Knight Dutschmann

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Knight Dutschmann
The fountain with the statue

The knight Dutschmann is a statue on a fountain that stands on the main market between the town hall and the Gewandhaus in Bautzen . In his right hand he holds a flag, in his left he carries a shield with the Budissin coat of arms .

Building history

The statue is the work of the Dresden sculptor Christoph Walther II . By 1855 the statue was already on another fountain in the same place. The old well was demolished as a "traffic obstacle" and only rebuilt in 1985. In the meantime, the statue has found a place on a pedestal on the south facade of the town hall since 1864.

meaning

  • The "Ritter Dutschmann" is probably a kind of Bautzen Roland .
  • An old legend tells of a Wendish prince named Dutschmann, who was a riding artist. He is said to have jumped over various obstacles with his black stallion and one day bragged about his skills to other riders in a tavern ( Kretscham ) in Bautzen. Excited by the disbelief and ridicule of his listeners, Dutschmann announced that he would jump over the fountain on Bautzen's market square the next morning. This announcement quickly made the rounds and the next morning many Germans and Wends stood in the market to attend the event. At the first attempt to jump, the horse shied away from the fountain and Dutschmann was exposed to the scorn of the audience. He then made a second attempt and made a giant leap with his horse. The audience was impressed and Dutschmann suddenly disappeared. There was then disagreement as to whether the jump was successful. As a result, some were convinced that he had disappeared in the depths of the well and drowned. Others spoke of such a big jump that Dutschmann jumped his horse into the next alley. Because of this event, the residents of Bautzen erected a memorial to him at the fountain.
  • According to other fabulous reports, the name Dutschmann is derived from the Saxon word Ditschen, based on the disappearance in the fountain, which means something like to immerse (here: in the fountain).
  • Other sources speak of a Roman warrior or
  • of the hero named Roland , who victoriously fought the heathen and Wends in the time of Charlemagne .

Sources and Notes

  1. ^ A b Johann Georg Theodor Grasse: The treasure of legends of the Kingdom of Saxony , 1855, No. 618 Der Dutschmann zu Budissin. P. 459f .; mwN. ( Digitized in the Google book search); Transcription of the version of the second edition on Wikisource.
  2. ↑ a b c Der Dutschmann in Budissin , Bautzener Sagen, Verlag Johannes Vieweg, Leipzig 24, page 4.

literature

Coordinates: 51 ° 10 ′ 52.7 "  N , 14 ° 25 ′ 26.3"  E