Behold the Holbeinpferdchen. This unassuming concrete foal stands innocently. It’s a seemingly simple sculpture. Yet its story is anything but simple. Created in 1936 by sculptor Werner Gürtner it’s more than just a work of art. It’s a living canvas a testament to community creativity.
The Holbeinpferdchen initially stood unadorned. It was a simple concrete foal. But sometime in the early 1970s things began to change. Anonymous artists began to decorate it. They painted it at night. The Holbeinpferdchen became a zebra. It sported advertisements for Milka Nivea and Uhu. It even displayed political messages once protesting the Brent Spar oil platform sinking.
Over the years the Holbeinpferdchen’s appearance transformed. It morphed into a unicorn. It played the role of a donkey carrying Bremen town musicians. It was even draped to mimic the Reichstag building’s Christo wrapping. The Holbeinpferdchen became a cultural icon. Its transformations reflected the city’s mood and zeitgeist.
This wasn’t without its legal battles. A photographer Matthias Wolpert profited from postcards showing the Holbeinpferdchen. The sculptor’s heirs sued. They claimed he’d violated copyright. The courts eventually ruled that he’d altered the artwork. Therefore he’d broken the law. Yet the unauthorized decorations continued.
The city intervened several times. They cleaned the Holbeinpferdchen. It was painstakingly restored in 2019. Eighteen kilograms of paint gypsum and other materials were removed. The restoration took over 80 hours and cost 6500 Euros. Despite the city’s efforts to prevent it the next morning it was repainted. This time in the colors of the Danish flag. The Holbeinpferdchen remains a symbol of Freiburg. It’s a tribute to artistic expression and the spirit of a community that embraces change and creativity. It’s a charming sculpture that continues to surprise and delight all who encounter it.