War memorial at the Lyceum
The war memorial at the Lyceum in Kempten (Allgäu) commemorates the fallen soldiers of Kempten in the Franco-German War from 1870 to 1871. The bronze figure was designed by Syrius Eberle ; First made in an unfavorable alloy, it was later cast from bronze . The monument was unveiled on November 21, 1890. Shortly before the end of World War II , the bronze statue was melted down for metal extraction.
At the former location of the war memorial is the central bus transfer point, abbreviated to ZUM , of the Kempten transport association .
history
After the Franco-Prussian War , 15 warriors returned, so that in May 1876 Adolf Leichtle called for a memorial to be erected in memory of the fallen. Leichtle also had to thank Syrius Eberle for participating artistically in this project. On November 21, 1890, the first war memorial was unveiled. It was cast by the Kunst-Zinkgießerei Munich as a bronzed zinc casting.
In July 1897, Adolf Leichtle suggested that the monument, damaged by a hailstorm, be cast in bronze. The strength of the new zinc alloys that had been hoped for up to that point turned out to be not resistant to aging. Repairs broke no permanent improvement in the situation. In the spring of 1904, the Renaissance ore foundry and the city signed a contract for a refill. The sculptor Georg Wrba , a student of Eberle, restored the original plaster model and was entrusted with the artistic supervision. The stone plinth was built by the stonemason company Zwisler & Baumeister, known from the town hall fountain . The old zinc casting was sold as scrap metal.
The bronze monument was erected at Christmas 1904. The lyceum was rebuilt in the 1920s according to the plans of the city planner Theodor Fischer and the facade was redesigned. Since the First World War was over and the population demanded a memorial for the fallen, Mayor Otto Merkt turned to Fischer in 1927 . After conflicts of interest from different groups (association for disabled people, National Socialists, military associations), Merkt implemented Fischer's proposal and had Joseph Hengge designed an appealing fresco painting on the facade of the lyceum. On July 30, 1933, the martial portrayal relating to those who died in World War I was officially unveiled. However, this background display weathered quickly. Merkt declined to renew the work of art as a mosaic . From 1933, the site around the memorial was used by National Socialists for gatherings, parades and honors.
In 1940 preparations were initiated by the Ministry of the Interior to enable so-called metal donations for war purposes . By submitting a submission to the Reich Office for Metals on July 24, 1942, Merkt managed to temporarily refrain from delivery by decree of August 17, 1942. In July 1942, Merkt was released. His successor was Anton Brändle , he contacted the Reichsstelle für Metle in a letter dated March 15, 1943 and asked that the monument be melted down so that it could be delivered as a metal donation. On August 24, 1943, the sculpture with the bronze plaques was removed and melted down in a bell foundry in Kempten. The bronze group weighed 2540 kg, the four panels 235.5 kg.
After the Second World War , only the stone plinth was left, and in October 1946, City Planning Officer Röhrle wrote to the Allied control authorities that the population generally regretted the destruction of the monument.
description
In front of the lyceum on the edge of the city park , two bronze figures stood on a stone pedestal with an inscription plaque, surrounded by weapons and standards. The larger of the two was an angel of peace, holding a palm of peace in his left hand and a laurel wreath in his right hand; he looked at the figure of a dying soldier at his feet.
On the front of the plinth were the words “In grateful memories of the sons of the city of Kempten who died for the fatherland in the Ruman Wars of 1870 and 1871.” The names of the 15 war dead from Kempten were listed on the other three sides of the plinth.
The monument formed an artistic unit with a fresco volume by Josef Hengge on the lyceum behind it. The painting showed a warlike scene with an inscription across a width of five window axes.
Individual evidence
- ^ Max Förderreuther : Kemptner Heimatbuch. Kempten 1932, p. 101, DNB 573103437
- ↑ Views of the war memorial by Syrius Eberle on six postcards. In: Ingrid Seeger (Ed.): Treasures from the Allgäu local history museum. (= Catalogs and publications of the Kempten museums (Allgäu) 10th volume) ISBN 3-88006-1688 , Kempten 1996, pp. 58–61.
- ↑ Views of the war memorial by Syrius Eberle on six postcards. In: Ingrid Seeger (Ed.): Treasures from the Allgäu local history museum. (= Catalogs and publications of the Kempten museums (Allgäu) 10th volume) ISBN 3-88006-1688 , Kempten 1996, p. 63.
- ↑ a b c Views of the war memorial by Syrius Eberle on six postcards. In: Ingrid Seeger (Ed.): Treasures from the Allgäu local history museum. (= Catalogs and publications of the Kempten museums (Allgäu) 10th volume) ISBN 3-88006-1688 , Kempten 1996, p. 65f.
- ↑ Ralf Lienert: Once a school, today a medical center. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: allin.de, December 30, 2009 (accessed July 9, 2013)
- ^ Martin Kellenberger: City of Kempten. Book of memory. Kempten 1937, pp. 64-66, DNB 574269975
- ↑ Gunther le Maire : In the world of lumberjacks, farmers and high military. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. In: allin.de, October 6, 2007 (accessed July 9, 2013)
Web links
Coordinates: 47 ° 43 ′ 33 " N , 10 ° 18 ′ 49.6" E