Obelisk on the Lion Wall
The Obelisk - Patriotic Monument on the Löwenwall is a monument on the Löwenwall in Braunschweig , part of the Wallring in the city center district .
It was built in 1823 as a memorial for the wars of liberation against Napoleon I fallen Brunswick Dukes Charles William Ferdinand and Friedrich Wilhelm .
history
Between 1812 and 1820 the ramparts of the city of Braunschweig were redesigned by Peter Joseph Krahe . As part of the Augusttor promenade , a 3.1 hectare square was created, which became the monument square after the monument was erected. In 1904 it was given its current name Löwenwall .
The obelisk was erected as a memorial to the Brunswick dukes Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand (1735–1806) and his son Friedrich Wilhelm (1771–1815). Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand fell as commander in chief of the Prussian army in the battle of Jena and Auerstedt . His son and successor Friedrich Wilhelm, also known as “the Black Duke”, was a legendary hero of the Wars of Liberation with his “ black crowd ”. He fell in the battle of Quatre-Bras .
The initiative to build the memorial came from influential citizens of the city. The obelisk was inaugurated on August 13, 1823. In 1996/97, the monument underwent a comprehensive restoration, financed by the city of Braunschweig and several foundations.
reception
In addition to commemorating and thanking the younger Duke, who liberated Braunschweig from French rule in 1813, the monument was “also intended to 'educate'. The terms 'fatherland' and 'Germany' were aimed at strengthening patriotism and the willingness to make war and sacrifice for national goals. ” Ten years later , Bavaria erected a comparable obelisk for its soldier who died in 1812. In between was the Brunswick popular uprising of 1830 , in which the duke was overthrown and the castle burned down.
Building
The monument, also designed by Krahe, stands in the middle of the square. The obelisk rises on a three-tiered square stone platform on a square, stepped inscription base. The base and obelisk are made of cast iron . The total height of the monument is 22 meters. At the corners of the platform are four cast-iron lions designed by the sculptor Johann Gottfried Schadow .
The parts of the monument were cast by the Princely Braunschweigische Hüttenwerke in Zorge in the Harz Mountains. The shaft consists of four plates with a length of 12.8 meters and a thickness of 25 millimeters. These are 1.4 m wide at the base. The plates were screwed together and inserted into the base with the help of a scaffold. This is decorated with classical gold ornaments and consists of four panels with inscriptions. Tensioning anchors lead from the shaft to a cast iron grate under the platform and give the monument its stability.
Inscriptions
north | west | east | south |
---|---|---|---|
HIS PRINCES
FALLEN |
SANK
BRAUNSCHWEIG 'S WELFE CARL WILHELM FERDINAND
WITH HIM
HIS PEOPLE
'S
HAPPINESS FOR THE BREAK INTO |
THE HOMELAND |
YOUR |
Note: The letters "U" and "Ü" are designed in a V shape. |
Trivia
A fifth lion, supposedly a “substitute figure” for the obelisk, adorns the lion fountain in Braunschweig .
"On Monumentplatz, which was later renamed 'Löwenwall', double rows of old chestnut trees surrounded the oval of the lawns with their fountains and the obelisk in the middle in May with their glowing flower candles, in autumn with golden yellowing."
literature
- Johannes Angel: Löwenwall. In: Luitgard Camerer , Manfred Garzmann , Wolf-Dieter Schuegraf (eds.): Braunschweiger Stadtlexikon . Joh. Heinr. Meyer Verlag, Braunschweig 1992, ISBN 3-926701-14-5 , p. 147 .
- Association of German Architects (Braunschweig district group): Braunschweig. Architecture 19. – 20. Century. Self-published by BDA, Braunschweig 1985, ISBN 3-9801122-0-9 , No. 3.
- Georg Dehio : Handbook of the German art monuments : Bremen Lower Saxony. Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich 1977, ISBN 3-422-03022-0 , p. 194.
- Reinhard Dorn : Peter Joseph Krahe. Volume 3: Buildings and projects in the Kingdom of Westphalia and the Duchy of Braunschweig 1808–1837. Edited by Elisabeth Spitzbart. Deutscher Kunstverlag, Munich / Berlin 1999, ISBN 3-422-06189-4 , pp. 166–167.
- Building Department of the City of Braunschweig (Ed.): Conservation and restoration of the monument on the Löwenwall in Braunschweig. Preliminary damage report. Braunschweig 1996.
- Jürgen Hodemacher : Löwenwall. In: Braunschweig's streets - their names and their stories. Volume 1: Inner City. Elm-Verlag, Cremlingen 1995, ISBN 3-927060-11-9 , pp. 212-213.
- Cecilie Hollberg (Ed.): Peter Joseph Krahe. An architect around 1800. Exhibition catalog, Städtisches Museum Braunschweig, Braunschweig 2015, ISBN 978-3-927288-38-6 , pp. 114–117.
- Wolfgang Kimpflinger: Monument topography Federal Republic of Germany . Architectural monuments in Lower Saxony. Volume 1.1 .: City of Braunschweig , Part 1, Hameln 1993, ISBN 3-87585-252-4 , p. 222 f.
- Simon Paulus, Ulrich Knufinke: The Braunschweiger Wallring. Guide to the history and architecture of a cultural and historical monument , with photographs by Heinz Kudalla, Appelhans Verlag, Braunschweig 2011, ISBN 978-3-941737-59-4 , pp. 135-136.
- Gerd Spies (Ed.): The Braunschweiger Löwenwall. In: Braunschweiger workpieces. City of Braunschweig, Braunschweig 1997, ISBN 3-927288-28-4 . (Publications from the Municipal Museum, Series B, Volume 98.)
- Words spoken at the unveiling of the patriotic monument on August 13th. Meyer Braunschweig 1823, OCLC 685189649 .
Web links
- braunschweig.de: Obelisk - Patriotic monument on the Löwenwall.
Footnotes
Coordinates: 52 ° 15 ′ 35 ″ N , 10 ° 31 ′ 51 ″ E