Equestrian statue of the Great Elector

Equestrian statue of the Great Elector in the courtyard of Charlottenburg Palace

The equestrian statue of the Great Elector in Berlin is reminiscent of the Brandenburg Elector Friedrich Wilhelm and is one of the most important works of baroque sculpture . Begun in 1696 by Andreas Schlueter and cast in bronze by Johann Jacobi in 1700 , it was built in 1703 on the Long Bridge at the Berlin Palace . After being relocated during the Second World War , it was reorganized in 1952 in the courtyard of Charlottenburg Palace . In connection with the reconstruction of the Berlin Palace as a Humboldt Forum , the return of the monument to its original location is discussed.

description

The equestrian statue of the Great Elector is a large bronze going back to the equestrian statue of Mark Aurel . It has a height of 5.60 meters , of which 2.90 m is accounted for by the bronze figure and 2.70 m by the pedestal . The illustration depicts the Great Elector sitting on his striding horse in half Roman clothing , half in keeping with the taste of his time . He wears plate armor in front of his chest and an allonge wig on his head . His right hand holds a command baton , his left hand the reins . In contrast to the grandeur of the elector, there are the four slaves at the corners of the base, from which a strong unrest emanates. They represent the enemies fought and defeated by the Great Elector . According to another interpretation, the slaves represent the Pomeranian Baltic cities conquered by Sweden in the Northern War from 1674 to 1679 .

The equestrian statue of the Great Elector is a major work of Baroque sculpture and can be regarded as one of the most outstanding sculptural works in the world.

history

Equestrian statue on the Kurfürstenbrücke , behind it the castle and the cathedral

Equestrian statue of the Great Elector at the original location, behind the New Marstall

Copy of the bronze sculpture on the original marble plinth in the entrance hall of the Bode Museum

The new construction of the Long Bridge over the Spree in the immediate vicinity of the Berlin Palace, which began in 1692 with the laying of the foundation stone and was completed in 1694, offered Elector Friedrich III. , Son of the Great Elector and later as Frederick I, first Prussian King , the opportunity to erect a memorial to his father.

The bridge was planned by the architect Johann Arnold Nering in such a way that the middle bridge yoke was extended upstream. This made it possible to gain additional space as a stand for the equestrian statue.

With the execution of the sculptural group was Andreas Schlüter commissioned. The cast began Johann Jacobi on 22 October 1700. On 12 July 1703 the birthday I. Frederick , which was bronze sculpture of the Great Elector revealed. Schlüter was still working on the four slaves as corner figures of the base in 1706 and Jacobi was still busy with the casting in 1708.

Schlüter depicted the Great Elector with his eyes raised to the castle . Axis references existed not only with the castle, but also with the old cathedral and old stables . After the Kurfürstenbrücke replaced the Lange Brücke, the Great Elector stayed at his location.

During the Second World War , the sculpture was lifted from its pedestal in 1943 because of the increasing air raids by the Allies on Berlin and transported to the port of Ketzin / Havel on a board . On the way back, it reached the Borsighafen in Berlin-Tegel in January 1946 . When it was to be transported to its old location in the winter of 1947/48 in view of the imminent restoration of the Kurfürstenbrücke, it sank together with the four slave sculptures in Tegeler See , where it remained in the half-deep water until it was salvaged in November 1949. While the Noack bronze picture foundry was restoring the sculptures, Berlin had been divided. In September 1950 the Socialist Unity Party of Germany (SED) had the rebuildable castle blown up in East Berlin , thereby eliminating not only the baroque urban situation in the center of Berlin, but also Schlüter's main architectural work. For the West Berlin Senate, it was not possible to transfer the monument to the eastern sector.

In December 1950 he decided to temporarily erect the equestrian statue of the Great Elector on the occasion of the German Art History Conference in August 1951 in the courtyard of Charlottenburg Palace . Thanks to Margarete Kühn's efforts in the reconstruction of Charlottenburg Palace, the monument has been on display at its current location since July 1952 on a replica of the original marble plinth. This has been in the large domed hall of the Bode Museum since 1904 , where it carries a galvanoplastic copy of the equestrian statue in its original size .

The equestrian statue of the Great Elector was depicted on the stamp with a face value of 1 Deutsche Mark in the 1956 stamp year . In the postage stamp year 1967 the head could be seen on the stamp for 20 Pfennig .

Location discussion

In connection with the reconstruction of the Berlin Palace , there is a discussion about returning the equestrian statue of the Great Elector to its original location. This is advocated by the International Expert Commission on Historic Center Berlin, the historian Götz Aly , the associations Bürgerforum Berlin, Berliner Historische Mitte and Gesellschaft Historisches Berlin as well as the CDU Berlin .

Several art historians criticize the current location of the monument in front of Charlottenburg Palace. The "simple architecture of the summer palace" forms "hardly an adequate background for the important Baroque masterpiece" and "also does not agree with the importance of the palace within the electoral and royal representation".

A reconstruction plan by Richard Ermisch from 1946, which was not carried out, provided for the equestrian statue of the Great Elector to be re-erected on the eastern edge of the palace square .

literature

• Hans-Ulrich Kessler: The equestrian monument of the great elector . In: Hans-Ulrich Kessler (Ed.): Andreas Schlueter and the baroque Berlin. For the sculpture collection and the Museum of Byzantine Art - National Museums in Berlin . [Published on the occasion of the exhibition Schloss-Bau-Meister. Andreas Schlueter and baroque Berlin from April 4, 2014 to July 13, 2014, Bode-Museum, Sculpture Collection and Museum for Byzantine Art] Hirmer, Munich 2014, ISBN 978-3-7774-2199-5 , pp. 222-257.

Web links

Commons : Equestrian statue of the Great Elector  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Equestrian statue of the Great Elector in the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district office
• Equestrian statue of the Great Elector (PDF) Gesellschaft Berliner Schloss eV
• Entry in the Berlin State Monument List with further information

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Gesellschaft Berliner Schloss eV: Equestrian statue of the Great Elector (PDF). Retrieved May 1, 2016 . 
2. ^ Förderverein Berliner Schloss eV: Equestrian statue of the Great Elector. Retrieved May 1, 2016 . 
3. ↑ ^{a b c} District Office Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf: Equestrian statue of the Great Elector. Retrieved May 1, 2016 . 
4. ^ Final report of the International Commission of Experts on the Historic Center of Berlin, p. 18
5. ↑ https://www.berliner-zeitung.de/politik/meinung/kolumne-von-goetz-aly-der-grosse-kurfuerst-gehoert-zum-schloss--23831142
6. ↑ http://planungsgruppe-stadtkern.de/charta/
7. ↑ https://www.welt.de/regionales/berlin/article1425239/Buerger-wollen-Mitssprache-bei-Berliner-Mitte.html
8. ↑ https://www.ghb-online.de/13-static-content/allgemein/271-wie-viel-moderne-brauchen-wir-vor-dem-schloss.html
9. ^ Strong Berlin - The government program of the CDU Berlin 2016–2021. P. 45
10. ↑ https://bildhauerei-in-berlin.de/bildwerk/reiterstandbild-des-grossen-kurfuersten/
11. ↑ https://architekturmuseum.ub.tu-berlin.de/P/84639.php

Coordinates: 52 ° 31 ′ 13.9 ″  N , 13 ° 17 ′ 44.7 ″  E