Brunswick Monument
The Brunswick Monument is a tomb on the Quai du Mont Blanc in Geneva , which was built by the city of Geneva in 1879 for Duke Charles II of Braunschweig . It is listed as an object of national importance in the Swiss inventory of cultural assets .
history
In 1815, at the age of 16, Duke Karl II became monarch in the sovereign Duchy of Braunschweig created by the Congress of Vienna . As part of his upbringing, he spent two years with his brother in Lausanne in the French-speaking part of Switzerland as early as 1820 .
Due to his lavish lifestyle and political conflicts with the estates, he made himself unpopular with the population and had to leave his country in 1830 as a result of an uprising. With the consent of the other monarchs of the German Confederation , he was replaced as Duke by his brother Wilhelm in 1831 .
Karl fled first to London , then to Paris after an unsuccessful attempt to regain his throne . Charles's relatives tried in various ways in vain to deprive him of the power of disposal over his property, as he used it, among other things, to bring about his return to the Braunschweig throne. Among his contemporaries, Karl was primarily known for his scandal stories and for his extravagant lifestyle. In 1870 Karl moved to Geneva because of the Franco-Prussian War , where he died on August 18, 1873 without direct descendants. In his will, he made the city of Geneva the sole heir, stipulating the erection of a tomb according to his own plans at a prominent location in Geneva. His brother Wilhelm reached an amicable agreement with Geneva on March 6, 1874 on the division of the inheritance, which left the city with a sum of 24 million francs, which today is supposed to correspond to around 1 billion Swiss francs. After some discussions, the tomb was erected in the Jardin des Alpes by the city of Geneva in 1879 and inaugurated on October 14, 1879.
The tomb
Karl had the design of the tomb already recorded in his will: the body was to rest above the ground in a sarcophagus , the top of the tomb was to crown his own equestrian statue , while statues of his ancestors would adorn the base. Marble and bronze should be used as materials. The tombs of the Scaliger family in Verona were named as models. The will does not give an exact location, but contains the wish for a prominent placement in the city.
The tomb was executed by Jean Franel and ultimately cost 2 million francs. With his design he prevailed against Eugène Viollet-le-Duc and Vincenzo Vela , both recognized artists of their time. Franel chose the tomb of Cansignorio della Scala as a model . He had the figure decorations done by various well-known sculptors.
The tomb consists of a three-story hexagonal marble canopy adorned with a Gothic top; it rests on a platform measuring 65 by 25 m and is flanked by two water basins and marble chimeras . The entrance is guarded by two marble lions. On the third floor of the canopy is the sarcophagus with a resting statue of the duke and a relief on the history of Braunschweig. In the corners of the tomb there are six marble statues of famous representatives of the Guelph family .
The equestrian statue of Charles II on the top of the canopy had to be removed in 1890 because it was too heavy for the construction and threatened to fall off. Since then it has been at the northern end of the platform in front of the Beau-Rivage . The tip has been redesigned.
Sculpture jewelry
The eight reliefs on the sarcophagus were made by Charles Iguel . They show various scenes from the history of Braunschweig. The same artist also executed the lying statue of the duke and the four angels that surround him.
The duke's six ancestors, who were placed in the corners of the tomb, were made by different artists who each made two statues:
- Heinrich III, the lion , Duke of Saxony, executed by Alexandre Schoenwerk .
- Otto I, the child , first Duke of Braunschweig and Lüneburg, executed by Alexandre Schoenwerk.
- Ernst I, the confessor , Duke of Braunschweig-Lüneburg, executed by Thomas Millet .
- August the Younger , Duke of Brunswick Lüneburg, executed by Thomas Millet.
- Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand , Prince and Duke of Braunschweig-Wolfenbüttel, grandfather Karl II, executed by Richard Kissling .
- Friedrich Wilhelm , Duke of Braunschweig-Oels, father Karl II, executed by Richard Kissling.
The respective coats of arms of the depicted ancestors are presented to the viewer by six figures that are attached to the top of the tomb above the ancestors.
Jean-Charles Töpffer executed 18 different allegorical heads in medallions that are placed over the entire tomb.
The bronze equestrian statue on top was made by Auguste Cain . It depicts the Duke in uniform, with parts of the uniform being gilded. The hexagonal pedestal is decorated with the figures of the twelve apostles by Joseph-Antoine Custor . The chimeras and the two lions that adorn the platform on which the tomb stands are also by Auguste Cain.
literature
- Julia Becker-Döring: The last Welf - the architectural self-portrayal of Duke Karl II in the Brunswick Monument. Licensed thesis, Friborg 2000.
- Tibor Dénes: Charles II Duc de Brunswick et Genève. Les Presses d'Étienne Baillard, Geneva 1973.
- Louis Viollier: Le Mausolée du duc Charles de Brunswick à Genève et le monument de Vérone . In: Schweizerische Bauzeitung . tape 19/20 , May 7, 1892, doi : 10.5169 / seals-17407 (French).
Individual evidence
- ^ Paul Zimmermann : Karl II., Duke of Braunschweig and Lüneburg . In: Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie (ADB). Volume 15, Duncker & Humblot, Leipzig 1882, pp. 281-285., P. 285.
- ↑ Schweiz Aktuell, SRF, June 2, 2014, srf.ch
