War memorial (Eupen)
The war memorial in Eupen was erected on the Werthplatz in the upper town of Eupen in memory of the fallen soldiers from the German War of 1866 and from the Franco-German War of 1870/1871 based on a design by the Munich sculptor Rudolf Henn and was erected on September 1, 1912 inaugurated.
history
War memorial, front side
War memorial, back side
In 1911, after long discussions with the citizens and the district warriors' association, the town council of Eupen decided to erect a memorial in honor of those who fell in the German War and the Franco-German War. Differences of opinion arose with regard to the location of the planned monument, with the spatially larger Werthplatz, which was only redesigned in 1908, prevailed over the smaller market square, the central Klötzerbahn and other suggestions. A few meters from the Lambertus Chapel , the memorial was finally erected in a central location based on a design by Rudolf Henn, who was able to prevail in a competition among 150 participants from Germany and abroad.
After completion, the inauguration took place on September 1, 1912. Numerous surviving veterans of the war of 1870/1871 took part as well as active soldiers, over 50 domestic and foreign clubs and warrior associations as well as numerous guests of honor. After festive services in the Catholic St. Nicholas Church and in the Protestant Church of Peace , a large pageant through the city and a speech by District Administrator Walter The Losen on Werthplatz, the memorial was solemnly under the command of the 15th Division , Lieutenant General Julius Riemann Gunfire and with the ascent of thousands of carrier pigeons revealed.
A planned display of single and double deckers over the square had to be canceled for technical reasons. After the inauguration, a festive banquet was held and the day ended with a magnificent illumination .
In the following decades the monument suffered damage from the effects of war and weathering and had to be repaired several times. After it was placed under monument protection in 2011 , it was again extensively and contemporary restored in 2012/2013 with grants from the German-speaking community and inaugurated again on September 15, 2013.
Monument description
The monument made of natural stone has a total height of 9.50 m and stands on a semicircular raised terrace, which slopes down in steps towards Werthplatz and is surrounded on the back with a stone parapet with benches. On the monumental high plinth with a convex front side stands the equestrian figure of St. George killing the dragon on his horse. The front of the base is adorned with a stone garland in the lower area and the inscription in the upper area: "His fallen sons - The Eupen district". On the back of the column the coat of arms of Prussia is applied and on the side the names of the fallen soldiers of Eupen and Raeren of the wars concerned are carved. In terms of design, Henn adapted to the architectural character of the square at that time, but also took into account the modern taste for simplicity and clarity.
The foundation was laid by a local construction company, and Henn made the stone block for the column and the equestrian statue in his Munich workshop. A forwarding agency finally took the individual components from Munich to Eupen, where they were assembled.
The dead soldiers
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literature
- Gottfried Loup: Eighty years ago on the Eupener Werthplatz. Rudolf Henns St. Georg for the fallen warriors. In: Grenz-Echo from August 26, 1992.
- Leo Kever: 100 years ago. Erection of the war memorial on the Eupener Werthplatz. In: Grenz-Echo from August 4, 2012.
Web links
- Description on worldwartours.be
- Portrait and story on ostbelgiendirekt.be from September 9, 2013
Individual evidence
- ↑ Entry on ostbelgienkulturerbe.be
- ↑ Eupen war memorial - Prussian coat of arms
- ↑ Names of the fallen , on denkmalprojekt.org
Coordinates: 50 ° 37 ′ 56.1 ″ N , 6 ° 2 ′ 20.9 ″ E