War memorial in the Hofgarten (Düsseldorf)
The war memorial in the Hofgarten in the center of Düsseldorf stands on the land crown , the landscaped remainder of the former city fortifications in the Hofgarten . The memorial was created by Karl Hilgers (1844–1925) after he had won an artist's competition with his design "Vaterstadt", which had been announced by the "Committee for the erection of a war memorial". The monument was inaugurated on October 18, 1892. It is dedicated to fallen soldiers from Düsseldorf in the German Wars of Unification (1864–66) and the Franco-German War (1870/71).
description
The classicistic memorial stands on a pedestal in the shape of an exedra , the semicircle of which surrounds a parapet. The complex consists of white marble from Lasa . In the middle of the scene, the figure of a naked young warrior rests on a sarcophagus in a semi-recumbent position . His abdomen is covered by a few branches of laurel , which the dying person holds in his left hand. There is an antique short sword in the young man's right hand . At his feet is a warrior helmet with a plume. A stab wound can be seen in the right chest. In front of the sarcophagus sits a lion , the heraldic animal of the city of Düsseldorf and a symbolic attribute of courage and strength. The sarcophagus shows an iron cross with the letter "W" and a crown on the front, and the imperial eagle of the German Empire on the back . The sides are provided with the coat of arms of the city of Düsseldorf. Verses by Hermann Sudermann can be read on the base:
"GLORY WARD ENOUGH THE WINNER AND JAUGHTERS AND GREENING LAURELS,
THRAENES, WED BY MOTHERS, CREATED THIS STONE IMAGE."
On the back it says:
"THIS MONUMENT DEDICATES THE GRATEFUL CITY OF DUESSELDORF TO YOUR BELOVED SONS WHO DIED THE HEROIC DEATH IN THE VICTORY YEARS 1864-66-70-71."
The monument was restored in 2007. Missing stones were added, the joints revised, the lettering gilded and finally graffiti protection applied.
literature
- Architects and Engineers Association of Düsseldorf (ed.): Düsseldorf and its buildings. L. Schwann, Düsseldorf 1904, p. 73, [Fig. 46].
Web links
Coordinates: 51 ° 13 ′ 39.2 ″ N , 6 ° 46 ′ 47.4 ″ E