Bismarck Memorial

Bismarck Memorial, Berlin, Germany

Public Art : Bismarck Memorial (Bismarck-Nationaldenkmal)

Date : The Bismarck Memorial was unveiled in 1906.

Description : The bronze and granite memorial includes a bronze Prince Otto von Bismarck in his ceremonial garb as Chancellor standing above four statues. The four bronze statues depict; Atlas carrying the world on his shoulders (symbolizing Germany's world dominance); Siegfried forging the Imperial sword (symbolizing Germany's strong industrial and military strength); Germania, with a dead panther under her foot (symbolizing the suppression of rebellion against the government); and finally Sibyl perched on a sphinx reading the book of history (symbolizing statesmanship).

Original Location : The Bismarck Memorial was originally located in front of the Reichstag building but was moved in 1938 by Adolph Hitler.

Present Location : Located in the Tiergarten in Berlin, Germany.

History of the Bismarck Memorial : The statue of Bismarck and the Berlin Victory column were both originally located in front of the Reichstag building before Hilter decided to have them moved in 1938, in his master plan to rebuild Berlin as the world capital "Welthauptstadt Germania". In hindsight it was a fortuitous move because the old garden in front of the Reichstag where it once stood was totally obliterated during World War II.

Interesting Tidbits : The statue did receive considerable amount of shrapnel damage during World War II.

The statue weighs 625,000kgs.

Works of Reinhold Begas :

Bismarck Memorial, Tiergarden, Berlin, Germany