Berlin - Victory Column
Victory Column - View over Tiergarten etc.
Contents
01 - Die „Siegessäule“
The Berlin Victory Column was erected as a monument to the military victories of Prussia and later the German Empire in the so-called German Wars of Unification.
The initiative was taken after the Prussian victory over Denmark in 1864, but during the monument's long construction period, victories over Austria in
1866 and France in 1870–71 followed. The significance of the monument was therefore expanded from a memorial to a single war into a symbol of the military path to
the foundation of the German Empire in 1871.
The monument was designed by the architect Johann Heinrich Strack and erected on Königsplatz, today's Platz der Republik in front of the Reichstag. It was
solemnly inaugurated on 2 September 1873, on the so-called Sedantag, the anniversary of the German victory over the French army at Sedan in 1870. At the top
stands the winged goddess of victory Victoria, created by the sculptor Friedrich Drake. She carries a laurel wreath and later became popularly known
as „Goldelse“ because of the gilded bronze figure.
The column consists of three large segments, symbolising the three victorious wars. They are clad with cannon barrels captured during the wars, and
the monument's decoration contains reliefs and a large mosaic by Anton von Werner, linking the victories to the foundation of the German nation state.
The original Victory Column was about 60.5 metres high. In 1915, the Victory Column was still standing on Königsplatz, and the Hindenburg figure - „Der Eiserne Hindenburg“
- was placed immediately south of it. The two monuments thus created a powerful visual and political symbol: the Victory Column represented the
military victories of Imperial Germany, while Hindenburg represented the contemporary German war hero of the First World War.
After the collapse of the German Empire in 1918, the political significance of the monument changed, but the column itself was preserved. As part of the Nazi plans to transform
Berlin into „Welthauptstadt Germania“, the Victory Column was moved in 1938–39 approximately 1.5 kilometres from Königsplatz to its present location on Großer Stern in
Tiergarten. At the same time, Großer Stern was greatly enlarged, the pedestal was widened, and a fourth column drum was added. The monument was thereby raised
to approximately 67 metres. The relocation formed part of Albert Speer's monumental transformation of Berlin and made the Victory Column a prominent element of the planned east-west axis.
The Victory Column survived the Second World War relatively unscathed. After 1945, however, its original nationalist symbolism became controversial. The French
occupation authorities wanted the monument removed, but the other Allies opposed this. Instead, certain elements with particularly anti-French symbolism were removed.
Historically, the Victory Column is therefore a monument whose significance has changed considerably over time: from a Prussian victory monument following the war against Denmark, through a
symbol of the German Wars of Unification and the foundation of the German Empire, to a monument that during the Nazi era was incorporated into Hitler's and Speer's vision of monumental
Berlin. Its original location on Königsplatz, as documented by your Hindenburg postcard, is therefore essential to understanding the monument's original political and historical context.
Victory Column in front of the "Reichstag" - approx. 1898
Bismarck monument and Victory Column in front of the "Reichstag".
02 - Victory Column in front of the "Reichstag"
Behind the Victory Column stands the old "Kroll Opera House". It was a Royal Opera House
(1894–1933) and the seat of the Reichstag during the National Socialist era (1933–1942).
Because parliamentary meetings could no longer be held as usual after the
Reichstag fire, the Kroll Opera House was used instead. It was subsequently used to a
limited extent as an opera house, as it had been severely damaged during the war.
It was demolished in 1957. At the time when the picture was taken, the square was called
'Königsplatz' - the postcard was written in 1925.
03 - Kroll Opera House and Königsplatz
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Postcards 'Der Eisernen Hindenburg'
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04 - Der „Eiserne Hindenburg“
Der „Eiserne Hindenburg“ was a monumental wooden sculpture of the German Field Marshal
Paul von Hindenburg, created by the painter and sculptor Georg Marschall in Berlin in 1915.
The figure was erected on Königsplatz, south of the Victory Column, and was inaugurated on 4 September 1915.
It was approximately 12–13 metres high, made of about 26 tonnes of alder wood and supported by an internal iron construction.
The monument was part of the Kriegsnagelung tradition, widespread during the First World War, in which members of the public could pay to hammer iron, silver or gold nails into a wooden figure.
The purpose was both to raise money for war-related charitable causes and to create a visible, collective expression of patriotism. In Hindenburg's case, the practice also served as a means of materialising the strong Hindenburg cult that had developed after his victory at Tannenberg in 1914.
The figure was therefore not merely a charitable monument, but a propagandistic national symbol. Its location in front of the Victory Column created a deliberate iconographic connection between Hindenburg as the contemporary military hero and the earlier victories of Imperial Germany. Contemporary sources describe how enormous crowds took part in the nailing, and the funds were intended to finance, among other things, the Nationalstiftung, the City of Berlin and Luftfahrerdank.
After the defeat in the war, however, the monument lost its symbolic function. It remained on Königsplatz for a few more years, but was removed in 1919 and sold for demolition. The monument itself has therefore disappeared; today it is known mainly through contemporary photographs, postcards and other documents.
Historically, „Der Eiserne Hindenburg“ is therefore a concentrated expression of patriotism and war propaganda on the German home front in 1915: a combination of national hero worship, public charity and collective mobilisation. Its short lifespan – from the patriotic high point of the German Empire in 1915 to its disappearance after the revolution of 1918 – also makes it a very precise symbol of the collapse of the German Empire.
"Kroll Opera House"
05 - Victory Column during the Nazi era
Its secluded location may perhaps explain why the column survived the Second World War.
After the war, the French wanted the column blown up, but fortunately the other
victorious powers did not agree.
Postcards - Ost-West-Achse with the Victory Column by day and night - Both sent in 1939
06 - Victory Column after 1945
The road now known as Strasse des 17. Juni was called Charlottenburger Chaussee until 1953.
It was renamed in honour of the victims of the uprising of 17 June 1953 in East Germany.
Charlottenburger Chaussee was laid out as a paved road in 1799 and became an important connection to the
wealthy western suburbs during the 19th century. The road formed part of the very long
'east-west axis' in Berlin and was expanded during the Nazi era and used for victory parades and other events.
07 - Strasse des 17. Juni
Strasse des 17. Juni runs through Tiergarten and is today one of the main connections
through central and western Berlin. The Victory Column stands on Großer Stern in the middle of Tiergarten
and forms a prominent point on the historic east-west axis.
You can read more about the area on my page about
Berlin - Tiergarten.
08 - Distance
From Bahnhof Zoo: 1600 metres on foot or approximately 20 minutes
From Brandenburg Gate: 2000 metres on foot or approximately 26 minutes
From Potsdamer Platz via Bellevuestraße: 2000 metres on foot or approximately 26 minutes
[photogallery/photo00032393/real.htm]
09 - Link
Berlin-guide.dk
Relevant pages on WEESP
Berlin - Tiergarten
Berlin - Bendlerblock
Berlin - Führerbunker
Berlin at War
Berlin Wall
Berlin - Grunewald
Berlin - The Nordic Embassies
Berlin - Hochbunker Pallasstraße
Berlin - Flak Tower
