War memorial (Sulzberg)
The Sulzberg war memorial is located on the village square, near the church. The inauguration took place on June 27, 1930.
Emergence
On July 27, 1930, the war memorial was inaugurated on the village square of the market town of Sulzberg in Allgäu. The academic sculptor Karl Reiber from Munich took care of the planning and alignment. He placed the monument on an area of 49 m² and ensured a cultural redesign of the townscape by enlarging the nearby bridge. He also tried to "bring the monument to the church and charity house (today the community library) into relation with the surroundings and the mountain scenery that looks in." In addition, the two copper plaques that honor the 62 fallen soldiers of the First World War come from him. Another plaque was added to the memorial after the Second World War , on which 81 fallen and 41 missing soldiers are noted.
Fallen of the First World War
| 1914 | 14 dead |
| 1915 | 14 dead |
| 1916 | 12 fallen |
| 1917 | 9 fallen |
| 1918 | 13 dead |
Fallen in World War II
| 1940 | 1 fallen |
| 1941 | 14 dead |
| 1942 | 12 fallen |
| 1943 | 14 dead |
| 1944 | 19 dead |
| 1945 | 17 dead |
In addition, four more soldiers died with an unknown date.
layout
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The war memorial consists of a main base, on which the battle scene of St. George on his horse with the dragon is depicted. This bronze statue and the base are together 4.5 m high and bear the inscription Our Fallen. The entire war memorial is surrounded by a small wall made of Flintsbacher Nagelfluh and stone slabs, which is 10 m long in the direction of the street on the front and 8 m long in the rear. Next to the equestrian statue there are two other plinths, each with a copper plaque with the name in question. The floor was laid out with green stones for the visual framing and two linden trees and two acacias were planted.
The named soldiers of the First World War often died in France (Verdun) as well as in Germany and Romania. In contrast, the soldiers of the Sulzberg congregation fell in the Second World War, mainly in Russia, as well as France, Poland, Romania and Germany.
interpretation
“The war memorial in Sulzberg bears the figure of St. George on a horse. This George, standing in full youthful strength in the service of God, is a symbol of the young soldiers who went into battle with determination to steadfastly (horse) protect the fatherland, the homeland, the clod. To the extreme, horse and rider are tense and persistently fight the dragon of disbelief and discord until victory. "
Public Response: Then and Now
For the inauguration of the monument, the whole community was invited to take part in the hero ceremony. Gun salvos served as a wake-up call, followed by a pageant to the church. After the festive service there was a procession to the war memorial, where the mayor gave a speech, as well as the church inauguration. The subsequent wreath-laying ceremony was accompanied by a male choir and the music band. Then the march to the "old" war memorial followed, which is located in the rectory. During the Second World War, a fallen soldier was honored by the political community. After the Sunday service, the band, as well as the Hitler Youth and the Association of German Girls, stood at the war memorial. On the street in front of the memorial, the fallen's parents and siblings took their places on chairs. “The relatives often enough reluctantly participated in the celebration, but were obliged to do so.” It was often emphasized that the fallen man gave his life for leaders, people and Fatherland and now counted among the heroes, which was not always viewed positively by the relatives. As a rule, a birch cross was then erected on the family grave, which was then decorated by the women and girls in the neighborhood.
Since the end of the war, a wreath has been laid at the memorial every year on national memorial day. It is organized by the Veterans Association. Guests of honor are mayors, former mayors, district and local councilors. In addition, members of the church administration and the parish council, as well as the music band and the church choir are invited. The flag delegations of the local associations, the volunteer fire brigade and combatants, honorary members and members of the Sulzberg community also take part in the Veteran's Day. After the train to the church there is a service. The pastor then leads the congregation through the cemetery to the war memorial. This is where the actual ceremony takes place, with the wreath-laying ceremony and an address by the veterans' association board. The band is responsible for the musical accompaniment. The speech is followed by three volleys in memory of the deceased. Then the order to march off is given and the flag waving of the deputies' flag bearers of the surrounding villages ends the ceremony.
Change and building history
Before the inauguration of the war memorial from the two world wars, there was a memorial from 1883 on the market square. However, this was moved to the rectory in 1929 to make room for the “new” war memorial. After the events of World War II, the copper panels on the memorial were expanded. Otherwise no further changes were made.
Individual evidence
- ^ Sulzberger Bürgerblatt dated November 18, 2004; Article No. 47
- ↑ Josef Becherer: Chronicle of the market town Sulzberg .
- ↑ Sulzberger Bürgerblatt of November 18, 2004; Article No. 47
- ↑ Historical working group Sulzberg: Experienced history in the market town Sulzberg, In the Second World War, in the times before, in the years after.
- ↑ Thomas Hartmann: Markt Sulzberg, Pictures from Past Time, 2004.