Upper Lusatian memorial hall
The Upper Lusatian Memorial Hall (often also: Upper Lusatian Hall of Fame ) was built at the beginning of the 20th century as the Upper Lusatian Memorial Hall with the Kaiser Friedrich Museum on the right side of the Neisse in Görlitz . It is an important monumental building from the Wilhelmine era . Today it functions as the cultural center of the city of Zgorzelec ( Miejski Dom Kultury w Zgorzelcu ).
Emergence
The proposals to build a hall of fame in honor of the two Emperors Wilhelm I and Friedrich III. go back to the year of their death, the three emperor year 1888. Initially, the proponents, first and foremost Mayor Johannes Heyne, were unable to assert their idea. Priority was given to erecting an imperial monument by the sculptor Johannes Pfuhl (unveiled in 1893). However, a committee for the Hall of Fame remained active. After a lottery held in 1891/92 and a large number of donations, 400,000 marks were available in 1893 . But it was not until 1897 that an architectural competition was announced for which 47 designs were received. On October 6, 1897, the decision was made in favor of Hugo Behr's design, which was entirely in keeping with the zeitgeist of the years . The construction phase began when he was transferred to Görlitz in January 1898. The topping-out ceremony was held on August 25, 1900. The construction costs amounted to 527,600 marks plus 224,600 marks for the purchase of the statues and busts.
The ceremonial opening took place by Kaiser Wilhelm II on November 28, 1902. The museum was opened to the public on June 1, 1904 as the Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum in Görlitz.
Structural details
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The approximately 42 meter high dome with a gilded imperial crown was modeled on that of the Berlin Reichstag building .
The two groups of figures "War" and "Peace" on the outer facade were created by Hugo Lederer from Berlin . The reliefs "Horrors of War" and "Blessings of Peace" above come from the sculptor Reinhard Schnauder from Dresden as well as the figure frieze in between "North and South Germany pay homage to Germania", the gable field, the Victoria above the gable, the groups " Art ”and“ History ”on the side.
Through a vestibule adorned with coats of arms one entered the actual hall of fame with a clear height of about 21 meters. The double statue of the emperor, modeled by Johannes Pfuhl , stood above the main staircase . In front of the pillars that support the gallery were six busts of Hermes of the federal princes involved in the creation of German unity
- King John of Saxony (by Reinhard Schnauder )
- King Albert of Saxony (by Reinhard Schnauder)
- King Ludwig II of Bavaria (by Alexander Calandrelli )
- King Karl of Württemberg (by Karl Donndorf )
- Grand Duke Friedrich of Baden (by Hermann Volz )
- Grand Duke Friedrich Franz II of Mecklenburg (by Ludwig Brunow )
Opposite the statue of the emperor stood those of the “Reichereiniger” Bismarck , Moltke and Roon , all modeled by Harro Magnussen .
use
The museum was closed during the Second World War . After the end of the war, Polish soldiers stole the statues. Since 1948, the building has been used as Dom Kultury (culture house) for a wide variety of events and forms the cultural landmark of the Polish city of Zgorzelec, which was founded in 1945. In 1950 the Görlitz Agreement on the course of the German-Polish border on the Oder and Neisse between the German Democratic Republic and the People's Republic of Poland was signed here. A plaque at the main entrance reminds of this.
Exhibitions, theater performances and music concerts are held in the building. It houses the “POZA” discussion cinema and an open-air stage is located in the immediate vicinity in a large park.
The councils of the twin cities of Görlitz and Zgorzelec have held joint city council meetings in the museum since 2000 . The house of culture is currently being renovated and is closed to visitors.
Further information
guides
- Guided tours in Polish on Saturdays
- Guided tours in German on Sundays
gallery
Stairwell
The memorial hall
condition until 1945
The statue of two emperors by the sculptor Johannes Pfuhl
Stairwell
Dome window
Open air theater
literature
- Ines Anders: The Upper Lusatian Memorial Hall with the Kaiser Friedrich Museum. A contribution to the history and self-image of the municipal art collections. In: Görlitzer Magazin. Volume 6, 1992, pp. 1-36, and Volume 7, 1993, pp. 56-62.
- Andreas Bednarek: The Hall of Fame - patriotic, noble and beautiful. A contribution to the building history of the Oberlausitz memorial hall in Görlitz. In: Görlitzer Magazin. Volume 6, 1992.
- Schlesisches Museum zu Görlitz, Kulturhistorisches Museum Görlitz, Miejski Dom Kultury Zgorzelec (ed.): Under the green dome. podzieloną kopułą . Verlag Gunter Oettel, Görlitz-Zittau 2004, ISBN 3-932693-88-4 .
Web links
- Miejski Dom Kultury (currently only in Polish)
Coordinates: 51 ° 8 ′ 49.5 ″ N , 15 ° 0 ′ 8.8 ″ E