Kaiser Wilhelm Monument (Hildesheim)
The Kaiser Wilhelm Monument in Hildesheim was an equestrian statue for Kaiser Wilhelm I , which stood at the northern end of Sedanstrasse .
It was designed by Otto Lessing , whose design emerged as the winner of the competition held before it was built. It showed the emperor in a cuirassier uniform and with a general's staff in hand riding over a dragon . On his right was a Germania with one foot on the subjugated animal , who held the imperial sword in one hand and offered the imperial crown to the emperor with the other . The inscription on the front of the base read:
"THE NEW FOUNDER OF THE GERMAN EMPIRE"
On the long sides reliefs showed Arminius receiving Roman war booty in the form of the Hildesheim silver find and an emperor Barbarossa rousing shepherd boy. The Hildesheim coat of arms was affixed to the back.
The inauguration took place on Reformation Day in 1900 in the presence of Kaiser Wilhelm II and his wife.
The metal statue was melted down during World War II . Only the base made of Swedish granite remained .
The base was added to a memorial for war victims, especially the CMP, after the war reclassified . The inscription now reads:
"WE REMEMBER"
In July 2012, at the suggestion of a police officer, the city of Hildesheim had the hedge around the memorial cut almost to floor level and the two benches in front of it cleared in order to make the place more visible and to drive away the so-called drinking scene located there. The controversial measure did not lead to the desired success. Rather, the base itself is now used as a seat. After the Hildesheim Left Party had set up two of its own benches in the meantime, the city cleared them on August 7, 2012 and set up their own again. Allegedly this was "planned from the beginning".
The base in 2011
State in July 2012
Web links
Coordinates: 52 ° 8 '58.4 " N , 9 ° 57' 32.5" E