mayor Dr. Haarmann in Witten ad Ruhr
  • City architect Meiweg in Witten ad Ruhr
Prices
A price of 500 and 300 marks each is offered for the two best designs.
The drafts are to be sent to Mayor Dr. Haarmann in Witten to be submitted free of charge. ...

Selection of judges

On April 12, 1898, the judges come to a judgment:

... A total of 47 drafts were received on time. In an initial assessment, 25 designs were initially rejected. From the remaining 22 works, the following drafts were then shortlisted for the award ceremony:
(The designs were numbered and labeled with a motto, so the names of the architects and sculptors were not known to the judges.)
  • No. 9 - trump
  • No. 16 - To the gymnast Berger
  • No. 25 - Dear Witten
  • No. 35 - Work is the citizen's adornment
  • No. 42 - Berger
  • No. 44 - Citizen diligence
Judges' verdict
Prize distribution:
  • 1st prize (500 marks) - No. 35 - Work is the citizen's ornament (architect Paul Baumgarten, Iserlohn)
  • 2nd prize (300 marks) - No. 42 - Berger (Architects Schmidtmann & Klemp, Dortmund)
recommendation
The remaining drafts that were shortlisted are recommended for purchase.

literature

  • Friedrich Wilhelm August Pott: History of the Louis Berger monument on the "Hohenstein" near Witten . In: VOHM (Hrsg.): Year book of the association for local and local history in the county of Mark . Volume 18, 1903–1904. Witten 1905, urn : nbn: de: hbz: 6: 1-142059 .
  • German competitions , published by Seemann & Co., Leipzig 1898, issue 100
  • Richard Sier: Germany's spiritual heroes , Berlin undated

Web links

Commons : Berger Memorial  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 51 ° 25 ′ 33 ″  N , 7 ° 21 ′ 6 ″  E