Waterloo Monument
The Waterloo monument on Luisenplatz in Wiesbaden commemorates the soldiers of the Ducal Nassau Army who died in the Battle of Waterloo in 1814 .
Historical background
Since 1806, the Duchy of Nassau had stood on Napoleon's side as part of the Rhine Confederation . Only after the Battle of the Nations near Leipzig in 1813 did Nassau change sides and henceforth fought in the alliance against France in the Wars of Liberation . In the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, the ducal troops fought in the Anglo-Dutch army. In this battle, 887 Nassau soldiers lost their lives. The Waterloo Medal was donated for the survivors .
Veteran's associations were formed soon after the Napoleonic Wars, particularly in the areas on the left bank of the Rhine. They had erected monuments in many places to commemorate their fallen comrades. No such clubs were formed in Nassau. In 1863 a wave of enthusiasm for memories of the Wars of Liberation swept through Germany. The occasion was the 50th anniversary of the Leipzig Battle of the Nations. In Nassau this met with little response. The background was Nassau's participation in the battle on the "wrong" side, namely the French. It was different two years later at the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo.
Erecting the monument
The Wiesbadener Beautification Association took the initiative and suggested a monument in the state capital. This idea was taken up and supported by the military leadership. On February 22nd, 1865 a call appeared in the Wiesbadener Tagblatt for the establishment of a Waterloodenkmal near Wiesbaden. It was signed by Generals Carl Friedrich Hergenhahn , Ludwig von Breidbach-Bürresheim and Friedrich August Weiz .
Donation lists were laid out throughout the duchy and initial planning was initiated at the same time. Initially, a memorial on the Geisberg was thought of. This was a popular destination near Wiesbaden. On February 24, 1865, the generals submitted a draft to Mayor Fischer. However, the Duke wanted a more central location and so the three generals applied for the erection of the monument on Luisenplatz by letter of March 20, 1865. The local council complied with this request on March 22, 1865.
Meanwhile, the fundraising continued and in May 1865 had raised the amount of 4,000 guilders . Even if the originally estimated cost of 2500 guilders had meanwhile been far exceeded, the donations raised were sufficient to finance the memorial and to generate a surplus that was to be distributed to veterans “in need”.
The willingness to donate was clearly encouraged by pressure from the government. State employees and suppliers in particular were among the donors. The largest single donor with 200 guilders was the owner of the hammer mill at Biebrich Christian Scholz , who had been supplying the Nassau army with bread for decades as a monopoly .
In contrast, the Wiesbadeners' enthusiasm was extremely low. Only 171 gulden from Wiesbaden were counted, although General von Breidbach again urged Mayor Fischer in writing on May 24th to intensify efforts.
The inauguration celebrations
On June 17, the preliminary celebrations began with school events and a theater gala. The actual inauguration took place on June 18th. At 7 a.m., services were held in the churches and the synagogue. The veterans and delegations from the two infantry regiments arrived at 11 a.m. All branches of the armed forces, the deputations of the schools and associations and many visitors heard the speech of the senior court preacher church council Dilthey . To the sound of the hymn "Heil our Duke", General Breidenbach gave the sign for the unveiling of the monument by senior building officer Philipp Hoffmann , who had designed the monument.
The monument wasn't quite finished. The plastic emblems on all four parts of the obelisk, made using the zinc casting process, were still missing and were attached a few weeks later.
The day's festivities ended with a feast for the veterans on the arena of the ducal palace. For this purpose, the duke also appeared in person.
On June 29th, the surplus was distributed to the veterans. Each received three guilders. A final fireworks display took place on the evening of that day.
Another story
In 1935 the fence around the obelisk was dismantled. In 1983/84 construction work was carried out on the underground car park under Luisenplatz. For this purpose, the obelisk was dismantled and the metal applications were refurbished.
Description of the monument
The memorial stands on Luisenplatz in front of the Bonifatiuskirche .
The monument is made in the form of an obelisk . This stands on a base made of red Main sandstone .
There are emblems on the four sides of the obelisk. On the east side there is an A (for Duke Adolph). Above it is a ducal crown and below it a second laurel wreath with the inscription “18. June 1865 ”. The representation is similar on the west side. Here is a W (for Duke Wilhelm). Above it again a crown and below it a second laurel wreath with the inscription “18. June 1815 ". The only difference between the south and north sides is the letters: FA for Duke Friedrich August and FW for Duke Friedrich Wilhelm.
The emblems below show compositions of flags and weapons. Cannons are also shown on the north side. Nassau did not have this in 1815. The first Nassau cannons came from the spoils of the battle of Waterloo.
On the four sides of the obelisk below are name boards with four columns. The 337 names are listed after the 28 Nassau offices . The names are sorted alphabetically by authority, beginning on the east side. 337 names are listed. Some of these come from offices that came to the duchy after 1815.
There are also three inscriptions on the base:
"You have fallen for justice and honor - for the highest goods known to mankind - that is why it is a duty, the most sacred of all - that posterity be given your names."
"TO THE MEMORY OF THE NASSAUER FALLEN IN THE BATTLE OF WATERLOO ON JUNE 18, 1815"
“The Oberbaurath Hoffmann, the General von Breidbach Burresheim, the sculptor Schies and the Dormann brothers from here commissioned the design and execution of this monument from His Highness the Duke Adolph von Nassau Waren. The foundation stone was laid on May 6, 1865, and the monument was ceremoniously unveiled on June 18, 1865 and handed over to the municipal authorities of Wiesbaden. "
literature
- Peter Wacker: The ducal-Nassau military 1813–1866 , Volume 2, 1998, ISBN 3-922027-85-7 , pp. 187–203.
Web links
Coordinates: 50 ° 4 ′ 42.5 ″ N , 8 ° 14 ′ 23 ″ E