Sjømannsmonumentet
The Sjømannsmonumentet is a memorial to the seafarers in the Norwegian city of Bergen .
location
It is located in downtown Bergen, at the north end of Torgallmenningen Square .
history
The first plans to build such a memorial were made as early as 1917. The Bergens Rederiforening and the Bergens Skipperforening intended to build a war memorial for seafarers. Sofus Madsen worked out a draft, but it was rejected. It was then decided not to erect the memorial as a war memorial, but as a general tribute to seafarers. In 1938 an open competition was announced, in which 45 designs were received. The winner was the design by the sculptor Dyre Vaa .
Due to the Second World War , however, it could not initially be realized. The inauguration took place on June 7, 1950 by the Minister of Industry, Lars Evensen . It honors the efforts of Norwegian seafarers. From the location of the monument there is no direct line of sight to the sea or the port, which also provoked criticism. In 1999 a water basin was built around the monument as part of a redesign of the Torgallmenningen.
layout
The monument consists of a seven meter high, massive looking block. On each of the four sides of the block there are two reliefs showing historical events related to seafaring. The block rests on a base surrounded by twelve bronze sculptures, three on each side, depicting seafarers from different times. Vaa used farmers from Telemark as models for the figures . He prepared significantly more figures than were actually needed later. In 1944 there were 25 plaster figures in his studio.
The east side depicts the discovery of America by the Vikings in the 10th century. The reliefs show a sailing Viking ship and a meeting between Vikings and Indians. Another page is dedicated to the 18th century and shows the rediscovery of Greenland from Bergen on the reliefs . One can see Hans Egede , the Inuit preaching the Christian gospel. The sculptures in front of it on the south side show, among other things, a captain giving orders. The west side is dedicated to the 19th century with whaling . On the north side, the 20th century is commemorated and trade trips are shown. The reliefs show a ship in front of a sunrise and a resurrection scene in which an angel awakens a drowned person to eternal life.
literature
- Martin Schmidt, City | Trip Bergen , Reise Know-How Verlag Peter Rump, ISBN 978-3-8317-2659-2 , page 41 f.
Web links
Coordinates: 60 ° 23 '36 " N , 5 ° 19' 28.3" E