Lion of Aspern

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The Aspern Lion
Detail view of the head
Rear view, signature of Fernkorn

The Lion of Aspern is a by Anton Dominik Fernkorn created war memorial , which in 1858 at Aspern (now a Hero's Square district of Vienna , 22. district of Vienna Danube city was) built. The sculpture is made of sandstone and commemorates the Austrian soldiers who died in the battle of Aspern .

history

The Battle of Aspern

On May 21 and 22, 1809, the battle of Aspern and Eßling took place at the gates of Vienna , a battle of the Fifth Coalition War between Napoleonic troops and Austrians under the command of Archduke Karl . After tough fighting, the village of Aspern, located in Marchfeld, was supposed to change hands during the battle. Ultimately, however, the Austrians succeeded in asserting themselves, especially FML Johann von Hiller , the commander of the VI. Army Corps. In this battle Napoleon Bonaparte was defeated for the first time in an open field battle, whereby his aura of invincibility was gone. In the battle the Austrians recorded 23,300 casualties, the French around 27,000, which was unusually high for the time, making this encounter the most lossy for both parties in the course of the coalition wars.

Planning and description

Article in The Gazebo (1858)

The order to erect a memorial in memory of those who died in the Battle of Aspern was only given by Archduke Albrecht in 1850, decades after the battle , to commemorate the merits of his father. The location in front of the St. Martins Church in Aspern was chosen , as this building and the square in front of it was in the center of the battle. The sculpture was created by the sculptor and sculptor Anton Dominik Fernkorn, who was already well known and famous during his lifetime and was a central master of historicism . He has dealt with the monument since 1855. After various designs in which the lying lion only appears as a secondary figure, Fernkorn finally came up with the monumental version of a mighty, prostrate, dying animal, with the lion as a warlike symbol, especially since the end of the 18th century Century enjoyed great popularity and was often used in the classicist tomb sculpture . Fernkorn made numerous studies from nature for his model in Schönbrunn Zoo .

Fernkorn created a larger than life sculpture of a lying, dying lion on a stone plinth with a garland of oak leaves on a stone foundation . Between the front paws there is a Napoleonic eagle , under the body an imperial cloak , on the left side of the body are field symbols . The lion is pierced by a lance, the tip of which protrudes behind the animal's left shoulder blade, below the mane. The sculptors Zengler and J. Beyer were responsible for the execution in sandstone.

Victory on this monument is only hinted at by the trophies that almost disappear under the lion's huge paw. The agony and mourning form the central content of the monument. The figure of the lion pierced by a lance, especially the almost human-looking animal face with its cramped physiognomy , is of a generous realism.

The memorial was ceremonially unveiled on May 22, 1858 on the occasion of the forty-nine year anniversary of the Battle of Aspern. The base bears the following inscriptions: “A. FERNKORN fecit. Vienna 1858 "and" In memory of the Austrian warriors who fell gloriously on May 21 and 22, 1809. "

Others

  • A model of the Aspern Lion, made by Fernkorn himself, is in the permanent exhibition of the Army History Museum in Vienna. In the original model of the monument made of patinated plaster, every detail of the monumental stone sculpture is precisely formed.
  • Contrary to popular belief, the dying lion does not symbolize the person of Napoleon Bonaparte, who lost the battle. Its heraldic animal was not the lion, but the eagle.
  • In order to protect the sensitive sandstone from the weather and snow, a wooden hut is built over the monument every year before the onset of winter, which is then dismantled in the spring. For the interested public, who do not know anything about these circumstances and are looking for the memorial, a poster with a picture of the memorial will be attached to the wooden hut as a replacement.

reception

Several companies in the region have named themselves after the sculpture. B. the pharmacy zum Löwen von Aspern , the Hotel Asperner Löwe and the Heurigenlokal Zum Löwen von Aspern . Youth organizations such as the scout group 22 Löwe von Aspern or the children's group Kleine Löwen von Aspern have also given themselves this name.

Web links

Commons : Lion of Aspern  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Johannes Holba: Lion of Aspern. In: aspern.at. Accessed July 30, 2020 .
  2. ^ A b Heeresgeschichtliches Museum (Ed.): The Heeresgeschichtliches Museum in Vienna. Vienna / Graz 1960, p. 45.
  3. ^ Claudia Reichl-Ham: The year 1809 as reflected in the objects of the Heeresgeschichtliches Museum , in: Viribus Unitis. Annual report 2009 of the Army History Museum. Vienna 2010, p. 88 f.
  4. ^ Wiener Zeitung of May 30, 1858.
  5. ↑ Ilse Krumpöck: The images in the Army History Museum. Vienna 2004, p. 42 f.

Coordinates: 48 ° 13 '4.9 "  N , 16 ° 28" 59.8 "  E