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The Düsseldorf sculptor
Raymond Kittl was commissioned to produce a replica of the original sculpture and the remodelled statue was created from durable bronze cast, unlike the original which had been made from copper plates. In May 1992, the parts of the statue were brought to Koblenz on board the
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After further landfills at the site and a large-scale collection campaign, the official "Emperor
William Monument of the Rhine Province" was erected and solemnly inaugurated in the presence of the emperor on 31 August 1897. Bruno Schmitz again had drawn up the plans for a giant, over 37 metres
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in 1990, the
Deutsches Eck no longer served as a symbol of the aspiration for a united Germany. Thus, a discussion arose regarding a remodelling of the plaza. Critics considered the reinstallation of the equestrian statue of Wilhelm I as anachronistic and improper, whereas promoters saw the
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celebrated the completion of his triumphal journey through the
Rhenish lands here with a festive banquet and a firework display. Later in the same evening, 38 people were killed when a pontoon bridge across the Mosel collapsed under the weight of the crowds.
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opportunity for tourist benefits. As the owner of the site, any decision to reinstall a statue of
Wilhelm I rested with the government of the Rhineland-Palatinate. However, the state government transferred its rights to the city of Koblenz. When
359:("William the Great"). The equestrian statue itself, 14 m (46 ft) in height, presented William I in a general's uniform, reminiscent of the Prussian victories in the "German Wars of Unification". His horse is roped by a winged female
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482:, a former newspaper publisher from Koblenz, and his wife Anneliese, announced that they would bear all costs for a reconstruction of the statue, the decision was made to proceed with it.
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came down in
November 1989, three concrete parts of the actual wall were installed next to the monument. On 3 October 1990, the emblems of the new federal states were added.
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Historic film footage from 1918 showing
William I statue at Deutsches Eck from US Army boat on River Rhine, and brief view of Fortress Ehrenbreitstein (end of World War I)
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490:. The assembly work was completed at the port and on 2 September 1993 a mobile lattice boom crane lifted the statue onto the base. The installation took place on
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The
Deutsches Eck is also a place on Germany's inland waterway system where great skill is needed when making a turn, as the animation on the right makes clear.
335:. Several other cities had also applied as installation sites and in 1891 William II decided upon the confluence of the Rhine and Mosel rivers at Koblenz.
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in 1949, the country was divided into a capitalist west and a communist east. In order to express the deep wish for a united
Germany, President
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386:, tens of thousands gathered at the Deutsches Eck to celebrate the "liberation of the Rhineland". On 22 July 1930 Reich President
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at the confluence of the Mosel and the Rhine. Serving mainly in nursing care, the knights soon after established a
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turned the German Corner into a monument to German unity. As a result, the coats of arms of all German
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For the transport link from
Salzburg to West Austria through the southeast corner of Germany, see
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Marco Zerwas, Iconoclasm Backwards. A Lost Memorial Site. In: Public History Weekly 3 (2015) 18.
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View of the Deutsches Eck c. 1875, showing St. Castor's Basilica and the Deutschherrenhaus
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by Allied forces. When in November 1929 the area was finally cleared according to the
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fly at the Deutsches Eck as a reminder of German unity. In addition, the flag of the
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from 1802 onwards. The Order's premises were refurbished as part of the Prussian
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building were erected from 1279 onwards and became known as the Deutsches Eck.
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In about 1600, the Koblenz commander moved his seat further down the Rhine to
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was conquered by French revolutionary troops and the ecclesiastical estates
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was commemorated. On 25 September 1993, the new statue was inaugurated.
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Nimmer wird das Reich zerstöret, wenn ihr einig seid und treu
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After the death of Emperor William I in 1888, his grandson
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and only the plinth was preserved as a memorial. Following
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here, which became the administrative seat of the Koblenz
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Historical site in Koblenz, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
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While the inner city of Koblenz was hit hard by Allied
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A passenger ship deftly steers round the Deutsches Eck
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are now dedicated to the "victims of the division".
252:The Teutonic Knights were called to Koblenz by the
461:The replacement statue being hoisted onto the base
553:French soldiers at the Deutsches Eck during the
501:Today, a big national flag and the flags of the
315:". In the following years the privately funded
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685:Monuments and memorials to Emperor William I
256:in 1216 and vested with estates around the
60:. Unsourced material may be challenged and
124:Learn how and when to remove this message
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409:strategic bombing during World War II
342:Inauguration ceremony, 31 August 1897
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584:The Deutsches Eck at night, 2004
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710:History of Rhineland-Palatinate
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272:. The premises centred on the
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695:Equestrian statues in Germany
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268:directly subordinate to the
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414:After the formation of the
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596:The Deutsches Eck in 2011
541:The Deutsches Eck c. 1900
520:. The three parts of the
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388:Paul von Hindenburg
323:was inaugurated in
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679:Categories
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568:President
445:After the
395:Demolition
384:Young Plan
331:architect
305:William II
174:promontory
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492:Sedan Day
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206:William I
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114:June 2011
41:does not
634:Archived
418:and the
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705:Koblenz
432:Silesia
329:Leipzig
281:Cologne
240:History
234:tourist
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178:Koblenz
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