Nordhäuser Roland
The Nordhäuser Roland is a medieval knight statue at the old town hall of Nordhausen , the district town of the district of the same name in Thuringia . The Roland figure is the city's landmark and symbolized imperial freedom from 1220 to 1802.
history
In 1411, Roland was first mentioned in the city's hereditary interest book. According to recent interpretations, it was set up on the occasion of the defense of the city by the citizen opposition against the old authorities . After town fires, it was rebuilt in 1717 from oak and was impressive with a height of 3.20 m . Its creator is not known. He is considered the progenitor of the wooden Rolande of the southern Harz .
The Roland holds a coat of arms with the imperial eagle . It is the symbol of the free imperial city at the time of installation. The Nordhäuser Roland has always represented freedom, power and jurisdiction.
In the Middle Ages, court was held directly in front of the Roland statue , and the city prison was housed in the town hall behind it .
The existence of the Nordhausen landmark is first documented in 1411 by a watermark and an entry in the council book “vom eckhause am steinwege ein ruland ...”. But there are also records of the existence of a Roland from the following centuries, such as B. a request from 1569 to the fire brigade to meet at Roland's.
The city fires of 1710 and 1712 damaged the Roland statue so much that it had to be replaced. The Roland has existed in its current form since 1717. This year is noted on his belt. It is also certain that there must have been quite a few previous models of the Roland, created by the Stolberg master craftsman Wallrodt around 1713 . These assumptions stem from the fact that Nordhausen had already earned high privileges in the Middle Ages.
The statue has been protected by a canopy since the 17th century .
In the air raids on Nordhausen on April 4, 1945, the town hall was destroyed except for the surrounding walls, while the Roland was only slightly damaged. For this reason, the “Roland's Festival” has been celebrated every year since 1955 in honor of the Nordhausen landmark.
In 1992 it turned out that the figure was badly damaged and could no longer be set up in the open air. The original Roland, which is also the oldest surviving wooden roland, was therefore restored in Erfurt in 1993 and then handed over to the Meyenburg Museum in Nordhausen. Since 2000 the original from 1717 has been in the entrance area of the New Town Hall , where it can be viewed by visitors. A copy made of imitation wood ( epoxy resin ) was set up at the old location.
layout
In contrast to the copy, the original Roland is carved out of an oak trunk and only painted very sparingly. The version based on the original shines in strong colors. Not only the bright red coat, but also the gold-yellow crown is an eye-catcher. Roland Nordhausen holds his iron sword in his right hand and his shield in his left . The crowned black eagle depicted on the shield stands out against the yellow background. It is symbolic and stands for the close ties between the city and the emperor . The statue, located on the southwest corner of the town hall, is protected from the weather by a hood-like roof. A once silver pelican and its young are enthroned on this canopy . This pelican, who feeds its young with blood, is a symbol of God's love for man.
Others
Between 1953 and 1959, the local history series Der Nordhäuser Roland was published monthly by the Kulturbund for the Democratic Renewal of Germany, Nordhausen District . The predecessor was the series Der Roland von Nordhausen (1925–1934).
See also
literature
- RH Walther Müller: The Roland zu Nordhausen, its origin and meaning . In: Der Nordhäuser Roland (June 1956 issue) online
Web links
- Nordhäuser Roland on NordhausenWiki
Individual evidence
- ↑ www.nordhausen.de - Stadtgeschichte , accessed October 26, 2018, 9 p.m.
- ↑ Article on Nordhausen Roland on NordhausenWiki. Retrieved April 27, 2016.