Borussia monument
The Borussia monument was a statue in Memel. It reminded of the beginning of Prussia's resurgence between 1806/07 and 1813. At the same time, it stood for the city's borderline location, which has always been endangered.
history
After the catastrophic battle near Jena and Auerstedt , King Friedrich Wilhelm III fled . and Queen Luise to East Prussia . When Königsberg fell on June 16, 1807, the royal couple stayed in Memel Town Hall from June 1807 to January 1808 . During this time the peace of Tilsit was negotiated. The Memel was the demarcation line in the armistice, and so the Prussian king was left with Prussian Lithuania . In Memel, the Prussian reforms were initiated, aimed at tightening all the forces of the people and finally to theWars of liberation waged.
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary, a competition was held, which the sculptor Peter Breuer was able to win; but Kaiser Wilhelm II changed the design without authorization. The Borussia should - be represented as a winner - regardless of the historical context. The monument was unveiled on September 23, 1907 in the presence of the imperial couple. Borussia was overturned from its pedestal during a Lithuanian uprising in 1923, only to be re-erected after annexation to the German Reich in 1939. During the Second World War, the bronze statue was dismantled again and melted down for armament purposes. The base was later fitted with a Soviet figure at times.
description
A pillar rises on a square base plate on which Borussia, in the manner of a Pallas Athene, stands with a spear and shield and breaks the chains of foreign rule. Her shield bore the reliefs of King Friedrich Wilhelm III. and Queen Luise. Around the statue were busts of generals and statesmen who distinguished themselves in the Wars of Liberation: Friedrich Ferdinand Alexander zu Dohna-Schlobitten , Karl August Prince von Hardenberg , Theodor von Schön , Gerhard von Scharnhorst , August Graf Neidhardt von Gneisenau , Friedrich Leopold von Schrötter , Heinrich Friedrich Karl vom and zum Stein and Ludwig Yorck von Wartenburg .
See also
literature
- Hermann Pölking: The Memelland: Where Germany once ended - A historical travel companion , 2012.
Coordinates: 55 ° 42 ′ 35.9 ″ N , 21 ° 7 ′ 49.8 ″ E