Lost in silent reflection. Does this scene resonate with you? We stand before the Kriegerehrenmal 1914-1918 war memorial in Dortmund-Dorstfeld. It is a place of remembrance. It stands incomplete today. Find it on the Friedhof an der Twerskuhle.
Originally, the Kriegerehrenmal 1914-1918 stood in the Bergarbeitersiedlung der Zeche Dorstfeld. Its location was at Hügel-/Karl-Funke-Straße. This was formerly Martener/Karl-Funke-Straße. The Dortmund architect Josef Wentzler designed it. He envisioned a predella-like wall. It featured steps and a central burial niche.
Inside this niche rested a sculpture. It depicted a soldier resting on laurel leaves. This soldier wore a uniform coat. His bare head tilted to the side. He faced the viewer. His folded hands rested on his torso. The sculpture’s flat plinth bore an inscription. Framed by the Iron Cross and swastika, it read. “Wir werden uns erheben, wenn die Sonne aufbricht, ganz Deutschland erwacht.” This means “We will rise when the sun breaks, all of Germany awakes.” The sculptor Heinrich Bayer created this figure.
The Kriegerehrenmal 1914-1918 also featured long, narrow tablets. These were on either side of the niche. They listed the names of 384 Dorstfeld fallen. Some accounts say 385. Among them were 245 men. They were from the Zeche’s workforce. Essener Steinkohlenbergwerke AG commissioned the Kriegerehrenmal 1914-1918. This company operated the Zeche Dorstfeld. They provided the land. They also helped finance the Kriegerehrenmal 1914-1918.
The “Krieger- und Landwehrverein Dortmund-Dorstfeld” contributed 12,000 marks. The “Verein ehemaliger Kavalleristen Dorstfeld” also donated. As did the “Verein ehemaliger 16er Hacketäuer”. Hugo Uhlenbruch oversaw the project. He was the mine inspector of Zeche Dorstfeld. He also chaired the “Ausschuss zur Errichtung eines Gefallenen-Ehrenmales”.
The Kriegerehrenmal 1914-1918’s foundation stone was laid in May. The dedication occurred on September 16, 1934. In 1956, the sculpture and nameplates were moved. They went to the edge of the Dorstfeld Friedhof. This happened seven years before the Zeche closed. The Kriegerehrenmal 1914-1918 lost its original monumental impact. Yet, its National Socialist design remains evident.
Heinrich Bayer’s birth and training remain unknown. He likely lived and worked in Dortmund for most of his life. Bayer belonged to the Vereinigung Westfälischer Künstler und Kunstfreunde. This was founded in 1922. He participated in the Großen Westfälischen Kunstausstellungen. He created numerous war memorials. They are found in Dortmund, Kamen, and Menden. Besides this Kriegerehrenmal 1914-1918, he worked on the Kriegerehrenmal on Schillerplatz in Hörde. It was removed in 1942/50. After the war, he made works in Dortmund. These included baroque shepherd boys with small goats and several fountains. He also created a bronze relief and various gable figures. Bayer worked in both stone and bronze. He became a member of the Westfälischen Künstlerbundes Dortmund in 1956. Heinrich Bayer died in 1959.
Josef Wentzler was born on October 7, 1884. His birthplace was Vicht in the district of Aachen. He studied at the Baugewerbeschule in Aachen and Cologne. He also attended the Kunstgewerbeschule in Aachen. He worked for architecture firms in Breslau, Vienna, and Budapest. During World War I, he designed war cemeteries and memorials. In 1919, he formed a partnership with Heinrich Strunck. Strunck had previously led the “Spenhoff und Strunck” office. Together, they designed the gate structures, the mourning hall. They also designed the crematorium of Dortmund’s main cemetery between 1920 and 1926. They also designed the boathouse of the “Hansa” rowing club. The pair designed country houses. Besides the war memorial in Lütgendortmund, they designed the Kriegerehrenmal 1914-1918 in Dorstfeld. The dedication was in 1934. They achieved around 180 competition successes together. Josef Wentzler joined the NSDAP on May 1, 1933. He died in Dortmund on July 14, 1942.
Today, the Kriegerehrenmal 1914-1918 serves as a reminder. It stands as a testament to loss and remembrance. It makes us reflect on the past. It also calls us to consider the future.