State Fire Brigade Memorial Baden-Württemberg
The state fire brigade memorial Baden-Württemberg in Achern ( Ortenaukreis in Baden-Württemberg ) is a memorial to the memory of the fire brigade members killed in the war and in the exercise of the service and was built in 1936.
description
The state fire brigade memorial stands on the "Hohbühl", a hill in the southern area of the large district town of Achern, which was still called "Hindenburghöhe" at the time the monument was erected.
It was made by the Karlsruhe sculptor Karl Dietrich (1883–1954) based on a design by the architect Franz Sales Kuhn (1864–1938) from Heidelberg. Sculptor Dietrich made, among other things, the memorial for the war dead of the First World War in the Higher Regional Court of Karlsruhe in 1928 .
A 13-meter-high obelisk made of Bühlertal granite rises above a flight of stairs , on which the coats of arms of the eleven Baden districts of Constance , Villingen , Waldshut , Lörrach , Freiburg , Offenburg , Baden-Baden , Karlsruhe , Mannheim , Heidelberg and Mosbach according to the administrative structure in the year 1924 are shown.
The top of the obelisk forms a stylized blazing flame.
On the pedestal stands a 3.70 m high granite fireman who pours water from a bucket over a burning house - based on the well-known depictions of St. Florian .
A plaque that was put up after the renovation of the memorial in 1986 indicates its current importance as a memorial to the fire fighters in Baden-Württemberg who lost their lives in the service of their neighbors. The inscription "Those who gave their lives for us live forever" is attached to a stone tablet underneath .
Inscriptions
Base front:
- THIS HONORARY HAS BEEN RENOVATED IN 1986.
- IT SHOULD IN HONOR THAT FIREFIGHTER
- COMPANIES OF OUR HOME COUNTRY
- BADEN-WÜRTTEMBERG
- STANDING IN THE SERVICE OF YOUR LIFE
- LOST THE NEXT.
- THAT YOUR LIFE
- GIVES FOR US
- LIFE FOREVER
- (In 1936 the national socialist badge (imperial eagle with outspread wings and swastika) was attached to the base)
- THE BADIAN FIRE BRIGADE
Base back:
- BUILT 1936
Notice board at the monument
Wording of the notice board that is placed in front of the memorial:
- Fire Department Memorial
- On October 11, 1936, on the Hohbühl (former name: Hindenburghöhe ) the monument of the Baden fire brigades was inaugurated for firefighters who fell in World War I 1914/18 and those who died while performing their fire service.
history
The idea of creating a worthy memorial to the comrade who had died - back then in World War I - "as an honorable and grateful commemoration", arose in Achern as early as 1929, as a letter from the tourist office to the regional association of Baden fire brigades shows. But it took a few more years to come to fruition.
The decision to erect the monument in Achern was finally taken at the 32nd Baden State Fire Brigade Day in Villingen on August 31 and September 1, 1935.
With the construction of the monument in 1936, a long-cherished wish came true - financed by donations from the Baden fire brigades: 30 pfennigs had to be paid for every active firefighter in the state of Baden . When the money collected wasn't enough, a further 10 pfennigs per man were later asked for.
Josef Knapp, the former fire brigade commander of the city of Achern, was the construction manager for the construction of the facility . On the day of the inauguration, he received the highest award from the Baden State Fire Brigade Association for his achievements : the Cross of Honor on the Blue Band - at the same time the last civilian award of the fire brigades before the synchronization , which led to them being assigned to the fire police.
Later it was Ludwig Hehn (1895–1977) from Achern (hotelier and commander of the Achern fire brigade, state fire chief, chairman of the Baden Fire Brigade Association) who looked after the maintenance and preservation of the memorial. In the run-up to the construction, as a representative of the fire brigade association, he had negotiated with the city of Achern about the property on which it was later built.
While the idea of erecting such a monument originated during the Weimar Republic , its construction and completion fell during the Nazi era . The memorial to commemorate the fire brigade members killed in the war and while exercising their service to others was inaugurated on October 11, 1936 with a large ceremony attended by 5,600 firefighters from all over Baden (which, incidentally, roughly corresponded to the population of Achern at the time).
After an appeal by the firefighters on the Rennwiese in Achern, a star march was formed through the city to the memorial, where the guests' speeches at the inauguration took place. On this occasion, a fire fighting group from the Achern fire brigade was honored, which had taken first place in the Baden competitions of the volunteer fire brigades in Villingen in 1935.
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the inauguration, the state fire brigade memorial was renovated in 1986. A ceremony was held dedicated to peace between the peoples of Europe.
Since the preparations for the 75th anniversary of the inauguration, the city's youth fire brigade has made it its task to look after the maintenance and preservation of the monument complex. In September 2011, this anniversary was honored with a ceremony in memory of the deceased firefighters. The preparations for these celebrations, including the research into its history, gave the fire brigade in Achern the impetus to bring the fire brigade memorial back to mind. The commander emphasized in his address: "We mustn't lose sight of the memorial anymore".
swell
- Badische Feuerwehr-Zeitung, issues from October 1st and 15th, 1936.
- Badischer Feuerwehrverband (Ed.): Hundred Years of Badischer Feuerwehrverband 1863–1963. Villingen 1963.
- Fire service journal Brandhilfe, issues 11/1986 and 8/2011.
- Daily newspaper Acher and Bühler Bote from June 27, 2011 and September 12, 2011.
- Daily newspaper Acher-Rench-Zeitung from September 12, 2011.
- Leaflet "Landes-Feuerwehr-Ehrenmal Achern" (2012)
- Records from the archives of the city of Achern and the Achern fire brigade.
literature
- Badischer Feuerwehrverband (Ed.): Hundred Years of Badischer Feuerwehrverband 1863–1963. Villingen 1963.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Fire service magazine Brandhilfe, edition 8/2011.
- ^ Badische Feuerwehr-Zeitung of October 15, 1936.
- ^ Badische Feuerwehr-Zeitung from September 15, 1935.
- ↑ Fire service journal Brandhilfe, edition 11/1986.
- ↑ "Fire and Flame for Use at the Memorial" In: Acher and Bühler Bote from June 27, 2011.
- ↑ Daily newspaper Acher and Bühler Bote from September 12, 2011.
- ↑ Flyer for a memorial In: baden online, December 6, 2012.
Coordinates: 48 ° 37 ′ 28.8 ″ N , 8 ° 3 ′ 30 ″ E