Die Siegessaeule by junge1

Photography • Architecture • posted on Jan 25, 2014

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Description

The Siegessaeule (victory column) was designed by Heinrich Strack, after 1864 to commemorate the Prussian victory in the Danish-Prussian War. By the time it was inaugurated on 2 September 1873, Prussia had also defeated Austria in the Austro-Prussian War (1866) and France in the Franco-Prussian War (1870-71), giving the statue a new purpose. Different from the original plans, these later victories in the so-called unification wars inspired the addition of the bronze sculpture of Victoria, 8.3 m high and weighing 35 tons, designed by Friedrich Drake. Built on a base of polished red granite, the column sits on a hall of pillars with a glass mosaic designed by Anton von Werner. The column consists of four solid blocks of sandstone, three of which are decorated by cannon barrels captured from enemies of the aforementioned three wars. A fourth ring is decorated with golden garlands. The entire column, including the sculpture, is 67 m tall. The relief decoration was removed at the request of the French forces in 1945, probably to prevent the Germans from being reminded of former victories - especially the defeat of the French in 1871. It was restored for the 750th anniversary of Berlin in 1987 by the French president at the time, Francois Mitterand, however several sections remain in France. The Siegessaeule stands at the Grosser Stern (Great Star), a large intersection on the city axis that leads from the former Berliner Stadtschloss (Berlin City Palace) through the Brandenburg Gate to the western parts of the city (Source: Wikipedia). Picture was taken from S-Bahnhof 'Tiergarten' on 31 December 2013, Sig...