Hallescher Roland

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Roland's Roland at the Red Tower (2007)

The Hallesche Roland is a Roland statue on the market square of the city of Halle (Saale) . It is about four meters high.

location

The Roland figure of the city of Halle (Saale) changed its place several times in the market area. Today it stands on the east side of the Red Tower .

History and shape

Like Roland statues in other cities, it was erected as a symbol of civil liberty, as a symbol for the independence of the city and as a symbol for the high level of jurisdiction. In its current version, the Roland comes from the Halle sculptor Johann George Bürger, who in 1719 made a stone copy which is probably identical in detail and which, like its predecessor, is four meters high. He made some additions (boots, gloves, pedestal). The figure was originally made of wood and at times was painted in color, as investigations of the sandstone figure in 2004 showed. It is used by art historians dated time in the mid-13th century (1245). What is unusual is the lack of the usual armor. Roland from Halle is a nobleman on pilgrimage in terms of appearance and clothing. This is particularly indicated by his long, pleated robe and the alms bag on his belt. On his head there is a diadem-like rosary , an element that can also be found in other Rolandas and can be understood as a flower crown.

The first known location was a hill on the east side of the market next to the town hall . From this he was moved to the south side of the Red Tower in 1341. In 1426 a court before the Rulande czu Halle is mentioned. This connection with the city's legal customs is also typical of Rolande. After the disputes between the city of Halle and the sovereign Ernst of Saxony , Archbishop of Magdeburg , Halle lost almost all of its privileges in 1478. As a result, the Roland was locked in a wooden house from 1481/1482 to 1513 and the traditional Roland dance was forbidden. The Roland was moved again to the town hall in 1514 and there next to the Ratswaage , in 1547 again to the Red Tower. He only stayed there until 1718 because a new guardhouse was built in its place. As early as 1717, a sample was made for a stone copy, so that the fire of the original in 1719, which was stored in the building yard, had no consequences for the preservation of the figure as such. It has now been set up at the Schöffenhaus on the southwest side of the market.

When the Schöffenhaus was converted into a hotel garni ( Zur Börse ) in the 19th century , the owner had the disturbing figure dismantled into individual parts. However, it was kept and re-erected on the Red Tower in 1854. During the Second World War, the Roland was enclosed in a brick tower with an attached concrete slab as protection. So it survived the air raids and the American artillery bombardment on April 16, 1945. However, since the war damage made it necessary to demolish the neo-Gothic conversion of the Red Tower, on whose southeast corner it was located, the Roland had to be repositioned several times since then, for example when a new one was built Rebuilding in 1976 on its east side and after the demolition of the renovation in 2006 directly on the east wall of the tower. For this purpose, the Roland was dismantled again and stored for the time of the demolition.

Over the centuries the figure has been restored and repaired several times. The nose is said to come from the re-installation in 1854 or from a repair in 1885.

particularities

If the art historical dating is correct, it would be by far the oldest demonstrable Roland in Germany. In addition, in contrast to the other Roland statues in Germany, the Hallesche Roland is not in uniform. Presumably it is also the Roland who changed his location most often. In 1545 Martin Luther attended a court session here and reported that the door of the cottage was opened for the occasion.

literature

  • Holger Brülls, Thomas Dietsch: Architectural Guide Halle on the Saale . Dietrich Reimer, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3496012021 .
  • Dietlinde Munzel-Everling: The Roland von Halle - a legal symbol? in Heiner Lück (ed.): Hall in the light and shadow of Magdeburg. Page 72-112; Mitteldeutscher Verlag, Halle 2012; ISBN 978-3-89812-969-5 .
  • Dietlinde Munzel-Everling: Rolande. Janos Stekovics, Dößel 2005; ISBN 389923104X .
  • Michael Pantenius: City Guide Halle. Gondrom Verlag, Bindlach 1995; ISBN 3811208160 .
  • Nikolai Popov: The magic triangle: Bremen - Riga - Dubrovnik. Roland figures in Europe. dr. ziethen Verlag, Oschersleben 1993; ISBN 3928703226 .

See also

Web links

Commons : Roland (Halle)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Popov, p. 156. The figure has elements that are only known from woodworking. In addition (p. 159) the figure is already described in the description of 1426 as a stately dressed statue .
  2. ↑ a b c Halles Roland changed its place of installation several times. Official Journal of the City of Halle, July 21, 2004, accessed on November 17, 2019 .
  3. ↑ a b c Munzel-Everling, Rolande, pp. 109–111.
  4. ↑ Popov, pp. 90 & 156.
  5. ↑ Roland. Halle im Bild, February 11, 2016, accessed on November 17, 2019 .

Coordinates: 51 ° 28 ′ 58.2 "  N , 11 ° 58 ′ 9.3"  E