Bismarck Memorial
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The Bismarck Memorial (German: Bismarck-Nationaldenkmal) is a prominent memorial statue in the Tiergarten in Berlin dedicated to Prince Otto von Bismarck, Minister President of the Kingdom of Prussia and the first Chancellor of the German Empire. It was sculpted by Reinhold Begas. It is one of 250 memorials to Bismarck worldwide.
This memorial in Berlin portrays Bismarck in his ceremonial garb as Chancellor standing above statues of:
- Atlas, showing Germany's world power status at the end of the 19th century;
- Siegfried, forging a sword to show Germany's strong industrial and military might;
- Germania pinning underfoot a panther, symbolizing the suppression of discord and rebellion;
- a sibyl reclining on a sphinx and reading the book of history.
The statue, along with the famous Berlin victory column, were once located in front of the Reichstag building before they were moved in 1938 by Adolf Hitler in his project to recast Berlin as Welthauptstadt Germania. The statue weathered a marked amount of shrapnel damage during World War II, but has survived largely intact to the present day. In fact, the move probably saved the monument from total destruction, as the old garden in front of the Reichstag was completely obliterated in the war.
Gallery[]
Kneeling Atlas
Siegfried forging the imperial sword
Germania suppressing discord and rebellion
Sibyl reading the book of history
See also[]
- Bismarck Monument
- Bismarck Monument (Hamburg)
- Bismarck tower
- List of public art in Berlin
External links[]
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- Monuments to Otto von Bismarck
- Monuments and memorials in Berlin
- Outdoor sculptures in Berlin
- Statues in Germany
- Ancient Greece in art and culture
- Norse mythology in art and literature
- Sculptures of mythology
- Sculptures of Greco-Roman mythology
- Sculptures of men in Germany
- Sculptures of women in Germany
- Tiergarten (park)
- Germany sculpture stubs