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Emperor William monument in Dortmund-Hohensyburg

A large number of monuments were erected in Germany in honour of Emperor William I (known in German as Kaiser-Wilhelm-Denkmal). As early as 1867 the Berlin sculptor, Friedrich Drake, had created the first equestrian statue, that portrayed William I as the King of Prussia. To date the Prussian Monument Institute (Preußische Denkmal-Institut) has recorded:

63 equestrian statues
231 standing statues
5 seated statues and
126 busts

that were created and erected between 1888 and 1918 in the German-speaking region. In addition there are numerous William I monuments on which the emperor is portrayed in a relief medallion or which commemorates the emperor in a dedicatory inscription. During the "imperial era" 28 Emperor William I towers were also built.

They are most commonly known in English sources as Emperor William monuments or Kaiser Wilhelm monuments.

History

A distinction must be made between two groups of monuments:

those erected in honour of William I of Prussia (22 March 1797 – 9 March 1888), who was proclaimed German Emperor during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/71 in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles on the initiative of Bismarck, and
those in honour of his grandson, William II (27 January 1859; – 4 June 1941), who had to abdicate at the end of the First World War in November 1918.

Even before the imperial period it was customary in Prussia not to erect monuments to living monarchs. Moreover, before official monuments of members of the royal house, i.e. Prussia, could be built, a so-called 'sovereign approval' had to be sought. As a result, almost all Emperor William monuments appeared only after the death of Emperor William I in 1888. There are very few monuments to the last German Emperor, William II, for the reasons mentioned above. The only two equestrian statues are in Cologne (a free-standing monument on the Hohenzollern Bridge) and in Wuppertal's Elberfeld district (a 3/4 scale relief).

Emperor William monuments were mainly built in Prussia and in larger cities outside of Prussia, usually on the initiative of private individuals. The organization of finance, tendering, planning and unveiling was carried out by memorial committees that were dissolved after completion of the monument.

The best known surviving Emperor William monuments today are the 81-metre-high Kyffhäuser Monument (1890-1896), The Emperor William Monument at Porta Westfalica, unveiled in 1896, and the monument at the Deutsches Eck in Koblenz erected in 1897. All three were designed by Berlin architect, Bruno Schmitz.

The first (still surviving) monument to William I, which portrays him as King of Prussia on horseback, stands at the bridgehead of Cologne's Hohenzollern Bridge (right bank, i.e. on the Deutz side).

The only monument showing Emperor William I in civilian clothes, stands in the spa park at Bad Ems. It was unveiled on 7 May 1893 and portrays the monarch as people saw him when he was visiting the spa in the town.

One of the 231 statues of Emperor William I was unveiled in 1894 in Wiesbaden. The monument, with a height of 6.8 metres, had been created by Dresden sculptor, Johannes Schilling, and bore the inscription "The grateful city of Wiesbaden" on its base.

The last official monument was the equestrian statue "for" Lübeck: the authorization and contract award were issued in 1914; although the die was ready for casting, no bronze was available because of the First World War. So the statue was only completed in 1919.

Gallery

William I atop Rheda-Wiedenbrück's three wars' memorial
Statue of William I as part of the Kyffhäuser Monument
The monument at the Deutsches Eck ("German Corner") in Koblenz
Schilling's version, Planten un Blomen, Hamburg

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|Monuments build for German Emperor Wilhelm I}}
-[[File:Wilhelm I. Friedrich Ludwig - Statue an der Hohenzollernbrücke Köln.jpg|thumb|Monument on the [[Hohenzollern Bridge]] in Cologne]]
+{{no refs|date=December 2017}}
-<!-- [[File:Kaiser-Wilhelm-Denkmal.JPG|thumb|Emperor William monument in Dortmund-[[Hohensyburg]]]] -->
-[[File:Kaiser-Wilhelm Westfalenpark.jpg|thumb|Statue of Emperor William, seated, in Dortmund's Westfalenpark]]
+[[File:Koeln Hohenzollernbruecke 10-2017 img1.jpg|thumb|Monument on the [[Hohenzollern Bridge]] in Cologne]]
+[[File:Kaiser-Wilhelm-Denkmal.JPG|thumb|Emperor William monument in Dortmund-[[Hohensyburg]]]]
-A large number of '''monuments''' were erected in Germany in honour of [[William I, German Emperor|'''Emperor William I''']] (known in German as ''Kaiser-Wilhelm-Denkmal''). As early as 1867 the Berlin sculptor, [[Friedrich Drake]], had created the first [[equestrian statue]], that portrayed William I as the [[King of Prussia]]. To date the Prussian Monument Institute (''Preußische Denkmal-Institut'') has recorded:
+[[File:Kaiser-Wilhelm Westfalenpark.jpg|thumb|Statue of Emperor William, seated, in Dortmund's [[Westfalenpark]]]]
+A large number of '''monuments''' were erected in Germany in honour of '''[[William I, German Emperor|Emperor William I]]''' (known in German as ''Kaiser-Wilhelm-Denkmal''). As early as 1867 the Berlin sculptor, [[Friedrich Drake]], had created the first [[equestrian statue]], that portrayed William I as the [[King of Prussia]]. To date the Prussian Monument Institute (''Preußische Denkmal-Institut'') has recorded:
 * 63 equestrian statues
 * 231 standing statues
@@ Line 8: / Line 10: @@
 * 126 busts
 that were created and erected between 1888 and 1918 in the German-speaking region. In addition there are numerous William I monuments on which the emperor is portrayed in a relief medallion or which commemorates the emperor in a dedicatory inscription. During the  "[[German Empire|imperial era]]" 28 Emperor William I towers were also built.
-<!--
-== Geschichte ==
-Grundsätzlich unterschieden werden muss zwischen den Denkmälern:
+They are most commonly known in English sources as '''Emperor William monuments''' or '''Kaiser Wilhelm monuments'''.
-* für König [[Wilhelm I. (Deutsches Reich)|Wilhelm I.]] von Preußen (* 22. März 1797; † 9. März 1888), der noch während des deutsch-französischen Krieges 1870/71 im [[Spiegelsaal von Versailles]] auf Betreiben [[Otto von Bismarck|Bismarcks]] zum [[Deutscher Kaiser|Deutschen Kaiser]] [[Proklamation|proklamiert]] wurde, und
-* für seinen Enkel [[Wilhelm II. (Deutsches Reich)|Wilhelm II.]] (* 27. Januar 1859; † 4. Juni 1941), der nach dem Ende des Ersten Weltkrieges am 9. November 1918 abdanken musste.
+== History ==
-Nicht erst seit der Kaiserzeit war es in Preußen üblich, dass für noch lebende Monarchen keine Denkmäler errichtet werden sollten. Vor der geplanten Aufstellung von Denkmälern, die Mitgliedern des königlichen Hauses, also [[Preußen]], gewidmet werden sollten, war eine so genannte ''landesherrliche Genehmigung'' einzuholen. Daher entstanden fast alle Kaiser-Wilhelm-Denkmäler erst nach dem Tod Kaiser Wilhelms I. 1888. Denkmäler für den letzten Deutschen Kaiser Wilhelm II. gab es aus den genannten Gründen nur wenige. Die zwei einzigen Reiterstandbilder sind in Köln (freistehend auf der [[Hohenzollernbrücke]]) und Wuppertal-[[Elberfeld]] (als [[3/4-Hochrelief]]) erhalten.
+A distinction must be made between two groups of monuments:
+* those erected in honour of [[William I, German Emperor|William I]] of Prussia (22 March 1797 – 9 March 1888), who was proclaimed [[German Emperor]] during the [[Franco-Prussian War]] of  1870/71 in the [[Hall of Mirrors]] at [[Palace of Versailles|Versailles]] on the initiative of [[Otto von Bismarck|Bismarck]], and
-Die Kaiser-Wilhelm-Denkmäler waren vor allem auf [[Preußen]] und außerhalb Preußens auf größere Städte beschränkt. Die Initiativen gingen in der Regel von Privatpersonen aus. Die Organisation von der Finanzierung, Ausschreibung, Planung bis zur Enthüllung erfolgte durch Denkmalkomitees, die sich nach Fertigstellung des Denkmals wieder auflösten.
+* those in honour of his grandson, [[William II, German Emperor|William II]] (27 January 1859; – 4 June 1941), who had to abdicate at the end of the [[First World War]] in November 1918.
+Even before the imperial period it was customary in Prussia not to erect monuments to living monarchs. Moreover, before official monuments of members of the royal house, i.e. [[Prussia]], could be built, a so-called 'sovereign approval' had to be sought. As a result, almost all Emperor William monuments appeared only after the death of Emperor William I in 1888. There are very few monuments to the last German Emperor, William II, for the reasons mentioned above. The only two [[equestrian statue]]s are in Cologne (a free-standing monument on the [[Hohenzollern Bridge]]) and in Wuppertal's [[Elberfeld]] district (a 3/4 scale relief).
-Am bekanntesten der heute noch erhaltenen Kaiserdenkmäler sind das 81 m hohe [[Kyffhäuserdenkmal]] (1890–1896), das 1896 eingeweihte [[Kaiser-Wilhelm-Denkmal an der Porta Westfalica]] und das 1897 errichtete Denkmal am [[Deutsches Eck|Deutschen Eck]] in [[Koblenz]]. Alle drei Denkmäler wurden von dem Berliner Architekten [[Bruno Schmitz]] konzipiert.
+Emperor William monuments were mainly built in [[Prussia]] and in larger cities outside of Prussia, usually on the initiative of private individuals. The organization of finance, tendering, planning and unveiling was carried out by memorial committees that were dissolved after completion of the monument.
-Das erste (und noch erhaltene) Denkmal für Wilhelm I., das diesen als [[König von Preußen]] zu Pferde zeigt, steht auf dem Brückenkopf der Kölner [[Hohenzollernbrücke]] (rechtsrheinisch, also auf der Deutzer Seite).
+The best known surviving Emperor William monuments today are the 81-metre-high [[Kyffhäuser Monument]] (1890-1896), The [[Emperor William Monument (Porta Westfalica)|Emperor William Monument]] at [[Porta Westfalica]], unveiled in 1896, and the monument at the [[Deutsches Eck]] in [[Koblenz]] erected in 1897. All three were designed by Berlin architect, [[Bruno Schmitz]].
-Das einzige Denkmal, welches Kaiser Wilhelm I. in Zivil zeigt, steht im Kurpark von [[Bad Ems]]. Es wurde am 7. Mai 1893 feierlich enthüllt und zeigt den Monarchen so, wie ihn die Bevölkerung sehen konnte, wenn er zur Kur in der Stadt war.
+The first (still surviving) monument to William I, which portrays him as [[King of Prussia]] on horseback, stands at the bridgehead of Cologne's [[Hohenzollern Bridge]] (right bank, i.e. on the [[Deutz, Cologne|Deutz]] side).
-Eines der 231 Standbilder für Kaiser Wilhelm I. wurde im Jahr 1894 in Wiesbaden enthüllt. Das Denkmal mit einer Höhe von 6,8 Metern war vom Dresdner Bildhauer Johannes Schilling geschaffen worden und trug die Inschrift "Die dankbare Stadt Wiesbaden" auf dem Sockel.
+The only monument showing Emperor William I in civilian clothes, stands in the spa park at [[Bad Ems]]. It was unveiled on 7 May 1893 and portrays the monarch as people saw him when he was visiting the spa in the town.
-Das offizielle letzte Denkmal war das Reiterstandbild „für“ [[Lübeck]]: die Genehmigung und der Ausführungsauftrag waren noch 1914 erteilt worden; als das Modell für den Guss fertig war, stand wegen des Ersten Weltkrieges keine Bronze zur Verfügung. So konnte der Guss erst 1919 vollendet werden.
+One of the 231 statues of Emperor William I was unveiled in 1894 in Wiesbaden. The monument, with a height of 6.8 metres, had been created by Dresden sculptor, Johannes Schilling, and bore the inscription "The grateful city of Wiesbaden" on its base.
+The last official monument was the equestrian statue "for" [[Lübeck]]: the authorization and contract award were issued in 1914; although the die was ready for casting, no bronze was available because of the First World War. So the statue was only completed in 1919.
-[[Heinrich Mann]] hat in seinem 1918 erschienenen Roman „[[Der Untertan]]“ den servilen obrigkeitsstaatlichen Kaiserkult gegeißelt und mit satirischen Mitteln den Denkmalskult verspottet.
--->
 ==Gallery ==
 <gallery>
 <!--File:Wiesbaden Kaiser Wilhelm I. Denkmal die dankbare Stadt 1894 Park am warmen Damm Dresdner Bildhauer Johannes Schilling Foto 2009 Wolfgang Pehlemann Wiesbaden IMG 4681.jpg|The 6.8 m high monument as a statue in Wiesbaden-->
-File:Rheda-Wiedenbrück Kriegerdenkmal Wilhelm I.jpg|William I atop Rheda-Wiedenbrück's 1864-66 and 1870-71 war memorial
+File:Rheda-Wiedenbrück Kriegerdenkmal Wilhelm I.jpg|William I atop Rheda-Wiedenbrück's three wars' memorial
 File:Kyffhaeuser Wilhelm.JPG|Statue of William I as part of the [[Kyffhäuser Monument]]
 File:Deutsches Eck Koblenz Kaiser Wilhelm I.jpg|The monument at the [[Deutsches Eck]] ("German Corner") in Koblenz
+File:Kaiser-wilhelm-denkmal-hamburg-planten-un-blomen.jpg|Schilling's version, [[Planten un Blomen]], [[Hamburg]]
 </gallery>
-<!--
 == See also ==
-* [[List of Emperor William I monuments]]
+* [[Bismarck monuments]]
+* [[Kaiser towers]]
+* [[Kaiser Wilhelm Tower]]
+<!--* [[List of Emperor William I monuments]]
 * [[List of Emperor William II monuments]]
 -->
 [[Category:German Empire]]
-[[Category:Emperor William I monuments|!]]
+[[Category:Monuments and memorials to Emperor William I| ]]
+[[Category:Monuments and memorials in Germany]]
+[[Category:Outdoor sculptures in Germany]]
-[[de:Kaiser-Wilhelm-Denkmal]]
+[[Category:Equestrian statues in Germany]]
+[[Category:Sculptures of men in Germany]]