Bridge lion
The bridge lion is a historical sculpture that was displayed in public spaces in Hann. Münden is situated in southern Lower Saxony .
description
The lion figure stands on a stone plinth on the edge of the old town of Hann. Münden on the Kasseler Schlagd directly on an arm of the Fulda . This is a place near the lion bridge leading to Tanzwerder , from which the sculpture was named. In 1870 the bridge lion was pushed into the Fulda in a vandalism, but was recovered.
The sculpture is made of sandstone from the region. Your age is not known; stylistically it is assigned to the late Romanesque or Gothic . There are a number of legends and attempts to explain the earlier function and origin of the lion figure. This includes the theory of a heraldic animal above the gate of the Welfenschloss and the thesis of a gargoyle, favored by local historian Karl Brethauer, on a predecessor of the St. Blaise Church . It is most likely that the sculpture comes from the Alte Werra Bridge . It could have been relocated from there when the bridge structure was demolished in 1776.
legend
The forecast , according to Duke had Erich at the hunting in Reinhardswald separated from his entourage and lost in the woods. Night had fallen and he was getting deeper and deeper into an unknown forest area. First he prayed to God , then in his need he called on the devil . He appeared as a lion and promised the Duke that he would be carried on his back through the air into the Welfenschloss if he wanted to belong to the devil with body and soul. The Duke agreed on the condition that he arrived before one o'clock in the morning. When the lion with the duke hovered over the small Fulda bridge, the tower clock of St. Blaise's Church struck one o'clock. Then the lion fell down on a pillar of the bridge and was turned to stone while the duke arrived at the castle. According to an older version of the legend, the devil fell over the Old Werra Bridge and became a stone lion on the first bridge pillar.
literature
- Karl Brethauer : The "bridge lion" on the beat in: Münden. Collected Essays. Second episode. Publisher Hans Fiedler, Hann. Münden 1984, pp. 82-98
Web links
- Bettina Sangerhausen: The old Lion Bridge is being torn down - what to do with the lion? in: HNA from August 25, 2016
Individual evidence
- ↑ The stone lion on the small Fulda bridge , in: Sagen des Südhannoverschen Berglandes (1924)
Coordinates: 51 ° 24 ′ 59.7 " N , 9 ° 38 ′ 54.5" E