Wehrmann in Eisen (Leipzig)

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The Wehrmann in Eisen on the day of the inauguration, July 17, 1915

The Wehrmann in Eisen was a statue that was created in Leipzig in 1915 as part of the collection of donations for victims of the First World War . Its creator was Mathieu Molitor (1873–1929).

background

During the First World War, numerous collection campaigns took place with which money for the support of war survivors and wounded was solicited from the population, as the state social funds did not have sufficient financial means to provide for them. A special type of collection was war nailing . Citizens received nails for their donation, which they could hammer into figures or regional and national symbols ( city ​​coats of arms , iron crosses , etc.), which at the same time symbolized a kind of armament. Nails made of iron or silver, sometimes also gold, were offered for different minimum amounts. These actions began in Vienna with a so-called Wehrmann in Eisen . The nailing spread quickly in large numbers over Austria-Hungary , but also in the German Empire . The collection was usually sponsored by local charitable associations or specially founded organizations.

The Leipzig military man in iron

In Leipzig, the Treasury of the War Donation for Leipzig , an organization that had been founded especially for the collection, commissioned the Leipzig sculptor Mathieu Molitor to make a wooden statue as a military man. Molitor was known as the creator of the figures for Faust at the entrance to Auerbach's cellar . He made a warrior with bowed head in armor with sword and shield. The figure was over two meters tall. It was set up on a high plinth on the Naschmarkt and covered with a pavilion , which also included a staircase. The inauguration took place on July 17, 1915.

  • 1915 on the Naschmarkt with a nail sales hut

  • 1916 on the ground floor of the New Town Hall

  • Memorial sheet for the donors

  • Postcard to the
    Wehrmann in Eisen

A sales hut for the nails was built next to the figure. There were 50 pfennigs , two and five marks . The buyer also received a memorial sheet. Nothing is known about the success of the campaign. The next year the military man in Eisen was on the ground floor of the New Town Hall , as evidenced by a postcard. Nothing could be determined about his final whereabouts.

Medallion pendants with the military man in iron were also sold. A small clay model of the statue is kept in the estate of Mathieu Molitor in the SLUB Dresden .

literature

Web links

Commons : Leipziger Wehrmann in Eisen  - collection of pictures

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Medallion with the military man. In: City History Museum Leipzig. Retrieved May 28, 2015 .
  2. ↑ Model of the Leipzig military man in iron. In: Deutsche Fotothek. Retrieved May 28, 2015 .