Bismarck National Monument (Berlin)
The Bismarck National Monument on the northern edge of the Großer Stern in the Großer Tiergarten commemorates the first German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck . Originally built by Reinhold Begas in the neo-baroque style on Königsplatz in front of the Reichstag building in the years 1897–1901 , it was moved to its current location in 1938–1939 together with the Roons and Moltkes monuments and the Victory Column . The monument is one of the masterpieces of the Berlin School of Sculpture and the most important Bismarck monuments in Germany . With the exception of the base reliefs, which have disappeared since 1958, it has been preserved.
History of the monument
Establishment on the Königsplatz
After a failed competition with over 90 participants, the sculptor Reinhold Begas was commissioned to erect the Bismarck national monument on the eastern part of Königsplatz in front of the Reichstag. The 15-meter-high, 20-meter-wide and 12-meter-deep memorial complex, originally bordered on the sides by two semicircular water basins with fountains and a tritons and a naiad group made of sandstone by Ludwig Cauer , was built between 1897 and 1901. The inauguration took place on June 16, 1901.
Transfer to the Big Star
As part of the north-south axis planned by Albert Speer for the “ World Capital Germania ”, the Bismarck National Monument was moved to the north in 1938 together with the Victory Column , the figures of the Siegesallee and the monuments of Albrecht von Roon and Helmuth Karl Bernhard von Moltke of the big star. According to the plans, a forum of the Second Reich , i.e. the Empire of 1871, was to be built here. During the re-erection, the distance between the secondary figures and the main pedestal was reduced by about one meter and the number of steps in the substructure was reduced from seven to three. This damaged the relationship between the individual figures and the overall effect of the monument.
Restorations and loss of the base reliefs
During the restoration of the monument between 1958 and 1960, the six bronze reliefs of the substructure were removed and not re-attached. The Berlin State Monuments Office is not aware of their whereabouts. They are replaced by neutral slabs of red granite. During the last restoration in 2015, an ornamental grille was attached, but the missing base reliefs have not yet been restored. Photos of all base reliefs have been preserved for possible replication.
Description of the plant
The base made of polished red granite bears the 6.6 meter high bronze figure of Otto von Bismarck in the uniform of the “ Halberstadt cuirassiers as he used to appear in the old Reichstag”. He holds his left hand tightly around the handle of the Pallasch , the right hand rests on the document of the foundation of the empire . "Unbending willpower speaks from the powerful posture and the expression of the sparkling eyes", as Grieben's travel guide Berlin and the surrounding area wrote in 1909.
The base bears the simple inscription "Bismarck" on the front and the dedication "To the first Reich Chancellor the German People 1901" on the back. On the right cheek of the base, a bronze relief shows a young man with a torch and a young man with a fanfare in front of Bismarck's Herme , who adorn the geniuses floating above with flowers. On the relief of the left cheek, an owl with a quill pen in the claws of ravens and crows is circled.
The four figures around the main plinth stand for the heroization of Bismarck as a superman who could no longer be depicted by the main figure alone, but was explained by other figures. An atlas kneels on the substructure in front of the base, carrying the globe on its back, "indicating Bismarck's titan power" and a "symbol of the greatness of Bismarck that spanned the earth". At the back Siegfried kneels , forging the (Reichs) sword , "defeated enemies with Bismarck of the Reich". On the left side of the substructure, a sibyl , also interpreted as an allegory of state wisdom, rides on the back of a sphinx , looking into the book of history, which she holds in her left hand as a “symbol of the spiritual meaning of Bismarck”. On the right side of the substructure, a female ruler with a scepter and crown, presumably Germania or an allegory of state power, presses the leopard of discord and turmoil down with her foot, which symbolizes Bismarck's "indomitable power". The Leopard is an early work by August Gaul , a student of Reinhold Begas'.
Showed at the two lobes of the base until 1958 three reliefs on the front of the preparations for the Empire in 1871. The left relief as Germany are learning the mother instructs a chubby boy - probably the German Michel - on the leash in the art of running. In the middle relief, How Germany Awakens , a female figure wakes up the German Michel, who is sleeping on a bearskin in a pointed cap and slippers, and points to the army of other peoples lurking in the background. The right relief Germany as a young Hercules shows the German Michel in a victorious battle. On the back three more reliefs depicted the completion of Bismarck's work . In the left relief, Germania triumphantly hurries home on the victory chariot, a young man storms ahead with the good news. The middle relief showed the enthroned Germania, flanked by allegories of work and art, placing the imperial crown on its head. In the last relief, Germania descends from the Quadriga and brings the people the blessings of peace.
Figure of the Chancellor in the middle
Figure of the Sibyl on the left
Figure of Germania on the right
Figure of Atlas on the obverse
Figure of Siegfried on the back
reviews
After the unveiling, the Bismarck National Monument was rated rather positively.
The art historian Alfred Gotthold Meyer praised the Bismarck figure in his monograph on Reinhold Begas in 1901: “... and for this monument in particular, nobody was better prepared than Begas. Bismarck's personality was well known to him. He had repeatedly modeled the huge head as a bust, and finally deepened the studies for the statue in Friedrichsruh himself. In this way he created a portrait full of truth, down to the neck movement peculiar to Bismarck, which threw the head backwards with a short jerk, and up to the highly characteristic spread of the fingers. Despite the summary treatment of the uniform, it is undoubtedly the "most similar" Bismarck statue that we have. "
The Baedeker travel guide 'Berlin and Surroundings' in the 1921 edition, on the other hand, criticized the accompanying figures and base reliefs as “less understandable, z. Partly insignificant and sketchily executed ”.
The Bismarck National Monument is Reinhold Begas' last major work and, after the loss of Siegesallee and the Kaiser Wilhelm National Monument, is representative of the culture of remembrance of the Wilhelmine era .
literature
- The national memorial for Prince Bismarck in front of the Reichstag building in Berlin. In: Baugewerks-Zeitung , 33rd year 1901, No. 72, 7th September 1901, pp. 1233-1234.
- Peter Bloch (Ed.): Ethos and Pathos. The Berlin School of Sculpture 1786–1914. Gebrüder Mann, Berlin 1990, ISBN 3-7861-1598-2 , p. 200 f. (Contributions with short biographies of Berlin sculptors)
Web links
- Entry in the Berlin State Monument List
- Description of the Bismarck National Monument: Sculpture in Berlin
- Photos of the missing base reliefs: here and here
Individual evidence
- ↑ Peter Bloch, Waldemar Grzimek: The classic Berlin. The Berlin School of Sculpture in the nineteenth century . Propylaea, Berlin 1978, p. 251 ff .
- ^ Written information from the Berlin State Monuments Office
- ↑ a b c d e Berlin and the surrounding area. (= Grieben's travel guide) , Berlin 1909, p. 100.
- ^ A b Hermann Müller-Bohn: The monuments of Berlin in words and pictures . Berlin 1905, p. 65 f.
- ^ Alfred Gotthold Meyer: Reinhold Begas . Velhagen & Klasing, Bielefeld / Leipzig 1901, p. 128 .
Coordinates: 52 ° 30 ′ 57 ″ N , 13 ° 20 ′ 59 ″ E