Zeppelin monument (grain sand)

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Zeppelin monument
Landing on the grain sand

The zeppelin monument on Kornsand in the Trebur district of Geinsheim in southern Hesse commemorates the emergency landing of a zeppelin by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin on August 4, 1908 .

Emergence

The freely accessible memorial was built in 1909. Nothing is known about the planner or artist or stonemason. It is located south of the landing stage on the right bank of the Rhine at Rhine kilometer 480, opposite the city of Nierstein . The zeppelin was temporarily moored precisely at this point. The memorial was inaugurated on the first anniversary of the event, August 4, 1909, in a small group of those involved in this long-distance test flight by the community of Geinsheim. The monument, located on the top of the dike on the banks of the Rhine, consists, apart from the base and crown, of almost uncut natural stones that are joined together like a mosaic. Two pylons about three meters high and with a strong circumference are connected by two and a half meters high masonry reminiscent of a fortress wall. In the middle of it there is a plaque with simple inscriptions, which cannot be seen from a distance and, on closer inspection, only give information about the reason for the construction, but not about the origin. In front of the stone tablet there is a stone bench that is bordered on both sides by the projecting pylons. The monument is replanted like a grove.

Historical background

Graf Zeppelin set out on the morning of August 4, 1908 in the Zeppelin LZ 4 for his first long-term journey from Friedrichshafen to Echterdingen via Mainz and Mannheim . The purpose of the trip was to demonstrate the suitability of the airship technology for flights over longer distances to the military, who had expressed interest. Shortly before reaching the city of Mainz, the airship was no longer given sufficient lift due to an engine failure. At 17:24, the Zeppelin had to make an emergency landing on the grain sand. With the help of the local farmers, who left their work in the fields to support the crew in the emergency landing, the vehicle was relieved of empty petrol tanks, superfluous items and operating material. Five people also had to disembark. After a five-hour break, Zeppelin, now relieved by 1270 kg, continued its journey at 10:22 p.m.

After circumnavigating Mainz, the zeppelin flew on to Mannheim and finally landed in Echterdingen. There he tore himself out of his anchorage during a thunderstorm at night, drifted off and finally got caught in a fruit tree, where he went up in flames.

effect

The monument conservator Jan Nikolaus Viebrock describes his impressions: “In terms of its appearance, the monument is simple and takes - in the spirit of the seafaring tradition of aviation - the shape of the groynes to which the LZ 4 was attached on the evening of August 4th. was moored at Geinsheim. It appears functional, corresponding to the role and self-image of the Zeppelin building as a modern technology carrier. At the same time, the masonry quarry stone also has a connection to the Heimat style and allows associations with the national patriotic mood of the time. "

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Tour Ferdinand Graf Zeppelin. In: Kulturreise-ideen.de. Retrieved November 18, 2015 .
  2. ↑ Zeppelin monument. In: schloesser-hessen.de. Administration of the State Palaces and Gardens of Hesse, accessed on November 18, 2015 .
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g Jan Nikolaus Viebrock: The Zeppelin monument in Geinsheim . In: State Office for the Preservation of Monuments in Hessen (Hrsg.): Preservation of monuments in Hessen . 1990, 1st half year, 1990, ISSN  0935-8307 , p. 31 f .

literature

  • Thomas Wurzel: Cultural Discoveries South Hesse. Districts Bergstrasse, Darmstadt-Dieburg, Groß-Gerau, Odenwaldkreis and Offenbach, cities Darmstadt and Offenbach. Published by the Sparkassen-Kulturstiftung Hessen-Thüringen. 2nd edition, Schnell & Steiner, Regensburg 2007, ISBN 978-3-7954-2013-0 , p. 283.
  • Jan Nikolaus Viebrock: The Zeppelin monument in Geinsheim . In: State Office for the Preservation of Monuments in Hessen (Hrsg.): Preservation of monuments in Hessen . 1990, 1st half year, 1990, ISSN  0935-8307 , p. 31-33 .

Coordinates: 49 ° 51 ′ 56 "  N , 8 ° 21 ′ 44"  E