“Imagine the year 1880” a whisper from the past drifts across the Altmarkt. Before you stands the Kriegerdenkmal fur 1866 und 1871 a monument once dedicated to the victories of the German wars. It is a powerful symbol of Dresden’s past. A past etched in stone and marble.
This wasn’t just any monument. It was erected to honor the Dresdeners who fell in the Austro-Prussian War of 1866 and the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71. Ninety-nine names were inscribed on bronze plaques. These plaques sadly no longer exist. They stood between the figures of the monument. They served as a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made.
The central figure a majestic Germania stood 6.20 meters tall. She held a laurel-wreathed Reichsfahne in her right hand. In her left hand she rested on the Reichsschild. This shield bore a German eagle. The sculptor Robert Henze a student of Hähnel created her. He used various stones. The figure itself was Carrara marble crafted in Florence. Rosa Heysing a singer modeled for Germania. Her joyful expression embodied the new national consciousness that swept through Germany after the establishment of the German Empire in 1871.
Imagine the spectacle of 1880. The Germania was transported from Florence to Dresden. This colossal figure weighed 6550 kilos. It required a special wagon for transport. The cost of shipping alone was staggering 3171 marks plus customs duties. The total cost to erect the monument reached 186.500 marks. Public collections and the Guntzstiftung and the municipal reserve fund covered the expense. The monument’s unveiling was a day of jubilation. King Albert and the royal family were present.
Unfortunately this magnificent monument suffered a tragic fate. It survived the Allied air raids of World War II mostly intact. Yet in 1946 the city administration classified it as a military object. It was slated for removal. The Soviet military administration in Dresden wanted to preserve it. But alas the city council removed Germania from her pedestal. The remaining bronze and marble fragments eventually disappeared. A Dresden carpenter rescued Germania’s head. He hid it in a garden shed in the Johannstadt district. This head was given to the city museum in 1991. Two heads of the side figures also survived demolition. Parts of the monument were used to reconstruct Antonio Corradini’s Opulence Vase in the Großer Garten. The Saxon Church Office preserved the honor plaques with the names of the fallen. They placed them in an open hall of honor near the main portal of the garrison church. The Kriegerdenkmal fur 1866 und 1871 is gone. But its story remains. It serves as a poignant reminder of war’s impact and the resilience of the human spirit. It shows the ephemeral nature of monuments and the enduring power of memory.