Erthal Obelisk
The Erthal Obelisk is an 18 meter high obelisk on the Domplatz in Erfurt . It was erected around 1777 on the occasion of the first visit of the Archbishop of Mainz and Erfurt city lord Friedrich Karl Joseph von Erthal , making it one of the oldest monuments in Erfurt. The construction costs were 1120 thalers, of which the citizens brought 858 in a collection. The work of an architect who has not been handed down is made of sandstone from Wandersleber and has a square granite base with a laurel-wreathed image, name, coat of arms and initials, medals and decorations. In earlier times, a dedication in the stone explained that the “loyal subjects of the local city built this monument to the best father in the country” “in eternal memory” .
Over the years the weather and lightning strikes required multiple restorations of the ailing stones. The obelisk was repaired again in 1899 on the occasion of a visit by Wilhelm II . In 1990 a partial renovation took place at the expense of private donors and in 2005 the base was repaired. The inscription panels of the obelisk nowadays no longer have any easily recognizable text.
The Erthal obelisk in Erfurt on Domplatz bears the following inscription, which was only legible through a photo with a subsequent increase in contrast, color values and brightness:
TO THE BEST FATHER OF THE COUNTRY
FRIEDRICH CARL IOSEPH
DES SALVATION. CHAIR AT MAINZ ARCHBISHOP
OF SALVATION. ROME. R. DURCH GERM. Archchancellor AND CHURCHILL PRINCE
ALSO PRINCE AND BISCHOFF TO WORMS etc. etc. BORN
TO 3. Januarii 1719. chosen the 18 July 1774.
IN PERSON OWNER HOECHST present in
ERFURT THE 17th MAII 1777. THIS MEMORIAL HAVE
TO ETERNAL remembrance FROM VALLEY DUE
GRATITUDE THE HIGHLY MERCURIOUS HAVENLY
PRESENCE OF HIS CHURCHAL MERCY ESTABLISHED
THE FAITHFUL UNTERTHANEN
HIS CITY ERFURT.
literature
- Steffen Raßloff : 100 monuments in Erfurt. History and stories. With photographs by Sascha Fromm. Essen 2013, ISBN 978-3-8375-0987-8 . P. 78 f.
Web links
Coordinates: 50 ° 58 ′ 36.1 ″ N , 11 ° 1 ′ 28 ″ E