Cenotaph of the Oldenburg Infantry Regiment No. 91
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The memorial of the Oldenburg Infantry Regiment No. 91 is a war memorial that was erected in 1921 for the fallen and missing regimental members of the First World War . It was located on Oldenburger Schlossplatz from 1921 and was moved to its current (2015) location on Theodor-Tantzen-Platz in 1960. Since the city of Oldenburg itself did not create a central memorial for its fallen in World War I, the memorial , informally referred to as the 91er lion or 91er monument , was or is an unofficial memorial for the fallen city of Oldenburg in the world war.
Plant and inauguration
The memorial was designed by the sculptor Hugo Lederer , who also designed the Hamburg Bismarck monument , based on the model of the lion of Chaironeia .
The material is limestone (Schillkalk). The memorial consists of a base and a squatting lion figure. The base has a height of 3.10 m, a width of 1.50 m and a depth of 2.35 m, the lion figure a height of a good 2.0 m. The total height at the front is approx. 5.0 m. The base bears the following inscriptions:
1. Right page: The ninety-one / in memory
2. Left page: Holy flame glow / glow and never go out / for the fatherland .
In addition, an outline of the regimental history is engraved on the sides.
The inauguration took place on Sunday, September 18, 1921 in the presence of Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg , who commanded OIR 91 from 1893 to 1896. The inauguration was held on the first so-called regiment day of the former OIR 91, on which numerous former members of the regiment and the relatives of the fallen and missing had gathered. The Reich Chancellery had specifically approved the wearing of the old imperial uniforms for the regiment day .
Schoolchildren and war clubs also took part in the inauguration ceremony . Deputies of the Reichswehr and the Oldenburg Order Police (Orpo) provided the festive setting ; The head of the festival committee was the former regimental officer and now major of the Orpo, Bruno von der Hellen. The memorial was framed by black, white and red flags of the German Empire and blue and red flags of the Free State of Oldenburg .
The Oldenburg Prime Minister Theodor Tantzen , Ministers Franz Driver and Otto Graepel as well as Oldenburg's Lord Mayor Dr. Theodor Goerlitz took part. Guests of honor were Generals Bernhard von Hülsen , von der Lippe and von Schelitza, Major General von Gottberg, Colonel Ernst von Hohnhorst and the Capuchin Father Kilian-Müller, who appeared in monk costume and wore numerous military awards, which the daily press particularly emphasized.
The consecration speech was given by the Chief Pastor Rogge, the former pastor of the 19th Division of the X Army Corps . Subsequently, Colonel von Hohnhorst, as a former campaign commander of the regiment, handed over the memorial to the city of Oldenburg in the person of the Lord Mayor Dr. Goerlitz, who stated in a speech:
Like the stone lion of Thermopylae , this memorial should be a permanent symbol of memory of our fallen heroes . As they succumbed in the incomparable fulfillment of their duties, this monument is intended to remind daily and hourly of the reconstruction of the country and the people. May the huge victims of the war not have been in vain, but create life. With this wish I take over the monument in the protection of the city.
Speech quoted from the news for town and country of September 19, 1921, p. 9.
Afterwards, Hindenburg pointed out in a speech that the memorial served the memory of fallen comrades, but was also an obligation to continue to honor old soldier virtues. It is also a reminder to the youth to prove themselves worthy of their fathers and to emulate them. The fallen would have sacrificed themselves for the protection and honor of the fatherland. At the end, Hindenburg thanked the city and the state of Oldenburg for the “active participation” in the regimental celebration, whereby he, accidentally or not, used the term “ Grand Duchy ” and not “ Free State ”.
The former head of the regiment, Grand Duke Friedrich August , did not take part in the inauguration ceremony, but had General von Jordan put down a wreath. Why Friedrich August stayed away from the celebration was not explained in the press.
Until the end of May 1960, the memorial was located in front of the castle guard with the lion facing west. It formed a visual axis with the monument opposite to Duke Peter Friedrich Ludwigs , who founded OIR 91 in 1813 as the "Regiment Oldenburg". At the time, the PFL memorial was located in a miniature park a good 20 meters south of the current location.
Expansion of the commemorative culture to the Second World War (1953)
On June 21, 1953, on the occasion of another regiment day of the OIR 91, a bronze plaque designed by Marie-Louise Ahlhorn-Packenius was placed on a pillow stone at the memorial for the fallen soldiers of World War II . The text inscription reads simply "1939-1945", "Our fallen comrades". From this point on, the memorial is also referred to as a monument to the Oldenburg infantry .
Transfer to the current location (1960)
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At the end of May 1960, after an intense public debate, the memorial was moved to its current location on Theodor-Tantzen-Platz on the western edge of the city center. Allegedly, the implementation was necessary for traffic reasons. The castle courtyard, the escape between the castle and the recently completed indoor swimming pool (today the castle courtyards ) and the Cäcilienplatz had been considered as alternative locations ; the latter presumably as Hindenburg's place of residence from 1893–1896.
The decision for the new location was made after a paper mache “test monument” had been erected and shown in the Nordwest-Zeitung . At that time, the Theodor-Tantzen-Platz was not yet covered by a row of trees, so that the memorial was visible from afar. The front of it is aligned with the former government building.
The implementation of the PFL monument to the Peter Friedrich Ludwigs Hospital was originally planned; allegedly also for traffic reasons. However, the implementation was not carried out, instead the monument was moved a good 20 m north to its current location and the miniature park was dissolved.
To the present day, wreaths are laid at the memorial on the occasion of the day of national mourning, although since 1953 the memorial speeches no longer refer to the First World War.
See also
literature
- o. V .: Festschrift for the regimental roll call of the former Old. Inf.-Reg. No. 91. September 17 and 18, 1921 in Oldenburg , Oldenburg (Littmann) 1921.
- City of Oldenburg - City Archives (ed.): Oldenburg 1914-1918. A source volume on the everyday, social, military and mental history of the city of Oldenburg in the First World War. Oldenburg (Isensee) 2014. ISBN 978-3-7308-1080-4
- o. V .: Festschrift for the 140th anniversary of the former Oldenb. Inf.-Regts. No. 91 on September 12 and 13, 1953 in Oldenburg. Oldenburg (Drewes) 1953.
- The last day of the 91st festival. Kommerse. - Field service. - Monument unveiling. - Goodbye summer. In: Nachrichten für Stadt und Land , No. 254 of September 19, 1921, pp. 8ff.
- Dietrich Hagen: Oldenburg stone harvest. Studies on the use of natural stone and documentation of the stone monuments, fountains and sculptures in the city of Oldenburg. Oldenburg (Isensee) 1993. ISBN 3-89442-150-9
Coordinates: 53 ° 8 '17 " N , 8 ° 12' 9.4" E