Bismarck-Denkmal (Hamburg)
Encyclopedia
The Bismarck Monument is a monument
located in the city of Hamburg
, in the St. Pauli
quarter. It is dedicated to Otto von Bismarck
, and is one of 250 memorials to Bismarck worldwide. The Hamburg memorial is the largest and probably the best-known of these Bismarck tower
s. The statue stands near the jetties of Hamburg port
on the Elbhöhe, today a local recreation area. The architect was Johann Emil Schaudt; the sculptor was Hugo Lederer
.
The Elbpavillon was removed in 1901 and a citizen commission under the mayor at that time Johann Georg Mönckeberg agreed to build on it.
The Bismarck monument costed 500.000 goldmark, and was completed in 1906.
Inside the Bismarck monument is today still a complex painting showing the Black Sun image in Wewelsburg
with a central piece incorporating a sunwheel and swastikas and the texts "Great questions will not be resolved by talk, but by iron and blood" (Ger: "Nicht durch Reden werden große Fragen entschieden, sondern durch Eisen und Blut"). It is unknown where this painting came from.
During the years 1939 to 1940, the base of the statue became an airraid shelter which was meant for passers-by, visitors of the jetty and direct adjacent residents, offering protection for up to 650 people. The purpose of the catacombs surrounding the monument, built in 1906, is still unknown. The inside of the Bismarck-Monument is not accessible to public visitors anymore for safety reasons.
Monument
A monument is a type of structure either explicitly created to commemorate a person or important event or which has become important to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, or simply as an example of historic architecture...
located in the city of Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, in the St. Pauli
St. Pauli
St. Pauli , located in the Hamburg-Mitte borough, is one of the 105 quarters of the city of Hamburg, Germany. Situated on the right bank of the Elbe river, the Landungsbrücken are a northern part of the port of Hamburg. St. Pauli contains a world famous red light district around the street Reeperbahn...
quarter. It is dedicated to Otto von Bismarck
Otto von Bismarck
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg , simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a Prussian-German statesman whose actions unified Germany, made it a major player in world affairs, and created a balance of power that kept Europe at peace after 1871.As Minister President of...
, and is one of 250 memorials to Bismarck worldwide. The Hamburg memorial is the largest and probably the best-known of these Bismarck tower
Bismarck tower
Bismarck Towers are a unique genre of German monument, built to honour the ex-chancellor of Prussia, Otto von Bismarck. A total of 240 of these towers were built between German unification and the National Socialist takeover, i.e. between 1869 and 1934...
s. The statue stands near the jetties of Hamburg port
Landungsbrücken
The St. Pauli Landungsbrücken , part of the Hamburg Harbour, are in the quarter St. Pauli of Hamburg, Germany, between the lower harbor and the Fischmarkt directly on the Elbe River. The Landungsbrücken today are a major tourist attraction and a central transportation hub, with S-Bahn, U-Bahn and...
on the Elbhöhe, today a local recreation area. The architect was Johann Emil Schaudt; the sculptor was Hugo Lederer
Hugo Lederer
Professor Hugo Lederer was an Austro-Hungarian-born German sculptor.Lederer studied in Dresden under sculptor John Schilling from 1890, then briefly under Christian Behrens. His greatest success came in 1902 with the commission for a Bismarck tower in the center of Hamburg...
.
History
Before the construction of the monument, the Elbpavillon restaurant was located at the site.The Elbpavillon was removed in 1901 and a citizen commission under the mayor at that time Johann Georg Mönckeberg agreed to build on it.
The Bismarck monument costed 500.000 goldmark, and was completed in 1906.
Architecture
The monument is about 35 m (114.8 ft) high and has a weight of 600 t (590.5 LT), and is the world-largest Bismarck monument.Inside the Bismarck monument is today still a complex painting showing the Black Sun image in Wewelsburg
Wewelsburg
For the village of Wewelsburg see Village of WewelsburgWewelsburg is a Renaissance castle located in the northeast of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, in the village of Wewelsburg which is a quarter of the city Büren, Westphalia, in district of Paderborn in the Alme Valley. The castle has the...
with a central piece incorporating a sunwheel and swastikas and the texts "Great questions will not be resolved by talk, but by iron and blood" (Ger: "Nicht durch Reden werden große Fragen entschieden, sondern durch Eisen und Blut"). It is unknown where this painting came from.
During the years 1939 to 1940, the base of the statue became an airraid shelter which was meant for passers-by, visitors of the jetty and direct adjacent residents, offering protection for up to 650 people. The purpose of the catacombs surrounding the monument, built in 1906, is still unknown. The inside of the Bismarck-Monument is not accessible to public visitors anymore for safety reasons.
See also
- Schwarze Sonne
- Bismarck MemorialBismarck MemorialThe Bismarck Memorial , located in the Tiergarten in Berlin, is a prominent memorial statue dedicated to Prince Otto von Bismarck, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Prussia and the first Chancellor of the German Empire...
- Bismarck towerBismarck towerBismarck Towers are a unique genre of German monument, built to honour the ex-chancellor of Prussia, Otto von Bismarck. A total of 240 of these towers were built between German unification and the National Socialist takeover, i.e. between 1869 and 1934...
Literature
- Jörg Schilling: Distanz halten - Das Hamburger Bismarckdenkmal und die Monumentalität der Moderne, Wallstein-Verlag, Göttingen 2006, ISBN 3-8353-0006-7
