Have you ever wondered what a blue whale’s jaw looks like? Well, here you are, standing right in front of it. The Walkiefer, as it is called, is a bronze sculpture that was erected in 1987 in Bremen-Vegesack. It sits proudly on the Maritime Mile next to the Utkiek, which means lookout in Low German. The sculpture replaced the original, weathered jawbone of a blue whale that once stood here.
You might be thinking, “Why a jawbone?” Well, Vegesack has a fascinating history linked to whaling. In the 17th century, Vegesack was a prominent hub for Arctic whaling. Ships sailed from here to hunt whales for their oil, which was used for lamps and other industrial purposes. The Wal-Kiefer, as it is known in German, is a symbol of this rich and, some might say, brutal past.
Imagine the scene: 19th-century Vegesack, a bustling port where sailors and whalers returned from their perilous voyages. This harbor would have been full of the stench of whale blubber and swarming with people hauling the large whale carcasses ashore. The jawbone was a reminder of the power and scale of these magnificent creatures.
The bronze replica captures the immense size and power that the blue whales possessed. The Walkiefer was created by the sculptor Christa Baumgärtel. She has made many other sculptures throughout Bremen, including the Kaisenbüstel, a monument dedicated to the sea. But the Walkiefer stands as a unique testament to the city’s whaling heritage, a reminder of a bygone era.