Behold the bronze figure before you. This is the Schreitendes Pferd Statue. It embodies power and a complex past. This statue, created by Josef Thorak, is more than just art. It carries a history intertwined with Nazi Germany.
Josef Thorak was a favorite artist of Adolf Hitler. The Schreitendes Pferd or “Walking Horse” became synonymous with Thorak. It even earned the moniker “Thorak Horses”. Hitler commissioned these sculptures for the New Reich Chancellery in Berlin. They stood in the garden outside his study.
Imagine Hitler gazing upon these very horses. They were symbols of strength and dominance. In 1943, as war raged, the statues were moved to Wriezen. After the war, the Red Army seized them. The horses then disappeared from public view for decades.
One of the horses eventually found its way to the Zitadelle Spandau. It is now part of an exhibition. The exhibition explores how different regimes shaped Berlin’s cityscape. This includes the German Empire, the Weimar Republic, Nazi Germany, and the GDR. The museum aims to examine the symbols of these eras. Symbols that were once prominent but later removed or forgotten.
The rediscovery of the Schreitendes Pferd is a story of intrigue. Arthur Brand, a famous art detective, located them. They had been part of a shadowy art deal. The police seized them in Bad Dürkheim. These horses were to be sold on the black market. Nazi art is taboo in the official art world.
Why exhibit Nazi art? The museum wants to show how state powers used monuments. These monuments reflected their ideologies. The Schreitendes Pferd, once a symbol of Nazi power, is now a historical artifact. It is a reminder of a dark chapter in German history.
Interestingly, a third bronze Thorak horse existed. It stood in the school yard of Landschulheim Schloss Ising in Bavaria. Thorak’s widow used it to pay her son’s tuition in 1961. The horse has remained there ever since.
The Schreitendes Pferd embodies the primeval power of the animal. In 1939, the horse caused a sensation. The shape and form represented a symbol of the primeval power of the animal.
Consider the journey of these sculptures. From Hitler’s garden to a schoolyard. From symbols of power to museum exhibits. The Schreitendes Pferd tells a story of war, ideology, and rediscovery. It stands as a testament to Germany’s complex past. It serves as a reminder of art’s power. Art can be both a tool of propaganda and a subject of historical analysis.