Blacksmith of food
The blacksmith of Essen was a war memorial for the purpose of war nailing in the city center of Essen . From 1915 to 1918 it was located on the square between the Hotel Handelshof and Essen Central Station .
history
The wooden monument of the blacksmith in Essen was used for war nailing, which meant that the citizens could hammer in nails or small boards here to collect donations and thereby help victims of the war. This custom had spread en masse from 1915 onwards , coming from Vienna .
War mark
The design for the approximately 3.5 meter tall figure of the blacksmith von Essen comes from the Berlin sculptor Ludwig Nick (1873–1936). The hall surrounding the figure was designed by the architect Edmund Körner in 1915. On June 10, 1915, the then Lord Mayor Wilhelm Holle gave the first idea of the planning .
The inauguration of the blacksmith from Essen took place on July 25, 1915 between the Hotel Handelshof and the northern station forecourt in the center of Essen. Hollestrasse did not yet exist; it was laid out in 1922 as Hansastrasse and was given its current name in 1932. The company of the Mülheim 159s lined up for the ceremony and there were delegations from the war clubs, representatives of the authorities and invited guests, surrounded by a crowd. Miss Maria Weinand spoke the prologue and the men from Essen sang. The architect Edmund Körner was present and Lord Mayor Holle called for the first nailing. After the blacksmith was unveiled and the German national anthem sung, the first nails were hammered in.
The newspapers also wrote about the Essen swordsman , because the man, standing in front of an iron cross and clad in an apron, held the Reichsschild in his left hand and a sword in his right. These two quotes from a speech by Kaiser Wilhelm II were on two plates to the left and right next to the blacksmith:
"We will defend ourselves to the last breath of man and horse."
and
"Germany has never been conquered if it was united."
The coat of arms of the city of Essen and the logo of Friedrich Krupp AG , the three rings, were positioned at the feet of the figure. At that time Krupp was known as the armory of the German Empire. The then company owner Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach and his wife Bertha took over the cost of the entire monument of 12,000 marks . Texts were also attached to the hall surrounding the figure. On the left was a motto from the 19th century, which translates where iron is, where oaks grow, there also grow people who fit in with it :
"Where Isen Ligg Wo Erken Wass't Dao Wass't Auk Lu De Daobi."
On the right was a quote from Goethe's Des Epimenides Awakening :
"Keep your worth together and nobody is alike."
The Essen alderman Ortwin Grevel and the diplomat Julius von Waldthausen also contributed to the costs of nails and postcards .
War nailing
After metal nails were hammered into the wooden figure and the side panels on the first day in 1387, there were later many nailing celebrations by school classes, clubs and companies. Individual citizens were also always welcome. For example, the Rellinghausen district launched its own nail festival on October 31, 1915. Even in the evening, nailing was guaranteed with the help of spotlights from the Hotel Handelshof. On January 9, 1916, the Essen-Ruhr Factory Master’s Association invited to nailing, whereby everyone's appearance was made a so-called duty of honor.
On October 17, 1918, the three-year collection of donations ran out through the nailing. The figure of the blacksmith from Essen, which was still regarded as a symbol of the empire, was no longer welcomed and was put into storage. After setting high goals for donations in 1915, a total of around 356,000 marks, minus all costs, came together over the entire period, which was a failure. The donations were originally supposed to go to war relief, but a large part of it was put into war bonds.
Repositioning in the Grugapark
The figure of the blacksmith from Essen was restored and, after a stopover in the city garden, found a new place in the Grugapark in 1934 . It was set up above the colored terraces together with a light fountain.
Destruction in World War II
During the Second World War , the figure of the blacksmith von Essen fell victim to the effects of the war. It was destroyed together with the entire Grugapark, which received around 500 bomb hits from the Allies . No remains of the figure have survived to this day.
Individual evidence
- ^ Erwin Dickhoff: Essener streets . Ed .: City of Essen - Historical Association for City and Monastery of Essen. Klartext-Verlag, Essen 2015, ISBN 978-3-8375-1231-1 .
- ↑ The Iron Man of Gruga - conversation with the "blacksmith of Essen"; In: Essener Anzeiger, 1934
- ↑ a b c d e Simon Gerich: War nailing blacksmith from Essen stood at the main station; In: Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung of August 10, 2018
- ↑ Kruppsche Mitteilungen, January 1916
Coordinates: 51 ° 27 '8.4 " N , 7 ° 0' 49.5" E