Kyffhäuser Memorial

This enormous monument (Kyffhäuserdenkmal or Barbarossadenkmal) commemorates Emperor Wilhelm I. After the death of Emperor Wilhelm I, an 81-meter-high monument was built on the ruins of the Kyffhäuser castle between 1890 and 1896.

The bronze equestrian statue represents the Emperor as a general with all attributes such as the Grand Cross of the Iron Cross. It is almost 10 meters high and weighs 168 kg.

Emperor Wilhelm I is flanked by two symbolic figures, on the right a Germanic warrior representing the defensive capacity and on the left a woman with a pen and an oak wreath that symbolizes history. Both figures underline the glorification of the monarchy and the military strength of the Empire.

By placing the statue above the 6.5 meter high Barbarossa statue, it is emphasized that he was a descendant of the founder of the Holy Roman Empire, Charlemagne, of which Barbarossa was a descendant. This legacy was restored by the establishment of the German Empire.

This myth was later used several times as propaganda by the Nazi regime as a status for the III Reich.

Below the statue is the inscription: "Wilhelm I", but this is only part of the original inscription that read: "Den Begründer des Reiches / Die deutschen Krieger". The latter was removed by the SED regime in 1955.

Kaiser Wilhelm I, also known as William I (Wilhelm Friedrich Ludwig von Hohenzollern, March 22, 1797 - March 9, 1888) of the House Hohenzollern, was a Prussian and German monarch. From 1814 he fought against the army of Napoleon, including in the Battle of Waterloo. He became king of Prussia in 1861 and was German emperor from 1871 until his death.

Under the reign of Wilhelm and his chancellor Otto von Bismarck, Prussia achieved the unification of Germany and the foundation of the German Empire and France was defeated in the Franco-Prussian War.

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Source

• Text: Fedor de Vries
• Photos: Francky De Rous