War memorial (Landshut)
The war memorial of the city of Landshut "Deutsche Eiche" was erected to commemorate the soldiers who died in the First World War . It stands in the middle of Landshut Neustadt at the intersection of Steckengasse towards the old town and Barfüßergasse towards the Freyung district.
Historical background
The garrison town of Landshut housed units of the duchy and electorate from the 18th century until the 1990s, later the Kingdom of Bavaria, the German Empire, the Reichswehr, the Wehrmacht and finally the Bundeswehr. Accordingly, in 1914, almost 2,800 soldiers also moved from Landshut to the First World War.
The memorial is dedicated to all 2,091 soldiers who came from Landshut or who fell there before and during the First World War . The sculptor Wilhelm Lechner from Oberammergau provided the design , whose work was selected from 164 submissions in a competition. The Landshuter Zeitung celebrated the monument on the occasion of its unveiling as "one of the greatest sculptures of the post-war period" and as "a creation of such audacity that it can claim general interest". The artist himself worked as a teacher at the Oberammergau wood carving school and was its director from 1938 to 1945. In the early 1920s he was a member of the federal Oberland , since 1930 of the NSDAP and for this from 1933 in the Oberammergau municipal council. Because of his political activities, he was interned by the Allies after 1945. He died in 1977 at the age of 87 in Kempten .
The memorial was inaugurated in Landshut Neustadt on June 24, 1928 with the participation of dignitaries of the city and the Reichswehr troops stationed in Landshut. On the occasion of this event the artist designed a “memorial sheet” in keeping with the spirit of the times, which at the same time puts the sculpture's program into words.
description
Location
The monumental limestone sculpture stands in the middle of Landshut Neustadt, a long street market that was laid out in the Middle Ages. The main view of the monument, clearly shown on the memorial sheet, captivates with its view of the Jesuit Church as the upper end of the square and the towering Trausnitz Castle on the Hofberg. Located at the intersection with Steckengasse in the direction of the old town and Barfüßergasse in the direction of the Freyung district, the city of Landshut has chosen an important and prominent installation site.
Wilhelm Lechner's "German Oak"
The monument itself represents a stone block placed on a three-tiered base, which on the one hand functions as a place of inscription, on the other hand it is declared a sarcophagus by a dead soldier depicted in relief on the north side. This is also wrapped in a tape with the words "FUERS FATHERLAND". The “German oak”, a mutilated tree that has been injured by nicks and nicks, is rooted in this stone coffin, but it is already showing young shoots again. This obviously stands for the German Reich mutilated by the Versailles Treaty . Three figures grow out of the trunk, which in turn are related to the inscriptions on the outside of the coffin lid. On top stands, bound and pierced with arrows, the city saint Sebastian , the patron saint of the dying and soldiers.
The figure growing out of the bottom of the trunk shows a young man who, with a serious and sad look, holds a shield with Landshut's coat of arms in his hands. According to the text on Wilhelm Lechner's memorial sheet, the figure addresses the younger generation:
"THE FUTURE IS OBLIGATORY TO WEAR THE SHIELD OF HOME IN HONOR LIKE THEIR FATHERS".
The second line of the sheet, on the other hand, addresses the grieving mothers, widows and sisters:
"FOR THE COMFORT OF THE MOURNERS: THE EXPENSIVE ASHES WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN".
Correspondingly, the female figure with a sad expression holds an urn in her left hand, while she lifts her right in a kind of blessing gesture. The first line of the reminder sheet is for the tied male figure:
"A WARNING TO THE LIVING: BREAK THE CHAINS AND BE FREE AS YOU WANTED".
The associated call for a revision of the peace conditions dictated by the Allies in 1919 cannot be ignored. Likewise the loud appeal to the youth, who in Lechner's sense as “shield bearers” will have to take over the watch over the nation in the future. This creates a latent dissatisfaction with the political situation as well as a clear demand for the future, which should actually be monumentally and impressively composed in the middle of the old residential city for all citizens.
reception
After the Second World War , the city’s central memorial services for Memorial Day took place elsewhere. Discussions about relocating the large sculpture have recently flared up, but these can be regarded as over after the commemorative event, which was held on site for the first time in November 2015.
- For the first time this Sunday afternoon, the memorial service for the day of national mourning took place in the Neustadt - at the war memorial, the possible relocation of which had recently been discussed. As the setting for this dignified commemorative event, the monument has now received a significant boost in importance, which will probably make such debates superfluous in the future. [...] In a relatively short, but quite remarkable speech, Provost Franz Joseph Baur urged that grief should be allowed in its various facets. The inability or impossibility to mourn is something that is neither good for the individual nor for a society. In this respect, the day of national mourning also needs its “place in today's life”, says Baur. In addition, a memorial - also a "bulky" one - is in the right place in the middle of the city.
Landshut units in the First World War
- Royal Bavarian 2nd Heavy Rider Regiment "Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Este"
- 1st Battalion of the Royal Bavarian 16th Infantry Regiment "Grand Duke Ferdinand of Tuscany"
- 2nd Battalion of the 2nd Reserve Inf. Regiment
Inscriptions
Inscriptions on the edge of the sarcophagus lid:
- THE VICTIMS OF WAR AND VIOLENCE
- THE MEMORY OF THE VICTIM OF HER SONS IN THE WORLD WAR 1914–18 THE CITY OF LANDSHUT
- The grieving, to the comfort of the expensive ashes, will never be forgotten
Inscription on the south side:
- THE NAMES OF THE 647 SONS OF THE CITY
- TOO MUCH TO BE VISIBLE TO WEAR
- ENCLOSES THIS TIME
- MORE TRUE THAN THE STONE, SHE KEEPS LOVE
- YOUR PEOPLE
- FURTHER, MOVED FROM OUR TOWN TO THE GREAT
- WORLD WAR
- THE 2ND HEAVY RIDING REGIMENT
- THE 1ST BA [ttail] ON OF THE 16TH INFANTRY REGIMENT
- THE 2. BA [ttail] ON OF THE 2. RESERVE INF. REGIMENTS
- THEY LEAVED 2091 HEROES IN VICTORY AND GLORIOUS BATTLES ON UNCOUNTED BATTLEFIELDS
Inscription on the west side:
- Design v. W. Lechner sculptor Oberammergau 1928
literature
- Hans Bleibrunner: From 1790 to 1990. Landshut: Departure to the present. Two centuries of city history in words and pictures. Landshut 1991.
- Helmut Kronthaler: Traces of Remembrance. Landshut war memorials and memorials for the victims of the two world wars. In: Franz Niehoff: Sculpture City Landshut. The city as a stage for images. (= Writings from the museums of the city of Landshut. 31). Landshut 2012, ISBN 978-3-942626-01-9 , pp. 471-487, here pp. 483-486.
- Volker Liedke: City of Landshut. Ensembles of architectural monuments. Archaeological site monuments. (= Monuments in Bavaria. Volume II.24). Munich / Zurich 1988, ISBN 3-7954-1002-9 .
- Georg Spitzlberger: The war memorials in the city and district of Landshut. Landshut 2000, ISBN 3-924728-64-X .
Individual evidence
- ↑ See inscription on the monument.
- ↑ Quoted from Kronthaler 2012, p. 351.
- ↑ See Kronthaler 2012, p. 383.
- ↑ Premiere in Neustadt: Memorial ceremony for the first day of national mourning at the war memorial ( Memento of the original from January 18, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , accessed December 8, 2015.
Coordinates: 48 ° 32 ′ 6.7 ″ N , 12 ° 9 ′ 14 ″ E