Memorial to the fallen of the First World War (Maputo)

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The memorial for the fallen of the First World War, inaugurated in 1935. Inscription on the base: “Aos seus combatentes europeus e africanos da Grande Guerra” (For its [Portugal's] European and African fighters in the Great War).

The monument to the fallen of the First World War (Portuguese: Monumento aos Mortos da Primeira Guerra Mundial ) in the Mozambican capital Maputo is located at today's Praça dos Trabalhadores . It dates from 1935 and was designed according to plans by the Portuguese sculptor Ruy Roque Gameiro and the architect António Reis Camelo .

history

Planning and discussions

In 1921, the Comissão dos Padrões da Grande Guerra ("Commission for the Monuments of the Great War"), consisting of veterans of the First World War , was founded in Portugal, which campaigned to promote the Portuguese favor of the First World War on the French model throughout the state territory (and in addition) to set monuments. The two colonial cities of Luanda and Lourenço Marques (now Maputo) were of particular importance for the association. The association published the first plans to erect a monument in Lourenço Marques in 1927.

After some discussions as to whether the monument should not be erected in Quionga - part of the Kionga triangle , Portugal's only land gain in World War I - the association decided in favor of the capital of Portuguese East Africa , Lourenço Marques. The Praça Mac Mahon (today Praça dos Trabalhadores) was chosen as the location because it was both large and representative enough with the neighboring main station . In addition to commemorating the fallen, the memorial was also intended to reinforce the feeling of nationality in the colony and provide a place for representative ceremonies in the city.

Designed by Ruy Roque Gameiro and António Reis Camelo

On December 13, 1930, the association announced the competition. In the call for tenders, which was published in the government's colony bulletin, the originally planned theme for the memorial took a back seat: It was not intended to be a memorial for the "glorious fallen of the Great War, but rather a testament to the strength and effort of our generation". The appeal to national feeling was also linked to the restriction of competition to only Portuguese sculptors.

The winning design - chosen on November 26, 1931 - came from the duo Ruy Roque Gameiro and António Reis Camelo. The two designed a monumental monument 14.3 meters high. "Pátria" ( German  motherland ) is enthroned on a high pedestal , and with a stern look she rests her left arm on a shield and sword. In her right hand she bears the Portuguese coat of arms and thus commemorates the discoveries and conquests of Portugal. The very masculine appearance of Pátria is reinforced by the accompanying snake. On the pedestal, four battles by Portuguese soldiers - both European and African - are shown, although these are fictional as such and the names are said to have been added shortly before the opening by the Ministry of Colony. In terms of design, the monument is based strongly on the memorials for the fallen of the First World War in Abrantes (first work by Ruy Gameiro) and in Lisbon (by Maximiano Alves and Guilherme Rebelo de Andrade). The original park on the square was completely removed when the monument was erected.

inauguration

Before the erection of the monument, a park decorated the place, who was then the name Praça MacMahon contributed

The ceremonial inauguration of the monument took place on November 11, 1935. It was the first visible symbol of the Estado Novo in the colony and also a symbol of the so-called “política do Espírito” (Politics of Spirit), which was intended to spark a strong national feeling among the Portuguese in general and a nationalization of the colonies in particular. In the following years, the memorial was always a place for symbolic and monumental celebrations and ceremonies of the state, for example during the visit of President Óscar Carmona in 1939.

present

Although Mozambique gained independence in 1975, the monument remains in the same location to this day. The media report a neglected state.

Since 2011, the monument has been in the preselection for a list of monuments for the city of Maputo. It is listed under the number 31705 in the Portuguese monument database Sistema de Informação para o Património Arquitectónico , which also includes works by former Portuguese colonies.

Web links

Commons : Monumento aos Combatentes da I Guerra Mundial (Maputo)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ A b Tiago Lourenço: Monumento aos Combatentes da I Guerra Mundial. In: Sistema de Informação para o Património Arquitectónico (SIPA). 2011, accessed September 14, 2014 (Portuguese).
  2. ↑ a b c d e f Gerbert Verheij: Monumentalidade e espaço público em Lourenço Marques nas décadas de 1930 e 1940 . Ed .: University of Barcelona, ​​Polis Research Center. tape January 20 , 2012, ISSN  1139-7365 , p. 18–34 (Portuguese, ub.edu [PDF] summary of the master's thesis of the same name, January 2012, Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas, Universidade Nova de Lisboa).
  3. ↑ Picture 18. (Picture) In: Alguns aspectos da viagem presidencial às colónias de Cabo Verde, S. Tomé, Moçambique e Angola e da visita do chefe de estado à União Sul-Africana. 2. Agência Geral das Colónias, 1940, accessed on December 21, 2014 (available from Memórias d'África e d'Oriente).
  4. ^ Praça dos Trabalhadores. (Video) Televisão Independente de Moçambique (TIM), January 15, 2014, accessed September 14, 2014 (Portuguese).

Coordinates: 25 ° 58 ′ 17.7 ″  S , 32 ° 33 ′ 55.1 ″  E