Fritz Reuter Memorial (Stavenhagen)
The Fritz Reuter monument in Stavenhagen is the city's landmark and one of the most beautiful monuments in Mecklenburg . It is considered one of the main works of the already honored Plau sculptor Wilhelm Wandschneider . The base was deliberately damaged in August 2018.
description
The figure of Fritz Reuters (1810–1874) seated on an armchair rises on a gray granite base in cast bronze . With his left hand he is leafing through a book resting on his thigh while his right hand grabs his beard on his chin in a thoughtful gesture. The poet is satisfied with his work or is already thinking about new ideas. The similarity of the Reuter figure with the monument in Neubrandenburg consecrated in 1893 has its background. When the models of this monument were created in Martin Wolff's studio in 1891, Wandschneider was extensively involved as an assistant.
On both sides of the base there are also benches made of granite, with four bronze reliefs in each of the backrests. The reliefs show 45 figures from Reuter's most famous works:
- (1) Ut mine fortress tid: De Musjagd, Fritzing, de Platzmajor, de Holländerie.
- (2) Ut de Franzosentid : Möller Voss un de Schoffür, Mamsell Westphalen, Mr. Droik, de is dalbraken with the sky, nu takes care of the French colonel.
- (3) Ut mine Stromtid : Jochen Nüßler un sin Fru, Unkel Bräsig with Lining and Mining, Havemann.
- (4) No Hüsung : Johann and sin Herr, Johann and Marik, Marik and child and Nahwersch.
- (5) Hanne Nüte : Hanne un sin Vadding un Mudding, the baker and the lütte poodle.
- (6) De Reis near Belligen : Let the porter be admired as King of Purslane.
- (7) Läuschen un Riemels : Dei Fulheit, Jochen Päsel, what sall de Gaus tastes.
- (8) Dörchläuchting : Stining un de Löper Wilhelm Halsband, Kägebein, de Hofpoet, Dörchläuchting , de Konrektor un de Christelswester
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history
After the death of the Low German poet and writer who was born in Stavenhagen, initiatives to publicly honor Fritz Reuter were founded in many places. In addition to a few larger monuments, many Reutersteins were built and Reuter oaks were planted. (see Fritz Reuter, Honors and Commemorations )
For larger monument projects in Reuter's homeland Mecklenburg, several years of preparation were required. A first figurative monument was erected in Neubrandenburg in 1893 (sculptor Martin Wolff ), Wismar followed in 1896 with a bust monument ( Hermann Zimmermann ), then in 1911 Stavenhagen, in 1914 the Reuter fountain Hanne Nüte in Rostock ( Ewald Holz ) and finally in 1914 the Mudder-Schulten Fountain in Neubrandenburg ( Wilhelm Jaeger ). Another statue in Rostock ( Thomas Jastram ) was erected in 2004.
After several unsuccessful initiatives in Reuter's hometown, a new executive committee was formed in the summer of 1907, chaired by Mayor Wunderlich. At that time the Grand Dukes Friedrich Franz II of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and Adolf Friedrich V of Mecklenburg-Strelitz had promised their patronage and support. Reich Chancellor Bernhard Fürst von Bülow was at the head of the honorary committee made up of numerous dignitaries . On November 7, 1907, another public appeal for donations for the memorial appeared.
The designs and models
On March 22, 1909, the business committee published the call for a “competition among artists of German nationality for a Fritz Reuter monument in his hometown of Stavenhagen”. The planned costs of the monument (without foundation and installation) should not exceed 50,000 marks. The money came from numerous individual donors from all over Germany and beyond. Drafts on a scale of 1: 5 (figure 60–70 cm) had to be submitted by August 1st. The nine judges included the sculptors Ludwig Brunow and Adolf Brütt .
A total of 92 designs were submitted for the competition. In an unusual way, 5 designs were awarded the same prizes of 1,400 marks each: 2 × Wilhelm Wandschneider, and 1 × Hugo Berwald , Gustav Wallat and Gottlieb Elster each . The order for execution was awarded to Wandschneider on the premise of combining his two designs into one. His award-winning designs did not show a statue in the traditional sense, but a seated Fritz Reuter with benches decorated in relief on the sides of the base.
inauguration
The date for the ceremonial unveiling of the monument on Reuter's 100th birthday on November 7, 1910 could not be realized. In coordination with the two Mecklenburg Grand Dukes, the committee then set the unveiling for July 12, 1911 - Reuter's 37th anniversary of his death. The grand dukes and their families headed the extensive guest list. Numerous Stavenhageners and Reuter fans attended the celebrations. According to a design by Wandschneider, commemorative medals in silver and bronze were minted in two different sizes.
The feast day began at 7:00 a.m. with a big wake-up call, followed by the laying of a wreath at the grave of Reuter's parents and a concert in the market. At 11:30 a.m., the cover of the monument fell, followed by a procession through the city. After the celebratory dinner, concert and Low German lectures, the day ended with several dance events.
More Reuter monuments in Mecklenburg
Neubrandenburg 1893
Neubrandenburg 1923
Rostock 1914 (relief)
Rostock 1914 (figure)
Rostock 2004
Individual evidence
- ^ Stavenhagen's Reuter monument damaged. Süddeutsche Zeitung , August 19, 2018, accessed on August 19, 2020 . .
- ^ Mecklenburgische Zeitung (Sunday supplement) v. August 15, 1909.
literature
- Festschrift for the unveiling of the Fritz Reuter memorial in Stavenhagen July 12, 1911; Stavenhagen 1911
- Wilhelm Wandschneider: From my life , Plau 1939
Web links
Coordinates: 53 ° 41 ′ 42 " N , 12 ° 54 ′ 29" E